Part of Essential Fellini.
In the fifth of their immortal collaborations, Federico Fellini and the exquisitely expressive Giulietta Masina completed the creation of one of the most indelible characters in all of cinema: Cabiria, an irrepressible, fiercely independent sex worker who, as she moves through the sea of Rome’s humanity, through adversity and heartbreak, must rely on herself — and her own indomitable spirit — to remain standing. Winner of the Best Actress prize at Cannes for Masina and the 1958 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, NIGHTS OF CABIRIA brought the early, neorealist-influenced phase of Fellini’s career to a transcendent close with its sublimely heartbreaking yet hopeful final image, which embodies — perhaps more than any other in the director’s body of work — the blend of the bitter and the sweet that define his vision of the world.
Restored by the Cineteca di Bologna, in collaboration with TFI and STUDIOCANAL, with the support of the CNC, for the Fellini 100 Project. Elements provided by Studio Cine.
“There is more grace and courage in the famous image of Giulietta Masina smiling through her tears...than there is in all the fire-breathing blockbusters Hollywood has to offer….The star's prize-winning, heartbreaking performance, the story's allegorical resonance and Fellini's sweeping, soulful vision of a Roman prostitute's resilient humanity mark NIGHTS OF CABIRIA as a cinematic masterpiece.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times (Jul 3, 1998) “Perhaps she is a waiflike innocent, a saint among the sinners. It is one of the pleasures of Giulietta Masina's performance that the guard never comes down. As artificial as Cabiria's behavior sometimes seems, it always seems her own, and this little woman carries herself proudly.” —Roger Ebert (Aug 16, 1998)
