Rating: 
Summary: La Strada's English Soundtrack
Review: In response to Stephen Lopez:I,too,contacted
Criterion regarding the English track.I received
the same reply.However,I can't accept their
answer because some years back,Criterion released
La Strada on laserdisc (a now-defunct video medium
used mainly by videophiles before the advent of DVDs)
which I've owned since its release.The English soundtrack on this LD is flawless...not
a single "dropoff" from start to finish. So...my hunch is that somebody at Criterion fouled up somehow and the result is several minutes of
missing audio. I'm still happy,however,that I purchased the DVD
because the video quality is outstanding!
Rating: 
Summary: Charming, beautiful, and sad
Review: Although I've greatly enjoyed movies all of my life, I have only considered myself a "film buff" for about 10 years now, and believe it or not, its taken me this long to discover the genius of Fellini. After viewing the masterpiece "8 1/2", I was anxious to check out another film by this director I have always heard so much about, and my search lead me to "La Strada". I just finished watching it about 15 minutes ago, and once again, I am deeply affected, and aware of being in the presence of brilliance. The plot details can be read in the editorial review above, so I'll just make some comments. First of all, the story is unforgetable. If you are a lover of high art and are open-minded to the classics of cinema, there is no way you will walk away from this film unaffected. The powerful performance by Quinn, the heartbreaking, delicate perfomance by Masina, and the comical, yet touching performance by Basehart combine to produce one of the greatest ensemble performances I have ever seen on screen. Together with Fellini's magical touch, a masterpiece of cinema is born. The story is funny, yet sad....simple, yet thought-provoking. In all, it rightly deserves to be called a classic, and I recommend it to anyone who has a true appreciation of film. Criterion Collection has done it again with another beautiful package. The transfer is near flawless. The picture is practicaly blemish free, and the unforgettable Nino Rota score is clear and vibrant. Since I just got this DVD, I haven't gotten a chance to view all the extras, but this is a double-disc set from Criterion, which usually means that its packed to the brim with wonderful supplemantal material. I know that the higher prices Criterion charges for their DVDs turns alot of folks off, but for me, I've found that the labor of love that they put into each DVD makes the slightly higher prices well worth it. All in all, this is a phenomenal film presented wonderfuly in a great DVD package. Very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: La Strada is a great clown movie
Review: This film is considered by many to be Fellini's best. Anthony Quinn is just astounding as the rough gruff strong man Zampano. He is equally matched by Fellini's wife Giulletta Massina, who plays the simpleton Gelsomina a woman who is bought by Zampano to use in his street show, and despite the fact that she is treated abysmally, she falls in love with Zampano. An equally amazing performance is given by Richard Basehart as Il Matto (literally, The Fool) who goads Zampano into an outrageous act of cruelty. This film is funny, beautiful, and moving, and well worth seeing, even with subtitles. There are several great circus and clown scenes in it, but it's the performances, especially by Quinn and Massina that make this film a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Fellini's first big hit
Review: This review is for the Criteiron Collection DVD of the film.
"La Strada" (The Road) was the first film to receive the Academy Award for best foreign language film. previous foreign language films only recieved honorary awards which were not awarded every year. This was also his first film to be known worldwide.
The film is about a young woman that starts woorking for a strongman and the two then join a travelling circus. The strongman meets an old rival who is with that circus.
The film has an excellent cast including Anthony Quinn, Giuletta Masina, and Richard Basehart.
The DVD has very few speecial features for a 2 disc set though.
Disc 1 contains the film with optional audio commentary and an optional english langauge dubbed track with Anthony Quinn and Richard Basehart doing their lines. There is also a theatrical trailer and an introduction to the film presented by Martin Scorsese.
Disc 2 contains "Federico Fellini's Autobiograpy" which includes footage of several of his films and the production of them.
This is another great buy for Fellini fans.
Rating:
Summary: Fellini's Crossroad - Brilliant Cinematic Experience...
Review: Federico Fellini, a cinematic artist, experimented with what was within the frame of the scene and how it would come across to the audience. Throughout his life, Fellini, made several films and every single film had at least one moment of genius where what was within the frame touched the very soul of the viewer. Initially influenced by the Italian neorealism, however, throughout his career Fellini moved to a visual expressive depiction of the world that frequently seemed dreamlike or artistically expressive.
La Strada was strongly influenced by neorealism, but there is also evidence of hints of what's to come from Fellini's later cinematic creations. Fellini argued that neorealism should not merely emphasize on the characters social status, but also the spiritual and philosophical portion. For example, Fellini has several themes intermingled in La Strade such as the circus, a character in midair (performing a tightrope act), a lusty man, and the sea among other themes. These themes have strong spiritual and philosophical connotation in the manner in which Fellini visually expresses the themes. Thus, it seems as if Fellini began his cinematic experimentation in La Strada, as he continued to develop his calling.
The opening scene depicts Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) standing on an empty and untouched beach along the Mediterranean. Gelsomina is the films heroine, a feeble and dimwitted character, yet she has the heart in the right place as she innocently explores what confronts her. The scene by the sea intriguingly grabs the audience's attention as it does Gelsomina as if she expects an answer from the seemingly endless sea. This is a classic example of Fellini's cinematic expressiveness as he subtly plants a seed within the audience's mind, which will later bloom as the tale continues.
Zampano (Anthony Quinn), a bullying strongman who travels from town to town to display his only talent, breaking chains with his chest, buys Gelsomina for a meager 10000 Lire. Together they venture, in his motorcycle trailer that functions as home, office, and storage all in one, to a new town. At first, Gelsomina is awestruck by her part in the small traveling spectacle, where she is trained like a puppy to beat a drum in order to assemble an audience. She feels a clear affection from Zampano, while he at this moment is completely unaware of himself.
