Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the greatest films ever made., 23 Nov 2000
For anyone who likes foreign language films, La Strada is essential viewing. Winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1956, as well as numerous other awards, it is brilliant at every level. Superbly directed by Fellini and wonderfully acted by Anthony Quinn as the brutal strongman and Giuletta Masina as the fool with the heart of gold, sold into virtual slavery by her own mother, it features some stunning locations as the strongman and his "slave" embark on their beautiful, yet melancholy, odyssey through the backroads of Italy.It is a film that you can watch time and time again. It may be viewed as a simple "road movie", but it also operates at a deeper level as an allegorical quest for the very essence of life. La Strada is, quite simply, a masterpiece. On a technical note, the sound and picture quality of this VHS version are excellent, and the subtitles are always very clear.
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6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tragic, but is it life?, 20 Dec 2002
This is an excellent film. There is, in particular, a scene that I cannot forget. At night, a circus performer encourages Gelsomina. He tells her that every single thing on earth means something, to someone, and he continues, even this tiny stone has a meaning of being. Then she asks, "Which one?," referring to which stone.... I couldn't help but cry. She has the purest mind that one can hardly believe that it actually exists in someone's mind, and later in the film, that precious gift that God has given to her be trampled completely by Zampano, who is rough but really a pitiable man who just don't know how to express his feeling for her. Tragic. But, is it life?
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant & depressing, 19 Aug 2007
La Strada is ultimately a grim and downbeat tale, but the director Fellini makes you care about the characters involved. Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) is forced to live and work with Zampano (Anthony Quinn), a circus strongman. She lives with Zampano in the back of a small motorcycle trailer, and the conditions are frankly squalid, as are most of the places where they work. 'The Fool' (Richard Basehart) is the fly in the ointment, who attempts to lure Gelsomina away from Zampino with tragic results.
La Strada and Fellini was a huge influence on a number of famous films. 'Godfather II' copies the religious street festival and the ending reminded me of 'The Swimmer'.
The film is in Italian with English subtitles available.
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