I saw this movie for the first time last night, and I have to post my first review on the site to say it is really wonderful. Giulietta Masina's performance is truly one of the most impressive I've ever seen - her face is as expressive as Buster Keaton's or Charlie Chaplin's.
The movie is a deceptively simple story about the day-to-day encounters of a prostitute who does the best she can to make a living and maintain her hopes and dreams of a better life. Her relationships with her neighbors, friends, and street-corner associates are a major focus, as are her relationships with the many men that come and go in her life. In the latter regard, it is obvious that this film was the inspiration for many other plays and films, including Sweet Charity.
The series of people encountered by Cabiria in the movie shows us the full range of human reaction to life's adversity - some respond with cynicism and prey on others without remorse, some respond with generosity and hope, some respond by clinging to certain belief systems that don't really help them in a material way, etc. Cabiria definitely stands out as a unique character within the gritty, grimy community of post-war Rome, where there are stark differences between people of different classes and livelihoods. We can see that she is a good person living in a world that is not always humane or fair.
I won't give away the ending, but I will say that it took a lot of creativity and inspiration to include the ending of this movie as it is - I'm sure it was as startling and unexpected to audiences in 1957 as it is emotionally moving still today.
The direction, photography, and acting are all first-rate in this classic. Everybody involved was obviously engaged in a labor of love. I cannot recommend it more highly.
The movie is a deceptively simple story about the day-to-day encounters of a prostitute who does the best she can to make a living and maintain her hopes and dreams of a better life. Her relationships with her neighbors, friends, and street-corner associates are a major focus, as are her relationships with the many men that come and go in her life. In the latter regard, it is obvious that this film was the inspiration for many other plays and films, including Sweet Charity.
The series of people encountered by Cabiria in the movie shows us the full range of human reaction to life's adversity - some respond with cynicism and prey on others without remorse, some respond with generosity and hope, some respond by clinging to certain belief systems that don't really help them in a material way, etc. Cabiria definitely stands out as a unique character within the gritty, grimy community of post-war Rome, where there are stark differences between people of different classes and livelihoods. We can see that she is a good person living in a world that is not always humane or fair.
I won't give away the ending, but I will say that it took a lot of creativity and inspiration to include the ending of this movie as it is - I'm sure it was as startling and unexpected to audiences in 1957 as it is emotionally moving still today.
The direction, photography, and acting are all first-rate in this classic. Everybody involved was obviously engaged in a labor of love. I cannot recommend it more highly.