Italy. Zampano is the only member of a circus act traveling across the country and performing for street charity. One day he buys a new member for his act, Gelsomina, a young and slightly retarded innocent woman. Traveling around the country and performing acts - Zampano is breaking the chains from his chest while Gelsomina is entertaining the audience dressed as a clown - the two of them come closer...
"The Road", winner of an Oscar for best foreign language film, is a real full blood masterpiece and in my opinion Federico Fellini's best achievement. If you are on the lookout for a spectacular movie with epic proportions and deep truths about life, then don't look here, or better said you will get to see the deepest truths about life through the most simple and child like elements and symbols, such as when Gelsomina raises her hand on the street to impersonate a branch of a tree. It's just the way this film is. And yet, he is so brilliant. Giulietta Masina is simply fantastic as the innocent ( and slightly retarded ) Gelsomina that does almost everything wrong and Anthony Quinn is also great as the grumpy Zampano who discovers his real emotions for her only at the end on the beach, when everything is too late.
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The tragic but uplifting story, presented in a form of a road movie, serves nothing more than as a vehicle for the 2 main characters to meet each other. Extremely touching and emotional, and always presented on a subtle base, while offering some bitter moments too ( Gelsomina trying to hide her tears from the nuns when she is leaving the church with Zampano who tried to rob the interior ). All completely spontaneous and magical. I could go on and on about how great "The Road" is, but I won't. Words do not do this film justice. You have to see it for yourself and you won't be disappointed. It's one of the most beautiful films of the 50s and Fellini achieved it with simple, raw, down to Earth elements from everyday life.
Grade: 10/10
"The Road", winner of an Oscar for best foreign language film, is a real full blood masterpiece and in my opinion Federico Fellini's best achievement. If you are on the lookout for a spectacular movie with epic proportions and deep truths about life, then don't look here, or better said you will get to see the deepest truths about life through the most simple and child like elements and symbols, such as when Gelsomina raises her hand on the street to impersonate a branch of a tree. It's just the way this film is. And yet, he is so brilliant. Giulietta Masina is simply fantastic as the innocent ( and slightly retarded ) Gelsomina that does almost everything wrong and Anthony Quinn is also great as the grumpy Zampano who discovers his real emotions for her only at the end on the beach, when everything is too late.
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The tragic but uplifting story, presented in a form of a road movie, serves nothing more than as a vehicle for the 2 main characters to meet each other. Extremely touching and emotional, and always presented on a subtle base, while offering some bitter moments too ( Gelsomina trying to hide her tears from the nuns when she is leaving the church with Zampano who tried to rob the interior ). All completely spontaneous and magical. I could go on and on about how great "The Road" is, but I won't. Words do not do this film justice. You have to see it for yourself and you won't be disappointed. It's one of the most beautiful films of the 50s and Fellini achieved it with simple, raw, down to Earth elements from everyday life.
Grade: 10/10