Le notti di Cabiria (1957)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story) &
Ennio Flaiano (story) ...

Release Date:

26 May 1957 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A waifish prostitute wanders the streets of Rome looking for true love but finding only heartbreak.

Plot Keywords:

Rome | Boyfriend | Accountant | Prostitute | Movie Star

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 14 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Giulietta Masina	...	Maria 'Cabiria' Ceccarelli
François Périer	...	Oscar D'Onofrio (as François Perier)
Franca Marzi	...	Wanda
Dorian Gray	...	Jessy
Aldo Silvani	...	Il mago
Ennio Girolami	...	Amleto, 'il magnaccia'
Mario Passante	...	Lo storpio alla processione
Christian Tassou
Amedeo Nazzari	...	Alberto Lazzari

Also Known As:

Cabiria (UK)
Les nuits de Cabiria (France)
Nights of Cabiria (USA)

Runtime:

110 min | USA:117 min (restored version)

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

South Korea:15 (2003) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Acilia, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Trivia:

During the editing of this film, editor Leo Cattozzo developed the CIR self-perforating adhesive tape splicer (also known as "Costruzione Incollatrici Rapide", "the Cattozzo", Guillotine-, CIRO- or ARRI Splicer) which made him rich in the 1960s and for which he won an Academy Award in 1989.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wie de Waarheid Zegt Moet Dood (1981)

Amazing Transformation

I almost turned this film off. I'm so glad I stayed with it. It's one of the best films I've seen. Cabiria, the street prostitute, is not sympathetic. She's rough, vulgar, not very attractive, a showoff, loud, proud, inelegant. I just didn't feel anything for her character at the beginning. But Fellini must have been reading my mind. He purposefully played it that way to draw the viewer in.

The streets of Rome are unforgiving and harsh for a prostitute. There are those who sleep in caves and in the archways. Cabiria braggingly says, "I've got my own house...here's one girl who's never slept under the arches. Well, maybe once. Twice maybe." By the end of the film I was completely hooked by her charm, desire, and hope. For hope is what keeps Cabiria going. A great film.