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Fellini forever >> A restored print of Nights of Cabiria headlines a retrospective of the auteur's oeuvre
by MATTHEW HAYS
For Fellini freaks, the highlight of the five-film anthology is undoubtedly Nights of Cabiria, screening with a brand new print which includes footage that hasn't been seen since the film's premiere at Cannes over 40 years ago. A dream-like, episodic examination of the life of a prostitute, Nights of Cabiria hasn't lost any of its clout. Fellini's wife, Giulietta Masina, stars as the film's haggard centerpiece, a weary street walker desperate to maintain her dignity while seeking some form of affection. The Fellini/Masina collaboration came but three years after La Strada, in which Masina played a doomed circus performer, trapped under the oppressive control of her evil, abusive husband (Anthony Quinn). In Cabiria, Masina plays the virtual sibling of her La Strada character (her "fallen sister," as Fellini once referred to her). Cabiria, the character, is the not-terrifically-bright prostitute who, as the film opens, wanders by river's edge with her boyfriend. He promptly snatches her purse and pushes her into the river. Cabiria almost drowns, but is rescued by some locals. Showing little or no gratitude to her rescuers, Cabiria screeches at them upon gaining consciousness. In this first scene, Masina illustrates her wondrous talent as a performer. Often compared to Chaplin, she managed to level the perfect balance between pathos and comic charm, evoking occasional laughter in a scene where she's recovering from a near-fatal drowning. Cabiria's fortunes don't dramatically improve after this mess; the film's episodic structure has her stumbling from one degrading and humiliating incident to the next, somehow managing to keep her spirit unbroken. Cabiria's crusty exterior barely conceals a true romantic, someone who is dying to be swept off her feet by Signore Right. In this film, as with La Strada, Fellini was attempting to pull away from the constraints of neo-realism, the Italian trend against the escapist fare of the WWII era. Fellini felt films could be magical and stray from a commitment to social issues. But in the devastating Nights of Cabiria, the last vestiges of neo-realism can still be felt. Fellini interviewed numerous prostitutes to more accurately reflect their lives. He also brought fellow filmmaker Pasolini on board, to further authenticate the dialect of the poor characters who populate the film. But perhaps most of all, Fellini still appeared to be bucking the Fascist-era, upper-class fantasy films which dominated the Mussolini years. As Cabiria falls under the spell of various suitors, she buys into the fantasy of love, only to end up damaged even further. Fellini makes Cabiria a cautionary tale; cinematic fantasies themselves--like the fulfilment and security romance is supposed to bring--can prove very dangerous things.
Nights of Cabiria opens Friday, July 2, at the Cinéma du Parc. The other films in the series are 8 1/2, Satyricon, Amarcord and Roma |
For those who have overdosed on the rather cheap brand of sentimentalism offered up by Roberto Benigni, a perfect antidote arrives in town this week. The late Federico Fellini, the first director ever referred to with the term auteur, is being honoured with a retrospective.