The Road

1954, Drama, 1h 55m

43 Reviews 10,000+ Ratings

What to know

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

You might also like

Accattone
Ikiru
Jules and Jim
The Word
L'Avventura

Where to watch

Rate And Review

User image

Verified

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Step 2 of 2

    How did you buy your ticket?

    Let's get your review verified.

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

    You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • How did you buy your ticket?

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

The Road Photos

View All Photos (10)

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.

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
Gustavo Giorgi
Mario Passante
Federico Fellini
Director
Federico Fellini
Writer
Ennio Flaiano
Writer
Tullio Pinelli
Writer
Dino De Laurentiis
Producer
Carlo Ponti
Writer
Nino Rota
Original Music
Otello Martelli
Cinematographer
Carlo Carlini
Cinematographer
Leo Cattozzo
Film Editor
Mario Ravasco
Production Design
E. Cervelli
Art Direction
Brunello Rondi
Art Direction
Margherita Marinari
Costume Designer
Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for The Road

All Critics (43) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (1)

View All Critic Reviews (43)

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
See all Audience reviews

Quotes

There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.

Movie & TV guides