FELLINI: FOUR FILMS
La Strada
Q&A with UK professors, Raymond De Luca, a specialist in international film studies, and Matteo Benassi, a specialist in Italian film.
"One of cinema’s most exquisitely moving visions of humanity struggling to survive in the face of life’s cruelties." —Criterion
"This is an extraordinary film, a fierce tragedy but one which, for all its relentless realism, can be tender, pathetic, and, finally, touched with hope. It is a film which must not be missed." —Guardian
When Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina), a naïve young woman, is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò (Anthony Quinn) to be his wife and partner, she loyally endures her husband's coldness and abuse as they travel the Italian countryside performing together. Soon Zampanò must deal with his jealousy and conflicted feelings about Gelsomina when she finds a kindred spirit in Il Matto, the carefree circus fool, and contemplates leaving Zampanò.