Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

La Strada Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 14, 2020

Federico Fellini's "La Strada" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; archival introduction by Marty Scorsese; documentary film by Paquito Del Bosco; and previously recorded audio commentary by professor Peter Bondanella. In Italian or English, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

The brute

While ugly, the arrangement isn’t illogical. In exchange for his 10,000 lire Zampano (Anthony Quinn) acquires a docile assistant, possibly even a lover that can be controlled as easily as his primitive car. The old woman gets the money and year-round savings because she no longer has to feed her daughter. What does Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) get? In addition to hurt feelings, she is guaranteed a few meals per day.

After they leave the coastal area where Gelsomina has lived her entire life, Zampano initiates her education. He teaches her how to properly introduce a circus strongman before the crowds, play a beat-up trumpet, and be a proper clown. Zampano might be one of the biggest brutes on Italy’s dusty roads, but he understands perfectly the business he is in -- the more engaging the act, the better the financial benefits. Gelsomina quietly absorbs the lessons and then does her best not to disappoint her teacher.

But after a series of underwhelming gigs, Zampano’s relationship with Gelsomina becomes complicated, and following an encounter with The Fool (Richard Basehart), a chatty tight-rope walker, she begins contemplating a new chapter in her life -- one where Zampano is no longer present. However, walking away from the brute is easier said than done, and while trying to decide what to do Gelsomina even begins to wonder whether abandoning him is in her best interest.

Federico Fellini’s La Strada (The Road) is as much about an unorthodox romantic relationship as it is about a country recovering from a devastating war and trying to regain its identity. Indeed, most articles that have been written about the film focus on the intricate union between Zampano and Gelsomina, but its greatest strength is actually its ability to capture and dissect Italian reality in a very straightforward fashion. There are earlier films that offer slices of Italian reality as well -- like Luchino Visconti’s La Terra Trema which documents the harsh existence of Sicilian fishermen -- but they don’t see the country from multiple angles like La Strada does.

It is not a coincidence that the extreme contrasts in Zampano and Gelsomina’s relationship define post-war Italy as well. The good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, they are all essential elements of the reality in which the couple exists, which is why Fellini does not emphasize them. In that particular moment, while the country recovers, it is how life happens and is experienced by Italians, so what may seem exaggerated at times actually isn’t. The proof that it is so is in Fellini’s treatment of Zampano. What happens to him at the end of the film? He isn’t transformed into a dreadful caricature of a vile man that has no place in society; Fellini actually reveals that the brute inside him coexists with a very ordinary man that has allowed the former to dominate simply because he has a better chance of surviving in the game of life. This is what La Strada is truly about -- survival, and how it is done by ordinary people like Zampano, Gelsomina, her mother, and The Fool.

Fellini shot La Strada with cinematographer Otello Martelli, who later on lensed the iconic La Dolce Vita. The popular take on Martelli’s contribution is that it is magnificent, but this actually isn’t true. There is plenty of questionable camera positioning and movement and they ultimately make different parts of the film look quite uneven.

A typically great orchestral score from Nino Rota does not just enhance the period atmosphere, it immediately becomes a key part of it.

La Strada Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, La Strada arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The release is sourced from a new 4K master that was prepared after the film was fully restored in 4K at L'immagine Ritrovata in Italy. The presentation is very good, but I would like to quickly mention something that I think should have been avoided while the new master was finalized.

There are traces of light denoising corrections and in certain areas they tend to unnaturally flatten the image a bit. This was a tell-tell sign for me that the work was carried at L'immagine Ritrovata because the exact same corrections are present on the 4K restoration of La Dolce Vita as well. However, on La Dolce Vita the superior density levels of the widescreen format effectively hide and make them virtually impossible to spot. Here there are a few areas with native density fluctuations and very minor aging anomalies that expose them, so trained eyes will be able to tell (see screencaptures #3 and 5). The rest looks great. Delineation, clarity, and depth typically range from very good to excellent. The new master is nicely graded as well, though I am quite certain that in native 4K darker visuals will reveal better and ultimately healthier organic nuances (see screencaptures #9 and 15). Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage, marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

La Strada Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian LPCM 1.0 and English Dolby Digital 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Italian track.

The consensus is that the film ought to be seen with the Italian track. I agree. However, I think that the English track is excellent as well. It retains Anthony Quinn and Richard Basehart's original lines, so it is definitely another way to experience the film. I tested both tracks and they are very good. In fact, the English track has a very, very similar dynamic range to the one from the Italian track. So, experiment with both.

La Strada Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for La Strada. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080i).

• Introduction - presented here is an archival introduction to La Strada that was recorded by Marty Scorsese. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080i).

• Federico Fellini's Autobiography - presented here is Paquito Del Bosco's 2000 documentary, which utilizes a large amount of footage with Federico Fellini and the production of many of his greatest films, which was taken from RAI's archives. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (56 min, 1080i).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by professor Peter Bondanella from Indiana University - Bloomington in 2003. It initially appeared on Criterion's DVD release of La Strada.

La Strada Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are a lot of interesting takes on La Strada which confirm that it is a special film and in some ways still relevant today. The most popular one places the spotlight on the unorthodox romance between Zampano and Gelsomina, and while it should not be ignored, I think that the film has quite a bit more to offer, especially if you consider the particular environment in which the two meet. Criterion's release of La Strada is sourced from a good new 4K master and is included in the recent Essential Fellini fifteen-disc box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.