Review of La Strada (1954) by Pedro S — 12 Aug 2010

Fellini's La Srada is a pure filmic masterpiece in all its simplistic yet infintely complicated glory. Beautiful and horrific, hilarious and poignant, grittily realistic yet otherwordly, La Strada is Fellini on the cusp of becoming Fellini. It is a masterful end piece to neorealism and an inspired beginning of an emerging new cinematic voice. La Strada caused a scandal in the world of film theory with its utter disregard for Italian neorealism's social consciousness. Of course, such views of the film are ultimately shortsighted for the film is suffused with realism and social commentary but is subtlely infused with these themes. Instead, Fellini's film focuses on one of the perennial themes of art: the nature of and the vicissitudes surrounding it. Ultiamtely, the film is about the confrontation between innocence, love, and purity and worldliness and brutality. La Strada unfolds like a neorealistic, Chaplinesque parable/fairy tale that will make you laugh until you start weeping. It is a film about the power of love and the need to accept the love that is given us during the course of our lives.

Fellini's La Srada is a pure filmic masterpiece in all its simplistic yet infintely complicated glory. Beautiful and horrific, hilarious and poignant, grittily realistic yet otherwordly, La Strada is Fellini on the cusp of becoming Fellini. It is a masterful end piece to neorealism and an inspired beginning of an emerging new cinematic voice. La Strada caused a scandal in the world of film theory with its utter disregard for Italian neorealism's social consciousness. Of course, such views of the film are ultimately shortsighted for the film is suffused with realism and social commentary but is subtlely infused with these themes. Instead, Fellini's film focuses on one of the perennial themes of art: the nature of and the vicissitudes surrounding it. Ultiamtely, the film is about the confrontation between innocence, love, and purity and worldliness and brutality. La Strada unfolds like a neorealistic, Chaplinesque parable/fairy tale that will make you laugh until you start weeping. It is a film about the power of love and the need to accept the love that is given us during the course of our lives.