La Strada (film)
| La Strada | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Federico Fellini |
| Produced by |
Dino De Laurentiis Carlo Ponti |
| Screenplay by | Federico Fellini Tullio Pinelli Ennio Flaiano |
| Story by | Federico Fellini Tullio Pinelli |
| Starring |
Giulietta Masina Anthony Quinn Richard Basehart |
| Music by | Nino Rota |
| Cinematography |
Otello Martelli Carlo Carlini |
| Edited by | Leo Catozzo |
| Distributed by | Trans Lux Inc. |
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Release date
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Running time
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104 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
La Strada (The Road) is a 1954 Italian drama film directed by Federico Fellini from his own screenplay co-written with Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Flaiano. The film portrays a naïve young woman (Giulietta Masina) bought from her mother by a brutish strongman (Anthony Quinn) who takes her with him on the road; encounters with his rival the Fool (Richard Basehart) and ends with their destruction.
Fellini has called La Strada "a complete catalogue of my entire mythological world, a dangerous representation of my identity that was undertaken with no precedent whatsoever." As a result, the film demanded more time and effort than any of his other works, before or since. The development process was long and tortuous; there were various problems during production, including insecure financial backing, problematic casting, and numerous delays. Finally, just before shooting was completed, Fellini suffered a nervous breakdown that necessitated medical treatment in order to complete principal photography. Initial critical reaction was harsh, and the film's screening at the Venice Film Festival was the occasion of a bitter controversy that escalated into a public brawl between Fellini's supporters and detractors.
Subsequently, however, La Strada has become "one of the most influential films ever made", according to the American Film Institute. It won the inaugural Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957. It was placed fourth in the 1992 British Film Institute directors' list of cinema's top 10 films.
Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina), a credulous young woman, learns that her sister Rosa has died since going on the road with the strongman Zampanò (Anthony Quinn). Now the same man has returned a year later to ask her mother if Gelsomina will take Rosa's place. The mother accepts 10,000 lire, and her daughter departs the same day.
Zampanò makes his living as an itinerant street performer, entertaining crowds by breaking an iron chain bound tightly across his chest, then passing the hat for tips. In short order, Gelsomina's naïve and antic nature emerges, with Zampanò's brutish methods presenting a callous foil. He teaches her to play the snare drum and trumpet, dance a bit, and clown for the audience. Despite her willingness to please, he relies on intimidation and even cruelty at times to maintain his domination.
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Wikipedia