Movies and Books

[Paramvir Singh]

good friend of mine, Vinoo (not an ftii-an), is a keen creative, interestedin the arts. vinoo keeps sending me a Movie of the week and book of the week mail, and with his kind permission I reproduce it here. What book/movie arte you into?

movie 4 d week : nayi neralu (dog's shadow) - kannada - dir : girish kasaravalli

a story of re-incarnation. this one is told beautifully by Girish kasaravalli. based on a novel by S L Byrappa (with few changes i gather). definitely one of the better stories with this theme. very well handled although it could have been a little tighter ;-). Ramanna is re-born, or so everyone presumes rightly or wrongly, in a nearby city. he is brought back thanks to the insistence of his aging mother. The village panchayat and the oracle approve him to be the lost son. the lost son is acceptable but then he can't take the role of the widowed daughter-in law's husband again. can he? it's worth a watch even with this spoiler.

one more reco : master strokes - best of ftii
this has the first films of vidhu vinod chopra, kundan shah, girish kasaravalli. you also get to see jaya bhaduri, smitha patil, satish shah, nan patekar in their first on-screen appearance. also has eight column affair - a photograph on the front page of the newspaper (guy) wants to meet the one on the last page (girl). and to do this he has to go through several columns of the newspaper - appointments, page 3, fashion, the matrimonial, the sports page, etxc etc, and all before the newspaper deadline.


book 4 d week : true confessions of adrian mole - sue townsend

introduced to by a good friend this one is an amazing read. clever, humorous right through. "miss ferguson was born to be the wife of adrian mole. i have written her to change her mind before 23 july.
as yet i have received no reply.she must be agonising over her decision 'riches, glamour n publicity with prince andrew, or poverty, introspection and listenin to poetry with adrian mole' - not an easy choice".
this is the first in the series for me. i have two more lined up.

[Paramvir Singh]

some more from my good friend vinoo

movie 4 d week : the cow
language : iranian
director : dariush mehrjui

'the cow' is set in iran and tells the story of hassan. hassan owns a cow and to him there is nothing more lovable. hassan own the only cow in the village and it is a matter of pride for him. he takes care of his cow like it were his son. one fine day the cow dies mysteriously and the villagers give it a secret burial. they convince hassan that his cow has just wandered off and will be back soon. the grief stricken hassan begins to think he himself is his beloved cow. very beautifully portrayed and very realistic. this has an amazing climax. this film by dariush mehrjui, made in 1971, was banned in iran for what reason i can't quite gather except of course the stark realism depicted. this many rate is the film that really got iran on the film map. and incidentally the opening film at the bangalore film festival this evening is dariush mehrjui's 'mama's guest'.

book 4 d week : basheer - fictions

vaikkom mohammed basheer. every book of his is a must read. for those who can't read malayalam his work is available in english. it is a sad substitute but it is better than not having access to basheer's work. i can't quite figure how one can get the essence of something like 'mandan muthapa' or 'ottakannan pokker' when translated to english. thanks to my cousin i am making every effort to read premalekhanam (love letter), paathummayude aadu (paathumma's goat), baalyakalasakhi (childhood friend), mathilukal (walls), n'te uppaapakkoru aana undayirunnu (my grandpa had an elephant) and many more in malayalam. short stories have been perfected as an art i must say. other authors in malayalam worth reading i gather from a good friend - M T vasudevan nair, T Padmanabhan, Zachariah, Madhavikutty, O V vijayan, M Mukundan...

[Paramvir Singh]

Vinoo sends another movie 4 the week"

movie 4 d week : Zorba the Greek
Language : english
Director : Michael Cacoyannis

Basil (Alan Bates) is headed for  a small Greek Island, Crete, for he has a small inheritance there. On the journey he meets with Alexis Zorba, played brilliantly by Anthony Quinn of Omar Mukhthar fame, and that plays a key influence on Basil's life. Basil is an intellectual while Zorba is as whacky as they come. The two interact and the influence Zorba has on Basil changes him completely and gives him an entirely new outlook on life. Zorba gets Basil to take him along to Crete and in return helps him at the lignite mine. During their stay there they meet with the widow, played by the most beautiful Irene Papas, and a beautiful relationship develops between the two (Basil and the widow) of them while Zorba falls in love with Madame Hortense. the story culminates with both Zorba and Basil letting loose their soul in a memorable dance sequence. Zorba plays an interesting instrument called the 'Santourine'. Fabulous performances, fabulous photography, fabulous dialogues ("I am man, and so i am stupid. i married, a wife, children, a house... the whole catastrophe")  and fabulous music by Mikis Theodorakis. Based on the book by Nikos Kazantzakis (book 4 d week) the movie is lifted by the performance of Anthony Quinn. The book is a must read and the movie a must watch. my favourite dialogue in the movie " a man needs a little madness, or else he never cuts the rope and be free" (hope i got that right).

