La Strada - Film Review

★★★★1/2 - 4 and 1/2 Stars

This is my second Fellini film. The film is much different than 8 1/2 as it has a less surrealistic storyline. The film was a treat to watch. You feel the emotions that Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) goes through, her mental state crumbling at the seams. Zampano (Anthony Quinn) is sort of the antagonist of the film, by which he pushes around Gelsomina as if she is some sort of slave (even though he bought her from poverty, slavery is not the option). Zampano is a performing strong man and he uses Gelsomina as his vagabond. She is a master at the trumpet but she could also get into some trouble. This trouble is basically just going against what Zampano says. She’s like an innocent child who had just been adopted, in a sense.

This film is great and I would definitely recommend it. The only problem I have with it is the way that the characters are portrayed. There is no doubt that the acting is stellar but Gelsomina’s mental states can be difficult to understand. Other than this small flaw, I definitely think this is a great film and I look forward to watching Fellini’s other films.