THE NIGHTS OF CABIRIA
Italy, 1957, 117 minutes, Black and white.
Giulietta Masina, François Périer, Franca Marzi, Dorian Gray, Amadeo Nazzari.
Directed by Federico Fellini.
The Nights of Cabiria has become a classic Fellini film. Beginning as a writer, he moved into acting and directing with some of the best of the neo-realistic directors including Roberto Rossellini (The Miracle) and Vittorio de Sica.
He broke through with the outstanding film, La Strada, with Anthony Quinn and his wife Giulietta Masina, who appeared in a number of his films. It won the Oscar for best foreign language film. So did Nights of Cabiria.
Giulietta Masina plays Cabiria as a wide-eyed innocent, a prostitute in a poor section of Rome. She has a house, has some money in the bank – but dreams of getting out of this world. The film follows her in her activities, seeing her boyfriend stealing money from her and nearly killing her, going home with a film star, at a shrine where she prays to the Madonna. Finally she meets an accountant and it is possible that she will find true love.
The film evokes the atmosphere of Rome in the 1950s – and Fellini has the ability, especially with the cooperation of his wife, to breathe life into characters who may otherwise seem stereotypes. Fellini has a great deal of humanity – it was later, after his autobiographical films La Dolce Vita, 8½ and Giulietta of the Spirits that he moved into what is sometimes called Felliniesque material with Satyricon, Roma. He also won another Oscar for best foreign language film in 1973 with Amarcord.
The Nights of Cabiria was the basis for the Broadway musical Sweet Charity, filmed by Bob Fosse with Shirley MacLaine?.
1. This film is considered a Fellini classic. Why? Does it merit its reputation? Its impact in its time? Looking at it in the retrospect of Fellini's career? Looking at it in the light of its being the basis for Sweet Charity?
2. As an example of Italian film-making in the fifties? The drawing on the development of neo-realism after the war, the black and white photography, the realistic approach to people and their way of life, the realistic use of locations? Fellini’s transition to the use of symbol and image within realism? A realistic framework for symbol and thematic exploration of people? How well does realism and symbolism blend? Use of photography, black and white, musical score and Cabiria's theme?
3. The background of Fellini's interest in clowns, the comic elements in human beings, their foibles? Giulietta Masina and her clown style for the portrayal of Cabiria? Facial gestures, raising of eyebrows, smiles and sadness, verbal intonations, dancing, jerky movements etc?
4. The opening and closing sequences and their similarity? Cabiria and her relationships with men and being used by them even to destruction? Audience response to what had happened between these two similar incidents? Cabiria as an ordinary kind of woman, prostitute, sympathetic? Her being hurt? Her ability to make a comeback?
5. How well delineated was the character of Cabiria? Giulietta Masina and her portrayal of a prostitute? The sleazy aspects of prostitution being absent? Her portrayal of her as a waif, impish antics, particular traits? An innocent, yet elemental faults of anger, jealousies? Her irritations? Her capacity for joy and exhilaration?
6. The contrast of Cabiria with Wanda? In the early sequences, throughout the film when she returned home? When Wanda was seeing her off and she was going to be martyred? The importance of her house and the fact that it was paid for, the various objects inside which were theirs, the strange surroundings, the children playing? The house as representing Cabiria and her values? Her money going into setting a future for herself? (The irony that this was later to be stolen from her?)
7. A symbolic and fantasy world of prostitution? The audience's suspension of moral judgement? Fellini's suspension of moral judgement? The discussions about prostitution, Cabiria’s background, seeing her partly at work, waiting far pickups? Her memories? Her aims? Her wanting to end her life when she had a future? Were there any sluttish overtones to Cabiria's portrayal?
8. The humour in the presentation of Alberto? The movie star type, the swanky style? The fact that he had picked her up? The irony of the visit to the nightclub with its musical styles, dancing, posed faces of the guests? Fellini's comment on this kind of society through satirical visual presentation? The opulence of his home, the meal? Cabiria's exhilaration -'If my friends could see me now', Alberto as the 'big spender'? The melodramatics with the arrival of Jessie and Cabiria spending her night In the other room, escaping? Her simplicity in wanting the autographed photo? The talk between Alberto and Cabiria? The impact of the enjoyment at the nightclub, with the visit to the home, her telling her friends?
9. The impact of the visit to the theatre? The atmosphere of the hypnosis? The comedy of the men being hypnotised, of Cabiria’s being hypnotised? The importance of this sequence as revealing her true self?
10. Oscar as a contrast with Alberto? His quiet gentility? his love for her, his genuine shy approach? Cabiria's exhilaration on their outings? Her not wanting to deceive him? The build-up to her selling everything, the marriage, the exhilaration? How well did the audience share this? The sequence of their departure, the meal in the restaurant, their walk and the gradual changing of mood? with what skills did Fellini change audience response to Oscar, the mood, the robbery, Cabiria's fear, the mountain top and the possibility of her death? The meanness of Oscar's robbing and running away? The depths of the hurt to Cabiria?
11. The hurt to Cabiria and her trying to cope with the future? The sadness of her walk? The meeting of the young people and their music and happiness, its infectious nature and Cabiria smiling again? her hope? The optimistic aspects of this ending?
12. The film was particularly Italian. How universal was its understanding of human nature and its appeal? Themes of human nature, life, right and wrong, hope and hopelessness?
