Nights of Cabiria (1957) Le notti di Cabiria (original title)

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story) &
Ennio Flaiano (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 May 1957 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The story of a betrayed but unquenchable little Roman street-walker.

Plot:

A waifish prostitute wanders the streets of Rome looking for true love but finds only heartbreak.

Plot Keywords:

Shrine | Prostitute | Movie Star | Heartbreak | Accountant

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 14 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Giulietta Masina	...	Maria 'Cabiria' Ceccarelli
François Périer	...	Oscar D'Onofrio (as François Perier)
Franca Marzi	...	Wanda
Dorian Gray	...	Jessy
Aldo Silvani	...	The wizard
Ennio Girolami	...	Amleto, 'il magnaccia'
Mario Passante	...	Uncle of Amleto
Christian Tassou
Amedeo Nazzari	...	Alberto Lazzari
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gianni Baghino	...	(uncredited)
Franco Balducci	...	Spectator on the Stage of the Cinema (uncredited)
Ciccio Barbi	...	Man on the Stage (uncredited)
Luciano Bonanni	...	Man in Black Suit at the Edge of the River (uncredited)
Jusy Boncinelli	...	(uncredited)
Loretta Capitoli	...	Rosy (uncredited)
Leo Cattozzo	...	The Man with the Sack (uncredited)
Dominique Delouche	...	Priest with the Flag (uncredited)
Edda Evangelista	...	(uncredited)
Franco Fabrizi	...	Giorgio (uncredited)
Riccardo Fellini	...	(uncredited)
Ines Ferrari	...	(uncredited)
Giovanna Gattinoni	...	La zia nana (uncredited)
Amedeo Girardi	...	(uncredited)
Pina Gualandri	...	Matilda (uncredited)
Elio Mauro	...	(uncredited)
Nino Milano	...	(uncredited)
Jean Mollier	...	(uncredited)
Sandro Moretti	...	Un papponcello (uncredited)
Sergio Parlato	...	(uncredited)
Mimmo Poli	...	Man Eating in the Nightclub (uncredited)
Polidor	...	Friar (uncredited)
María Luisa Rolando	...	Marisa (uncredited)
Vittorio Tosti	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Federico Fellini

Writing credits
Federico Fellini		(story and screenplay) &
Ennio Flaiano		(story and screenplay) &
Tullio Pinelli		(story and screenplay)
Pier Paolo Pasolini		(screenplay)
Maria Molinari		novel

Produced by
Dino De Laurentiis	....	producer

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Aldo Tonti
Otello Martelli		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Leo Cattozzo		(as Leo Catozzo)

Production Design by
Piero Gherardi

Costume Design by
Piero Gherardi

Makeup Department
Dante Trani	....	makeup artist
Eligio Trani	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Luigi De Laurentiis	....	production manager
Emimmo Salvi	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dominique Delouche	....	assistant director
Moraldo Rossi	....	assistant director

Art Department
Brunello Rondi	....	artistic advisor

Sound Department
Oscar Di Santo	....	sound
Roy Mangano	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Goffredo Bellisario	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Otello Martelli	....	additional cinematographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Adriana Olasio	....	assistant editor
Narciso Vicario	....	editing secretary

Music Department
Pasquale Bonagura	....	composer: song "Lla Ri Lli Ra"
Franco Ferrara	....	conductor

Other crew
Manolo Bolognini	....	production secretary
Dominique Delouche	....	production assistant
Paolo Nuzzi	....	production assistant
Nino Manfredi	....	voice dubbing: Ennio Girolami (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica
• Les Films Marceau

Distributors

• Paramount Italiana (1957) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Lopert Pictures Corporation (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Famous Films (1974) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Rialto Pictures (1998) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Les Films Marceau (1957) (France) (theatrical)
• Canal Plus Image International (19??) (USA) (all media)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Janus Films (196?) (USA) (all media)
• Sovexportfilm
• VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Edizione Musicale Dino  music published by

Also Known As:

"Le notti di Cabiria" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

110 min | USA:117 min (restored version)

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:PG | South Korea:15 (2003) | Singapore:PG | USA:Not Rated | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Acilia, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Trivia:

According to Federico Fellini's assistant Dominique Delouche, actor 'Francois Perier' was hired so the film could get financing as a French co-production.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of the family outside the house changes between when Cabiria first opens the door and when she leaves the house.

Quotes:

Giorgio:[in Italian]
[first lines]
Giorgio:Go over there.
Maria 'Cabiria' Ceccarelli:[in Italian] It's beautiful. Come on.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cinecittà: La casa di F. Fellini (2004) (V)

The Best Film I Know

I am not much in favor of "best" lists--I wouldn't make it in Cusack's "High Fidelity" world--but I can usually offer a range of titles of films that I consider the most powerful experiences I have had in front of a screen--Bicycle Thief, Ran, Ordet, Seventh Seal, Citizen Kane, L'Avventura, Rear Window, Blade Runner, quite a few others. But if I had to pick just one title, it would be Nights of Cabiria. I saw it when it first came out in this country--I was a junior in high school and fortunate enough to live near a theater that showed foreign films. It ran for several weeks and I kept going back to see it over and over, giving myself permission by dragging friends to see it. No one was ever disappointed, though only a couple of friends developed a comparable enthusiasm with mine. I have continued to see

it every chance I get, though I have not had the opportunity to see the latest reissue--I probably will have to see it on

video or dvd, since the city I now live in rarely shows any foreign films. Giulietta Massina gives not just the greatest

performance of her career, but surely one of the greatest

performances ever recorded on film, and the sequence of Cabiria's experiences, at first seemingly random and insignificant, adds up to one of the most profound statements Fellini ever made about human life.