critics consensus

Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn's pitiable pair of outsiders provide a poignant contrast between gentleness and might in Federico Fellini's unforgettable parable. Read critic reviews

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The Road Photos

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Movie Info

When Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina), a naïve young woman, is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò (Anthony Quinn) to be his wife and partner, she loyally endures her husband's coldness and abuse as they travel the Italian countryside performing together. Soon Zampanò must deal with his jealousy and conflicted feelings about Gelsomina when she finds a kindred spirit in Il Matto (Richard Basehart), the carefree circus fool, and contemplates leaving Zampanò.

Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Federico Fellini
Producer:

Dino De Laurentiis
Writer:

Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Carlo Ponti
Release Date (Streaming):

Oct 15, 2020
Runtime:

1h 55m
Production Co:

Ponti-De Laurentiis Cinematografica

Cast & Crew

Anthony Quinn
Zampanò

Giulietta Masina
Gelsomina

Richard Basehart
Il 'Matto'-The 'Fool'

Aldo Silvani
Il Signor Giraffa-Mr Giraffe

Marcella Rovere
La Vedova-The Widow

Livia Venturini
La Suorina-The Sister

Show all Cast & Crew

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Critic Reviews for The Road

All Critics (41) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (1)

It holds its own, more than six decades on. If Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn's tragic two-step doesn't break your heart, then Nino Rota's score will.

June 6, 2017 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

Tara Brady
Irish Times
Undeniably powerful, but also very sentimental at times.

May 19, 2017 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

David Jenkins
Little White Lies
Early mush from the master, Federico Fellini.

April 27, 2009 | Full Review…

Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Symbols, metaphors, and larger-than-life performances hold sway, and moments of bizarre if inconsequential charm abound.

February 9, 2006 | Full Review…

Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Quote not available.

July 7, 2005 | Rating: 5/5

Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Whimsical but gritty.

July 6, 2005 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
Art helps to magnify our emotions, to draw them out on a grand scale and craft a drama to fit the size they hold within us. And then, it becomes a little bit easier to identify with Zampanò, and to see the beauty of this film.

December 8, 2020 | Full Review…

Scott Nye
Battleship Pretension
The great Giulietta Masina, who was Fellini's wife, is the heart and soul of La Strada.

November 21, 2020 | Full Review…

Loren King
Newport This Week (RI)
A much-needed reminder of beauty and grace at a time characterized by anything but.

November 13, 2020 | Full Review…

Sean Burns
The ARTery
[It] should be seen as one of those movies that greatly expanded international audiences for foreign cinema.

November 10, 2020 | Full Review…

Dennis Harvey
48 Hills
A classic story of a man's solitude, a parable about his inability to recognize himself in others. [Full Review in Spanish]

August 14, 2019 | Full Review…

Jesús Fernández Santos
El Pais (Spain)
La Strada, Federico Fellini's fine, heartbreaking film, returns to the harsh realism of Italy's first post-war achievements.

June 13, 2018 | Full Review…

Virginia Graham
The Spectator

View All Critic Reviews (41)

Audience Reviews for The Road

Mar 18, 2015

Giulietta Masina lends a captivating innocence - almost impossible not to love - to a Chaplin-like waif while Fellini breaks away from neorealism with this magical and whimsical circus fable/road movie that has a beautiful score by Nino Rota and an unforgettable ending.

Carlos M Super Reviewer
Mar 22, 2013

Fellini's wife Giulietta Masina is absolutely incredible in this tale of a traveling carnival with a dark side. Heart felt and poignant.

John B Super Reviewer
Aug 10, 2012

The main problem in Fellini's La Strada is the annoying main character. She was like an annoying Charlie Chaplin, I understand Fellini wanted a naive character but why annoying. This is definently the weakest film of Fellini I've seen. The imagery was superb but the concept was not. A long sad story that ultimately led to something very disappointing. You'd expect Fedrecio to have a trick up his sleeve, but he just made you feel like he had one.

Daniel D Super Reviewer
Apr 03, 2012

The two leads give great performances. The film however is ineffective at times and not as powerful as Nights of Cabiria. The circus scenes lag a little and the symbolism is very in your face. This is a good early effort from Fellini though as he would incorporate many stylistic features in his later films.

G S Super Reviewer