“Guess there’s some justice in the world. You suffer, you go through hell. Then happiness comes along or everyone.”

I’d forgotten how much I love Federico Fellini. Since I first saw Amarcord (1973) as part of this pilgrimage through international movies, I’ve been intoxicated by his mixture of colourful comedy, free-wheeling narratives and excoriating religious and psychological satire. Over the years I’ve binged on his movies from the acerbic La Dolce Vita (1960) through the charismatic 8 1/2 (1963) to the impenetrable Satyricon (1969).  The Nights of Cabiria falls into the early part of his career, like La strada (1954) bridging the gap between the Italian neo-realist cycle of films and the surrealist mode he developed that turned the brand ‘Fellini’ into a genre in its own right.

Giulietta Masina plays Cabiria, an optimistic and fiery woman who, at the beginning of the film, is pushed into a river by her boyfriend. This attempted murder puts Cabiria on a road that includes a moment of religious commentary, a hypnotists stage show, a love-affair, heartbreak and, finally, a form of resigned contentment. Masina is central to the success of the movie – despite the shock of the opening, the film doesn’t develop into a tragedy. Instead the focus is on the charisma and personality of the central character, and Masina’s Chaplin-like talent for physical, expressive comedy means that despite what happens in the film, the tone and feel of the movie never becomes morbid or downbeat. There is something here that reminds me of Pedro Almodóvar, particularly the Spanish director’s early films, balancing a dark subject matter and a gritty setting with irrepressible and strong female characters and performances. In the canon of Fellini movies, this is simpler and more accessible than his later epics, but lacks their peculiar and distinctive qualities, however like La strada, Nights of Cabiria is an excellent place to start.