La strada is a 1954 Italian drama film directed by Federico Fellini and co-written by Fellini, Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Flaiano. The film tells the story of Gelsomina, a simple-minded young woman bought from her mother by Zampanò, a brutish strongman who takes her with him on the road.
Theatrical release poster
Giulietta Masina as Gelsomina. "Masina's character is perfectly suited to her round clown's face and wide, innocent eyes; in one way or another, in Juliet of the Spirits, Ginger and Fred and most of her other films, she was always playing Gelsomina." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Richard Basehart, among "the first in a long line of international actors to grace Fellini's films"
Screenshot from 1956 trailer. Circus owner Savitri provided the old car that Fellini destroyed in the scene following Zampanò's killing of Il Matto.
Federico Fellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time. His films have ranked highly in critical polls such as that of Cahiers du Cinéma and Sight & Sound, which lists his 1963 film 8+1⁄2 as the 10th-greatest film.
Fellini in 1965
Federico Fellini during the 1950s
Fellini, Masina, Carla del Poggio and Alberto Lattuada, 1952
Cinecittà – Teatro 5, Fellini's favorite studio.