[Paramvir Singh]

and another

movie 4 d week : Thoovana Thumbigal (Dragonflies)
language : malayalam
director : P Padmarajan


'Thoovana Thumbigal' is among my all time favourite movies. Screenplay (from his own book 'Udakappola') and direction by the genius Padmarajan, this movie stars Mohanlal, Sumalatha and Parvathi. This tells the story of Jaikrishnan and his dual personality or rather dual sides to his personality. Jaikrishnan becomes, although inadvertently, responsible for putting Clara on the route to becoming a sex-worker. While Jaikrishnan goes about this not knowing that she is, until that moment, a virgin - pure and untouched, he experiences love and it's the beginning of a new relationship. Fresh from his rejection by Radha, the first woman he considers seriously, he is increasingly drawn towards Clara, and what follows is an intense love affair. Jaikrishnan proposes to Clara but then she goes missing mysteriously. Clara and Jaikrishnan meet again and in the meanwhile Radha is drawn towards Jaikrishnan. To me the story is a look into the multiple facets of a woman - of love, of sacrifice, of choices. Clara is the oasis in Jaikrishnan's journey through life. The climax is absolutely superb. The title 'Thoovana Thumbigal' (Dragonflies) probably derives from the fact that dragonflies do the mating routine during the first rains. It is raining while Jaikrishnan first writes to Clara, and again when they first meet, and even as they are having their final conversation.

Other films by the master director which i have seen and would like to recommend - 'Nammukku parkaan munthiri thoppukal', 'Kallan Pavitran', 'Innale', 'Arapatta kettiya gramathil', 'Moonampakkam' and many more. 'Moonampakkam' (translates as the third day but means much more than) has one of the best performances by any actor ever with Thilakan playing the grandad. the recent super hit 'Thanmaatra' , directed by his assistant Blessey, is also based on padmarajan's story 'Ormma'.

[admin]

movie 4 d week : Il Postino
language : italian
director : Michael Radford

'Il Postino' or The Postman tells the story of Mario's love for Beatrice. Mario is a postman on a temporary assignment. And interstingly his only client is Pablo Neruda, the poet of the people, the poet of love as Mario labels him. Mario is in love with Beatrice and she is that 'special someone' in his life. As luck would have it the famous poet Pablo Neruda lands up on this small Italian city thanks to the Chilean dictatorship ban on him. He decides to spend his few days in hiding on this island where Mario, the postman, befriends him. Mario learns from Pablo Neruda that poetry is as simple and easy as using metaphors. Mario begins writing his own poetry while also using Neruda's poetry to woo Beatrice, that someone special in his life. The entire film revolves around the interesting conversations between Neruda and Mario. Neruda leaves for Chile after uniting the two against all odds. There are quite a few allusions to communism in all conversation. It even ends on that note. Sacrifice. Ends with a gift that Mario has left for Neruda and he is shown walking by the beachside as his fabulous lyrics weaves magic. You cannot miss Neruda's poetry and the amazing resemblance of Philippe Noiret to the real Neruda besides of course the amazing performance by Massimo Troisi as Mario Ruoppolo.
must reads : 'Canto general' inspired by Machu Picchu

book 4 d week : clandestine in Chile
author : gabriel garcia marquez

this book is a walk through Chile. Marquez has written this with Miguel Littin as the chief protagonist and details his walk through the streets of Chile. Miguel Littin was exiled during the Pinochet dictatorship. he gets back into Chile using a false identity, false passport and even a false wife to accompany him. Must read. Wont try detailing any further.