Gradually Gelsomina begins to steal his act with her charismatic innocent clownish look, which is Chaplinesque as some have put it. Gelsomina's success stirs Zampano's anger, which seems to be the only feeling he is capable of expressing. This triggers Zampano to further his exploitation of Gelsomina as he physically and sexually abuses her. However, it is not the abuse that troubles her the most. In pain Gelsomina watches Zampano disregard the natural beauty of what passes them on their journey. It is Zampano's blindness to the small wonders of the world that stirs up warm affections within her.
Gelsomina encounters a character that is referred to as the Fool (Richard Basehart) as she temporarily escapes the brutish Zampano. When Gelsomina sees the Fool for the first time he is performing on a rope between two buildings where he is dressed as a bumblebee that sits down in midair while eating pasta. Unlike Zampano, the Fool appears to be rather wise as he suggests that Gelsomina should leave him, yet Gelsomina insists on staying with Zampano. This cinematic moment emphasizes Gelsomina's kind and forgiving nature, which could be similar to the one of a saint. In addition, it brings the focus to Gelsomina and the unconditional love she has for Zampano.
Zampano continues to be brutish, but it is his brutishness that Gelsomina recognizes as his weakness. It seems as if Zampano is rough and tough in order to deal with his inner feelings, but it also clouds his own judgment as he fails to see his love for Gelsomina. This is truly tragic, as they both want one another, yet one is continuing to reject the other.
La Strada offers a brilliant cinematic experience that offers much to contemplate in a spiritual, existential, philosophical, and socioeconomic manner as the images spellbind the audience. The cinematography and the music in the film can distinctively be recognized as a part of Fellini's story telling, which enhances and stirs up the emotional portion of the film. Fellini's wife, Giulietta Masina, performed magnificently as her character slowly grew throughout the tale and Anthony Quinn brought the extra that was needed in order to convey a genuine brute. Ultimately, Fellini will offer the audience a cinematic gift that will leave no one untouched as two opposites attract.
Rating:
Summary: Think in all the people who love you !
Review: Many times you are uncapable to apprecate the deepness of a feeling due you are seking something better and it this search the time goes by and suddenly when you turn behind yourself this person has gone for ever .
Federico Fellini made a mythical movie with this simple but powerful film loaded of poetry in everywhere .
Anthony Quinn is the main attraction of a town circus and his timeless and loyal admirer and secrete love will follow him with tenderness and fidelity without requesting nothing .
He dislikes her and even he makes her suffer but the time , the supreme judge will come for him to show his brutality, absence of humanity and cruelness when it is too late to turn back.
To talk about that supreme masterpiece sometimes looks useless . Watch it and you will make it one of your timeless icons.
Rating:
Summary: Masina is so fun to watch
Review: Giullietta Masina is truly a great comic actress and her husband directs her very well in this classic Fellini film.
Criterion (despite the outragous prices) knows how to treat great films - they are always restored nicely, usually have special features, and are well-packaged. This is a great addition to any dvd collection - and is a film that will live in your memory.
Rating:
Summary: Great Music.
Review: The story to La Strada is very simple. Despite some flaws it is a very powerful film that unlike some other Fellini films can be understood and adored by many. Is it as good as his others? I'm not sure. I do like it better than the ones I have seen (8 1/2, I Vitelloni, Roma, and Satyricon.) I'll leave that question un-answered till I get a chance to see Il Bidone, La Dolce Vita and a few others. One thing for sure is this has some of the greatest music I've ever heard in a film. Nino Rota really outdid himself with the soundtrack to this film. It's full of passion and perfectly suits the film. If it wasn't for Rota's music Fellini's films would have never had impact that they did. In the same sense that Sergio Leone's films would be garbage without the music of Ennio Morricone. Actually wait, a better example would be Francis Ford Copalla without Nino Rota. I don't think the Godfather would have had as big of an impact without Rota's music. The Score to The Godfather is pretty much the best thing about the films. I don't think he did the soundtrack to part three. Not sure if he was alive then. Another reason why that film blows. Some brilliant scenes in this film. Especially the one where Giulietta Massina (Gelsomina) is sitting quietly by a dirt road as 3 members of a marching band walk by playing their instruments urging her to follow them. This film is filled with beautiful moments like that. If you're a first time Fellini viewer I would definetly reccomend La Strada.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated, Unimportant, and Poorly Produced
Review: There, I said it. This film just doesn't have much going for it, other than positive word of mouth. I challenge you to find some substantive reasoning in the 5-star reviews... can't find it? That's because they're full of hot air. Giulietta Masina is unattractive and a most unenjoyable screen presence. There, I said it again. Call me shallow, but I want my movie stars to be visually pleasing. Fellini reminds me of Citizen Kane demanding that his wife be a star. The original voice track production ruined the film: I wanted to hear the Italian voices but then couldn't hear Quinn's real voice (the whole film was dubbed, twice, it has no "original" sound). Also, Fellini's films are too long. If you are not telling the story of Gandhi or Lawrence of Arabia, then keep your drama to under 90 minutes. For a film with virtually no plot, La Strada takes a very long journey down such a short (and frankly, insignificant) road. Regarding the Criterion DVD, the image is crisp. That's it. The special documentary is boring and could have fit on the first disc, I don't know why they used two. As usual, Criterion offers no subtitles beyond English. Marty Scorsese offers up a 120 second summary in which he doesn't really say anything complementary about the film. How much did he get paid for that interview, $10k, maybe $20? Don't worry, you're paying for it, as this disc is highly overpriced in the Criterion tradition. If you must, Enjoy!
|
