The Nights of Cabiria (1957)

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

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story), Ennio Flaiano (story)

Stars:

Giulietta Masina, François Périer, Franca Marzi

Top Rated Movies #237 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

Rome, 1957. A woman, Cabiria, is robbed and left to drown by her boyfriend, Giorgio. Rescued, she resumes her life and tries her best to find happiness in a cynical world. Even when she thinks her struggles are over and she has found happiness and contentment, things may not be what they seem.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitute | rescue from drowning | italian woman | rome italy | woman | 

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Taglines:

From the star, producer and director of "La Strada"

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

16 October 1957 (France)

Also Known As:

The Nights of Cabiria

Filming Locations:

Acilia, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$38,988, 5 July 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$752,045, 1 November 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Les Films Marceau

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 117 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Federico Fellini cast film editor Leo Catozzo as the"man with the sack" and wanted to keep that sequence in the release print over the objections of producer Dino De Laurentiis. De Laurentiis thought the scene slowed the film down, finally had to resort to stealing the scene from the editing room. According to DeLaurentiis, about 5-7 years after its original release, Fellini rang him, and begged to get the scene back, so he could restore it. As "Cabiria" had now achieved a classic status, the producer agreed.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

The 1998 re-release restores a scene, not included in the original release, showing a mysterious man delivering food and blankets to people living in holes.

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Connections

References Cabiria (1914)

User Reviews

Stunning cinema

My friends went to see The Queen last night - I was too tired and decided to go back home. I put in the DVD and got into bed figuring I would watch an half hour or so and fall asleep. At the end of nearly 2 hours, I was sitting up straight, wide awake, awestruck at the genius in the direction and acting. This is cinema at its finest. I have seen La Strada before and I now rank Fellini's earlier work as among my all time favorites (along with Ozu.) Masina's tearful smile at the camera at the end is pure magic - so much dignity and hope captured in a single second. Her performance throughout the movie was a revelation - she got innocent hope and graceful charm to shine through her foul-mouthed vulgar acting character. I simultaneously cared and despaired for her - this movie pulled me in like no recent Hollywood movie has for a long long time.