[admin]

movie 4 d week : The Prestige
language : english
director : christopher nolan


'the prestige' is the story of two rival magicians, Angier and Borden, played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale respectively. They are two friends who end up becoming bitter rivals. Michael Caine as Cutter puts in a credible performance. Alfred Borden is the ultimate magician who never lets out his secrets. Robert Angier meanwhile is determined to have his revenge (for the death of the woman in his life which he believes Borden is responsible for) by finding out the secret to Alfred Borden's ultimate magic trick. the movie has enough twists and turns to keep you engaged right through. And the title is derived from the explanation that there are three things to magic. The pledge, the turn and the prestige. "It's not enough to make things disappear. you got to bring it back" . Christopher Nolan weaves his magic well. "You really dont want to know. you want to be fooled". Definitely worth a watch like all his other movies (Following, memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins)

NB: 'Ekalavya' disappoints, except Amitabh that is. Watch it only if you must. Some of the scenes are amazingly shot. As for most actors they are wasted. Nowhere near the Vidhu Vinod Chopra mark. 'Parinda' remains his best film yet methinx. Hot on the heels of another maestro's disappointing 'Guru'. someone fill me in on salaan-e-ishq and the rest. wouldn't want to risk it ;-). looking forward to 'Provoked' though. Some interesting trailers.
many movies watched and hence another reco 4 d week ;-). also attaching some Pablo Neruda poetry.

[admin]

from Vinoo again

'Babel', from the director of the superb 'Amorres Perros', is four stories beautifully woven together. Four independent but connected stories taking place in Morocco, Mexico/California and Japan. A stray bullet from a gun hits a tourist woman. The gun that was used to shoot was gifted to the Moroccon by a  (who lives with his teenage daughter) who was on a hunting expedition many years ago. And while all this is on the tourist couple's (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) nanny is off for her son's wedding in Mexico. And she takes their kid along and gets stuck as it is an illegal crossover across the border. Gael Garcia Bernal (Motorcycle Diaries), as the driver?, plays an insignificant role methinx. Amazingly well-woven this is a must watch. Other movies by the director worth watching 21 grams and Amorres Perros(by far his best cos i can't comment about 'El Timbre' and '11 September' and 'Powder Keg' as i haven't seen those. anyone who has write in ;-))
Trivia : The title refers to the story of the Tower of Babel in the Biblical Book of Genesis. In the story, the people of the world are all united and speak a common language. We are all connected in some way in life and death. a scary thought that.

NB: you will see this on the oscar list this year.

Babel is Babylon as quoted in the Hebrew bible. the term 'babel' means 'to confuse or confound' and it also means 'the gate of god'. man started building a tower that would stretch high into the sky, into the heavens. an angry Yahweh made the workers speak in different languages, thus seeding confusion and making the tower of babel impossible.  This resulted in scattering of  people across the globe.

you learn something new every single day. i learnt about babel and nirmod etc etc while on this.

book 4 d week : no one writes to the colonel
author : gabriel garcia marquez

tells the plight of an old pensioner in any third world country. the story of an old colonel and his wife. set in mexico. the colonel is awaiting his pension for quite some time now (read 27 years) for his fight against the catholic church. for political reasons the government seems to want to forget this fight and hence the pension. the colonel's wife hasn't quite recovered from their son's death. the only lifeline for them is a valuable gamecock and the anticipation of the letter announcing his pension. a day in the colonels life passes with great difficulty - reading a borrowed newspaper end to end, classifieds included. amazingly simply written. small book, easy read. i have read this more than once. absolutely fab. also gather there is a movie made on the same title by Ripstein. anyone has access?

[admin]

vinoo writes after a small gap because of a trip to sri lanka

movie 4 d week : bread and alley
director : abbas kiarostami


Bread and alley (Nan va Koutcheh) is a 11 minute short film. A boy is headed home with bread in his hand. You see this sight in lot of Iranian films (i remember Children of Heaven where the dad says "you are 9 years old now. you are no longer a kid. i used to help a lot with the household chores when i was your age"). As the boy is happily trundling across the alley kicking an empty can, like you would a football (brings back childhood memories),  he is confronted abruptly by a dog. He tries to dodge it and go past with no luck. He is stranded in one corner of the alley with the dog on the other. And to his luck an old man comes walking by and he decides to tag along so he can manouvre his way past the dog. But then the man takes a detour leaving the boy a little closer but stranded again. After a long wait he decides to throw the dog a piece of the bread which the dog happily accepts. Now the dog is wagging his tail and this gives the boy confidence to walk past and the dog follows him all the way to his home. and as he reaches his doorstep he closes the door leaving the dog in front of another door just like he was before he encountered the boy. From the other end of the alley a boy approches bag in one hand, bowl of milk in the other as revealed by his milk moustache, and...

