|
|
 |
| Federico Fellini | 1957 |
|
Click image to purchase
|
 |
 Italy Prostitution  |
The Nights of Cabiria is yet another of Fellini's masterworks. Like La Strada, it stars his wife, Giulietta Masina. Like Fellini must have, I see this woman as someone magical. Like the best silent film stars, she tells half the story with her eyes or a gesture or, unlike any of the silent film stars, simply by changing the tone of her voice. The Criterion edition of this film comes with an English version as well. This means you have to watch it at least twice. Once to get the idea down and once to hear the tones of the performers voices change. Masina's performance in this movie is amazing. She goes from street smart and surly to sweet and innocent and does it seemingly effortlessly. She almost looks like two different people as she's doing it. Fellini makes a poignant social statement with this film in that he does a nice job of showing what it was like to have been poor in Italy in the fifties and shows the contrast between the lives of the upper and lower classes.
The Movie: The Nights of Cabiria begins with a guy and a girl frolicking about in a field and acting like they're in love. As they approach the edge of a lake, we realize the extent to which the guy is acting when he snatches the woman's purse, pushes her into the water and runs off across the field. A small boy hears the cries of the drowning woman. Suddenly, there's a whole host of folk attempting to rescue her. The would be rescuers subject this poor woman to all manner of abuse in order to get her functional again. On regaining consciousness Cabiria begins to call for someone named "Georgio". On discovering that Georgio is nowhere to be found she throws a small tantrum and tells everyone present, in no uncertain terms, that she "wants to go home!".
Eventually Cabiria does make it home just to find that she's been locked out. She has a small argument with her friend "Wanda {Franca Marzi}" and breaks into her own house through the window. After some minutes of contemplation and a few words of wisdom from her friend, she decides that her boyfriend actually did try to murder her and throws another tantrum or two. Cut to a group of people, hanging out in a small field, drinking and smoking and dancing and so forth. In real life, Cabiria is a prostitute; as are many of the folk she's hanging out with. After a short argument with a slightly flaky woman, the bunch piles into their cars and leaves. Cabiria asks to get dropped off in a fancy part of town. Cabiria wanders through a cafe where she seems to feel just slightly out of her element, then wanders around the city streets where she seems to feel just slightly out of her element. Whilst wandering, Cabiria has a short talk with a nice policeman and watches as a couple has an argument.
After Jessy {Dorian Gray} has broken things off with Alberto {Amedeo Nazzari}, Cabiria realizes who he is. Alberto Lazzari is a big time movie star. Alberto asks Cabiria over to his car and the two head off for a night of frivolity and laughter on the town. The new couple visit a night club where Cabiria seems to feel just slightly out of her element, we watch a strange dance number and do some dancing ourselves. Next, we head back to Alberto's place for dinner where Cabiria seems to feel just slightly out of her element and has to hide in the bathroom, snuggling a beagle puppy, while Alberto and Jessy make up in the next room.
Back in the field the next night, we make plans to visit the shrine of the Madonna. The visit serves to do little more than depress Cabiria and make her seriously question just where her life has gotten to. A visit to a theater where a hypnotist {Aldo Silvani} is putting on a show makes things even worse. Then... Cabiria meets Oscar {François Périer}, which strikes me as somehow prophetic. The Nights of Cabiria won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and Giulietta Masina won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival that year.
