100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #72: Nights of Cabiria (1957)

Directed by Federico Fellini. Starring Giulietta Masina.

In the years following the second world war, cinema in Europe turned away from flashy and fantastical studio productions to focus on the gritty and impoverished conditions of the lower class, struggling to make ends meet amidst the wreckage and desolation of war. Films emerging in this era examined the difficult economic and moral conditions brought about by the conflict and the widespread devastation that had been wrought, often focusing on the experiences of those living in the seedier outskirts of urban centers. In Italy, this movement became known as Italian Neorealism. Nights of Cabiria appeared during a period of transition away from this artistic school yet in many ways, draws inspiration from many thematic and visual elements of earlier neorealist films.

Nights of Cabiria establishes itself firmly in the seedy fringes of society, in the realm of murky morals and pitiful desperation. Director Federico Fellini’s decision to set much of the film in a trashy neighborhood on the dusty outskirts of Rome gives it a sense of documentary realism. This is a story of the poor and the outcast, serving as quite a contrast to contemporary American films like Roman Holiday, which, while set in the same city, focus on the lighthearted escapades of the well-off amidst polished monuments and museums. This was an age when most American filmgoers were used to seeing the glitz and glamor of Europe, the pearls of Audrey Hepburn and the silk ties of Cary Grant. Nights of Cabiria offers something deeper, an examination of the raw and often painful drama of the human experience.