[Paramvir Singh]

Vinoo writes after a small gap:

movie 4 d week : Viva Zapata

director : elia kazan



Viva zapata is the story of mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, the little tiger. Based on the screenplay by John Steinbeck (book is called 'Zapata' and is a fabulous read), Marlon Brando plays Zapata. A revolutionary who instils the sense of rebellion in his people. An illiterate peasant who rebels against general Porfirio Diaz and gets back the land that rightfully belonged to the people. Zapata is a revolutionary in the truest sense and he doesn't necessarily fit into the scheme of things of the other generals. And he meets his end by treachery but not before he instils in his people the fact that "a strong man makes a weak people. Strong people don't need a strong man". Marlon Brando underplays his role, and to perfection. I don't know who should be credited, Brando or Elia Kazan. The killing of Zapata is superb too. No histrionics. Anthony Quinn does well as his brother and Jean Peters as his love interest. Zapata is sure my favourite revolutionary, right alongside Che.

look out for conversation between Eufemio and Zapata Z: What kind of an animal are you? E : Animal? I'm a man. Not a freak like my brother.





NB : Watched 'Mungaru Male' which is making waves in Kannada. Good music, inspite of Udit Narayan ;-), watchable. 'The Illusionist' is worth a watch too with Edward Norton playing the title role, didn't quite like 'Devil wears Prada' but that's me, 'Road to Guantanomo' is worth a watch with an interesting docu cum constructed footage and talks about the trauma faced by three British tourists caught by American soldiers in Afghanisthan and taken to and kept prisoners at Guantanomo Bay and released two years later without any charges. also watched Santosh Sivan's 'Navarasa' about the Aravani community and the Koovagam festival, traces the story of Aravanan the son of Arjuna and Nagakanniga and the connect of shri krishna to the third gender. Mythology sure has some interesting stories. Could have been better handled but worth a watch.

[Paramvir Singh]

Movie 4 d week : Monkey business

Director : Norman Z Mcleod



Marx brothers, Groucho, Harpo, chico, Zeppo, all four of them, are a riot in this comic film. This film announced the arrival of the Marx brothers in Hollywood. The four brothers are stowaways and referred to as such throughout the film. The scene where the four brothers do an imitation of Maurice Chevalier is a riot if only you have a bit of history about Chevalier. A laugh a minute and all the more so when you think how long back this film was made, over 60 years back. Also has the famous Groucho Marx quote "Oh, I know it's a penny here and a penny there. But look at me. I worked myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty". No particular storyline but is as whacko as it can get right until the last kidnap and rescue scene. You will find similar quotes like the above, from outright silly to brilliant, in most of their movies. Also recall another quote not from this movie though "I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury". And "You can leave in taxi. If you can't leave in a taxi you can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, you can leave in a minute and a huff". Other movies of the Marx brothers all worth a watch for an audience starved of good comedies even today. Sadly the Hindi film industry for instance relies on David Dhawan flicks and Priyadarshan lifts for the few laughs. Will reserve my comments on the trash that is passed off as humour in most other languages. Other Marx brothers movies worth a watch - A night at the opera (my favourite), Duck soup (I am told), The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers.





NB : also watched 'Rocky Balboa'. No great shakes but worth a watch for Rocky fans. The ending is a saving grace really ;-).



 

book 4 d week : Tarkash

author : Javed Akhthar



Tarkash (Quiver) is a collection of shayris/ poetry by Javed Akhthar. Has some fabulous poetry - 'Woh karma yaad aata hai', 'Fasaad se pahle', 'Uljhan' etc etc. A must read. Also available as an audio CD.



uljhan



Karodon chehre aur unke peeche karodon chehre

Yeh raaste hain ki bheed ki chhatthe

Zameen jimson se dhak gayee hai

Kadam to kya til bhi dharne ki ab jagah nahin hai



Yeh dekhta hoon to sochta hoon

Ke ab jahan hoon wahee simatke khada rahoo main

Magar karoo kya ke jaanta hoon ke rukh gaya to

Jo bheed peeche se aa rahi hai

Woh mujhe pairon tale kuchal degi, pees degi

To ab jo chalta hoon main

To khud mere apne pairon me aa raha hai

Kisika seena, kisika baazu, kisika chehra

Chaloon to auron pe zulm dhau\rukhu to auron ke zulm jhelu

Zameer, tujhko to naaz hain apni munsaphi par

Zara sunoo to ki aaj kya tera faisla hai

[Paramvir Singh]

