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ERA
Did you know
69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Nights of Cabiria
"The story of a betrayed but unquenchable little Roman street-walker."
1957 1h 50m IT
🙌
8.0
BANGER
★8.0TMDB · 885
DramaComedy
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Rome, 1957. A woman, Cabiria, is robbed and left to drown by her boyfriend, Giorgio. Rescued, she resumes her life and tries her best to find happiness in a cynical world. Even when she thinks her struggles are over and she has found happiness and contentment, things may not be what they seem.
“The story of a betrayed but unquenchable little Roman street-walker.”
Cast
Giulietta Masina
Maria 'Cabiria' Ceccarelli
François Périer
Oscar D'Onofrio
Franca Marzi
Wanda
Amedeo Nazzari
Alberto Lazzari
Aldo Silvani
The wizard
Dorian Gray
Jessy
Ennio Girolami
Amleto, 'il magnaccia'
Mario Passante
Uncle of Amleto
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Federico Fellini
- Writers
- Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Ennio Flaiano
- Languages
- Italian
- Countries
- Italy, France
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 2 countries: Italy, France.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Federico Fellini, shot by Aldo Tonti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Nino Rota. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Leo Catozzo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Giulietta Masina and François Périer and Franca Marzi carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "The story of a betrayed but unquenchable little Roman street-walker.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0050783 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Federico Fellini directs. Aldo Tonti behind the camera. Nino Rota scores. Leo Catozzo cuts. Produced in Italy, France. Dialogue in Italian.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 2International production across 2 countries: Italy, France.
- 3Directed by Federico Fellini, shot by Aldo Tonti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Nino Rota. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Leo Catozzo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Giulietta Masina and François Périer and Franca Marzi carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "The story of a betrayed but unquenchable little Roman street-walker.".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0050783 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Classified under 14 themes, including "rome, italy", "optimism", "house", "tragedy".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Aldo Tonti
- Original score
- Nino Rota
- Editing
- Leo Catozzo
- Production design
- Piero Gherardi
- Costume design
- Piero Gherardi
- Makeup / hair
- Eligio Trani
- Runtime
- 110 min · 1h 50m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Box office
- $752,045
- Original language
- IT
Awards
- Grolla d'oro for Best Leading Actress
- Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.
Also by
Federico Fellini
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- CinemaSerf★ 7/10
This is a superb vehicle for a very much on-form Giulietta Masina in the title role. She is a lady of the night whom we see, right at the start, being shoved into the river by her robber boyfriend and left to drown. Rescued thanks to an alert local urchin and a few locals. she is shaken but largely undeterred! From now on, we follow her on her continuing escapades as she defiantly refuses to give up on love. She thinks she has lucked out with a champagne and caviar film actor, but is soon further disillusioned and it is only a chance encounter with the rather unassuming "D'Onofrio" (François Périer) who had admired her on stage one evening, that things might - just might - offer our wandering spirit that which her heart desires most. Fellini uses the still largely war-torn streets of Rome as an effective backdrop to this most human of stories, and the writing allows Miss Masina to deliver her quick-fire, frequently comical (and always unerringly optimistic) dialogue expertly. She is very much in her element as the story develops. There is an air of cynicism to the whole thing, but somehow her character manages to punch through it - and that's what made this entertaining for me. It could have been just a procedural and predictable drama, but it isn't. There are no certainties with the plot. Indeed, the only certainty is that she is never going to give up! The supporting cast deliver really effectively - either as characters with a direct bearing on her life ("Wanda" (Franca Marzi) for example) or as a means for the audience to recalibrate and come up for air for a moment or two. It's an emotional film, but not a sentimental one - and I really enjoyed it
Production companies
Who made it
- DD
DDL Cinematografica
IT
- LE
Les Films Marceau
FR
Key crew
- Production SecretaryManolo Bolognini
- First Assistant DirectorMoraldo Rossi
- Second Assistant DirectorPaolo Nuzzi
- Script SupervisorNarciso Vicario
- ConductorFranco Ferrara
- Second Assistant DirectorDominique Delouche
- Assistant EditorAdriana Olasio
- SoundRocco Roy Mangano
- Makeup ArtistEligio Trani
- SoundOscar Di Santo
- Camera OperatorGoffredo Bellisario
- ProducerDino De Laurentiis
- Costume DesignPiero Gherardi
- Production ManagerLuigi De Laurentiis
- Production DesignPiero Gherardi
- Unit ManagerEmimmo Salvi
- EditorLeo Catozzo
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- rome, italy
- optimism
- house
- tragedy
- poverty
- prostitution
- heartbreak
- rescue from drowning
- ostia italy
- shrine
- hypnotist
- railway station
- starving
- accountant
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1957-12-31
Also known as
International titles
- 花街春梦CN
- 卡比里亚之夜CN
- Fellinis Die Nächte der CabiriaDE
- 카비리아의 밤KR
