La Strada

I watched my first movie for our project and it was titled La Strada. It was made in 1954 during the Italian Neo-Realism time period.It is a black and white film about a poor family with a naïve girl, Gelsomina, who is sold to a brutish man, Zampano, to join him on the road for his itinerant strongman show after her sister Rosa died doing the same thing. Zampano treats her badly even though she learns to play the drum, trumpet and to dance as she helps with his show. She finally gets up the courage to run away from him and she meets El Matto, “The Fool”, who puts ideas in her head that maybe Zampano loves her. After a time in jail, El Matto tells Gelsomina that even a pebble has a purpose, and this gives her great hope. They encounter El Matto on the side of the road and Zampano beats him up until dead, and pushes his car off the road to pose an accident. While napping one day, Zampano leaves Gelsomina by the side of the road. He later learns that a man found her, and took her in until her death. Zampano gets drunk and falls with tears on the beach.

Zampano’s show and the sound of the drum that Gelsomina plays before his trick is a visual trope. This shows us that his trick is about to begin and it prompts the audience to pay attention. Narrative patterns include the absence of a narrator, and the fact that there is little music present. Only when they are producing the music, watching a show, or in a bar is music playing. This leads to a very depressing atmosphere because it is often silent as people speak about their poor lifestyles. Poverty is another visual trope because it is so obvious that everyone is poor. They struggle to make ends meet and to survive in their environment. This is Zampano’s encouragement to continue to work hard at his show because without it, he would have no money to continue. This leads to giving him purpose in his life.

Gelsomina works hard to search for her sense of purpose. When El Matto gives her the pebble and tells her that she still has a purpose, it changes her life because no one treats her that positively. She is also very naïve which explains why she is so impressionable. She believes everyone, takes everything seriously and has quick changes in emotional highs and lows. She is involved in a visual trope as she gets in and out of the wagon behind the motorcycle. She often dives in head first and this occurs often and usually before they re-locate themselves. Another visual trope is how naïve Gelsomina is. She is naïve about her body, her purpose, her ability, and is very gullible. These characteristics lead to her naïve character and her drive to find purpose in her life.

This film is an interesting depiction of Italy during the 1950’s. People are in poverty and have an overall depressing outlook. People sleep around and do what they can for money and to find happiness. I did not enjoy the depressing outlook or the morals encouraged but I do appreciate the many devices and patters that were used to portray the message of the film. Purpose in life is something that everyone struggles with around the world, so this was an interesting depiction of how Italians during this time dealt with that personal issue.