29 Nov 2017
Director: Federico Fellini
Italy
1954
108 min
Winner of the first Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1957, Federico Fellini’s heartbreaking tale of broken outsiders has lost none of its power to move audiences. Giulietta Masina plays Gelsomina, a naïve young woman sold, by her poverty-stricken and desperate mother, to boorish travelling strongman Zampanò (Anthony Quinn) to become his wife and to assist him as a street performer as he tours central Italy. Despite enduring terrible abuse from Zampanò, Gelsomina stays with him seeking purpose for her life and, perhaps, some consolation in her art. Fellini creates enduring beauty from a truly tragic tale and Masina’s face is an
unforgettable icon of cinema.
Foreign Language Film Oscar 1957