La Strada

"Filmed in Italy - where it happened!"

1954 1h 55m IT

🙌

7.9

BANGER

🔥

97%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

IMDB

★7.9TMDB · 1,205🍅97%Rotten Tomatoes★8IMDB · 68,802

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Gelsomina, a naïve young woman, is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò to be his wife and partner, she loyally endures her husband's coldness and abuse as they travel the Italian countryside performing together. Soon Zampanò must deal with his jealousy and conflicted feelings about Gelsomina when she finds a kindred spirit in Il Matto, the carefree circus fool, and contemplates leaving Zampanò.

“Filmed in Italy - where it happened!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

HBO Max Amazon ChannelSubscription

HBO MaxSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Giulietta Masina
Gelsomina
Anthony Quinn
Zampanò
Richard Basehart
Matto
Aldo Silvani
Mr. Giraffa
Marcella Rovere
Widow
Livia Venturini
Nun
Pietro Ceccarelli
Innkeeper (uncredited)
Giovanna Galli
Prostitute at Inn (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Federico Fellini
Writers: Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Tullio Pinelli
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy

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 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

72 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Federico Fellini, shot by Otello Martelli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

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#03

4 / 7

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#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn and Richard Basehart carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Filmed in Italy - where it happened!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0047528 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Federico Fellini directs. Otello Martelli behind the camera. Nino Rota scores. Leo Catozzo cuts. Produced in Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

172 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Federico Fellini, shot by Otello Martelli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Nino Rota. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Leo Catozzo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn and Richard Basehart carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Filmed in Italy - where it happened!".
7IMDB entry: tt0047528 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 13 themes, including "prison", "dying and death", "rage and hate", "unsociability".
9Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Otello Martelli
Original score: Nino Rota
Editing: Leo Catozzo
Production design: Mario Ravasco
Costume design: Margherita Marinari
Makeup / hair: Dante Trani
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Status: Released
Original language: IT
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: La Strada (1954)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 8/10 · 68,802 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 12 wins & 5 nominations total

Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Federico Fellini

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-20
★ 7/10
Anthony Quinn is nigh on perfect for the "Zampanò" role here. He is a travelling strongman who buys "Gelsomina" (Giulietta Masina) from her mother for a pretty paltry sum and some food. She's none-too-pleased with her new, nomadic, life and he is not exactly the ideal companion. In fact, he's a bit of a thug! She's no shrinking violet, though, and after some failed attempts at escape, determines that this is her new life and that she is going to make the best of things. Might she even end up enjoying this life? Enter the nimble and agile tight-rope walker rather unkindly referred to as "The Fool" (Richard Basehart) whom she befriends, and he starts to open her eyes to another, hitherto unconsidered, possibility about the bullish "Zampanò" and the rationale behind his behaviour towards her. Fellini really does know how to let his stars shine here, and the photography - especially of the visually expressive and engaging Masina works really well with this simple but never straightforward drama. She presents us with a portrayal of a woman of character and as the plot thickens, the delivery of her relationship with the very much on-form Quinn becomes quite compelling to watch. Set amidst the debris of post-war Italy it also reminds us of just how society was struggling to get back onto it's feet, and to move on - even if the largely rural communities featured here had little, if any, prospects of seeing any improvements. The circus isn't a way to riches and comfort - it's rudimentary entertainment for a population that needs momentary distraction and it must travel continuously just to keep the proverbial wolf from it's door. That relentlessness provides us with the potent vehicle for an interesting character study that contrasts the strength and brutishness of one with the subtlety of the others and it looks great too.

Production companies