Day 49: Nights of Cabira (1957)

Federico Fellini’s “Nights of Cabiria” is a whimsical tale of equal parts heartfelt honesty and hurtful reality, centering  itself specifically on a feisty, but lonely, woman who looks for real love while making money as a prostitute- a business many would consider the opposite of “true” love. With his lens, Fellini captures the essence of a woman who has always been perceived as second rate- in her looks, her height, her love life, and even in her profession, but, through it all, she hopes for more and will take nothing less.

As the film begins, we find Cabiria, our firecracker of a protagonist, drowning in a river after her lover has pushed her in and stole her purse. Though saved by some local townspeople, Cabiria is distraught, less by her almost demise, but by the betrayal of the man she considered her true love. Licking her emotional wounds with self-importance, Cabiria reminds herself and all those around that she is fine on her own and even has her very own house. What more do you need?

Moving on with her life, Cabiria finds herself in several instances where things seem to be going her way only to turn sour at the very last moment. One night, as she is out plying her trade, Cabiria catches the eye of a wealthy and famous actor, whose normal “girl” has left him in a huff. Seeing an opportunity, Cabiria hooks up with the man and they dance the night away and eventually end up back in his hotel room. But fate doesn’t seem to care for Cabiria as the man’s wife suddenly comes home and she is forced to run out the back, never making a lasting impression on her wealthy suitor.

On another occasion, Cabiria and several friends go with a large throng of people to pray before a holy portrait of the Madonna, also known as Mary, the mother of Christ. Though Cabiria at first believes the Madonna can help change her life, a crippled acquaintance fails to be healed after his holy encounter and, once again, Cabiria feels let down and betrayed- this time by God. To add insult to injury, Cabiria goes to a hypnotist show to relax and ends up making a fool of herself onstage as the showman puts her in a trace and has her fall madly in love with an imaginary man named Oscar to the laughter of all in attendance.

This embarrassment is an all time low for Cabiria, but strangely, in the audience is an actual man named Oscar, who takes a shine to her. Thought at first she is wary of this stranger’s advances, Cabiria soon begins to trust Oscar and seeks to see if he truly is the love of her life or just another eventual upset to her ego- something that only time will tell.

What drives Fellini’s tale of this love forlorn lady is, above everything else, her search for happiness and her inability to find it in certain aspects of life. For one, throughout the film Cabiria prides herself on the possessions she has, especially her home, and any time she is humiliated she reminds everyone, almost ad nauseam, of how well off she is, in an attempt to deflect embarrassment. Though this seems to work relatively well, her things bring her very little happiness and, after she witnesses a man giving away his possessions because it brings him cheer, she is at a loss for what could make her life whole.

Later, she turns to religion, praying for Mother Mary to help her change her life and bring her happiness, but, nevertheless, nothing seems to materialize and Cabiria believes it all a sham. Even her secrets and dreams of happiness are eventually tarnished as they are revealed by the hypnotist to an entire room of unsympathetic onlookers.

Though all these things fail to bring her true happiness, in the end, Cabiria may still find it by ridding herself of these aspects of life- either intentionally or by force of others. Though I wouldn’t dare give away the ending, it can be said that, by the loss of all she knows, Cabiria is finally free to begin anew. It takes her wanting to die to understand how to live and, just possibly, how to grasp the happiness that has always alluded her.

“Nights of Cabiria,” directed by the great Federico Fellini is a movie made by its star Giulietta Masina and her unabashedly honest portrayal of Cabiria, a person, like us all, seeking something more in the midst of a world of disappointments.

To learn more about “Nights of Cabiria,” check out Criterion’s page here.

If you would like updated on all things Nathan and “The Criterion Summer,” check out our Facebook page here.