Review of Nights of Cabiria (1957) by Drew S — 20 Nov 2008

Giulietta Masina makes me so happy.

This seems like a light film(for the most part) until you actually think about her life and how horrible it is. She yearns for love like no other. Fellini makes her character seem so happy yet we know under the surface she's not as cynical and cocky. The story is a series of episodes showing her seemingly endless bad luck in life. The thing that makes this totally different than what it could have been is Giulietta Masina. Her performance is wonderful. She has these little smirks and glances that will win you over from the start and make you fall in love with her. That's why it's so effective when she is actually sad and down. The ending is heartbreaking but Fellini turns it all around and really shows the biggest strength of Cabiria. She's like that one Chumbawamba song...