Movie 4 d week : No direction home

Director : Martin Scorsese



'No direction home' traces the life-story of Bob Dylan. It begins with his early life and how he first got to playing the guitar at the age of ten and then what really influenced him to get into singing was an old 78 turntable at home which was playing 'Drifting too far from the shore'. "He cried when he sang. The sound of the record made me feel I was somebody else. Like maybe I wasn't even born to the right parents, or something". But it was Woody Guthrie that made him want to "sing like that" though. Dylan fitted seamlessly into the folk singer role in the tradition of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. The Woody Guthrie influence and Dylan's respect for him was acknowledged by the tribute "Hey hey Woody Guthrie I wrote you a song". Bob Dylan went on to become what they call Protest singer before he became a Rock Star. The film traces his move from folk to rock and the sense of betrayal among die-hard loyalists who felt it was like being a traitor when he made the transition to electric. Dylan maintained he never did topical songs and always did protest songs. The documentary further goes into Bob Dylan and his equation with Joan Baez, which he sums with a quote  "you can't be wise and in love at the same time". It says everything about the relationship. Joan baez also mentions she stole "Love is a four letter word" from Dylan. Live and exclusive footage from many greats of the time and some of Dylan's earliest recordings make this a collector's item well worth having. You can sit through 208 minutes of the film in one go. Martin Scorsese handles it very well and you just can't help losing yourself in the footage of all time greats. Some of the names you will come across Johnie Cash meeting who Dylan claims was "the high of a lifetime", Woody Guthrie, Liam Clancy, Joan Baez, Maria Muldaur, John Cohen, Suze Rotolo, Pete seeger, Hank Williams, Verlain and Rimbaud whose poetry influenced Dylan, Peter Yarrow, Allen Ginsberg, Peter Lafarge… For a novice like me just watching the video was like going through an almanac on music. Interestingly the documentary also touches upon the lows in his life and also shows you times when even the best of poets are booed. Just pick this one up. It is a must have for anyone who has anything to do with music. The ultimate rock and roll odyssey as David Fricke says.

[Paramvir Singh]

Movie 4 d week : Jungle Book

Director : Zoltan Korda
Rudyard Kipling's 'Jungle Book' made in 1942 starring Sabu Dastagir has some original jungle footage. Sadly this version is almost long forgotten. This tells the story of a young boy who is lost and all alone in the jungles. And deep in the Indian jungles two wolves find him and bring him up. They name the kid Mowgli (meaning little frog). He befriends the animals of the jungle and he becomes one of them. The wolves try to get Mowgli to move back to the village fearing for his life at the hands of the tiger, Sher Khan. Sher Khan was also responsible for killing Mowgli's father. How Mowgli falls in love, fights the evil Sher Khan, and the greed of the men in the village form the rest of the story. It culminates with the victory of the good over evil with Mowgli going back to where he belongs "I am of the jungle. Their fight is my fight…".

Trivia : Sabu Dastagir was the first real Hollywood star from India. Way before the likes of  Persis Khambatta was even born Sabu Dastagir was picked up from the Mysore Maharaja's stables by Zoltan Korda and first starred in  'Elephant Boy' directed by Robert Flaherty and Zoltan Korda. He went on to star in a few more movies before he died at the age of 39.

[Paramvir Singh]

Movie 4 d week : Ek ruka hua faisla

Director : Basu Chatterjee





Based on Sidney Lumet's brilliant '12 angry men' (My favourite Henry Fonda movie beisdes Once upon a time in the west, The wrong man and Boston strangler) this movie by Basu Chatterjee is a very very good attempt. Pankaj Kapoor's performance stands out. You cannot help remembering his role long after you have seen the movie. A young man has been convicted to be hanged until death for having, presumably that is,  killed his father. A twelve man jury have to now decide the fate of the young man. It seemingly looks like the young man has indeed killed his father. Everyone in the jury, save one believes he is actually guilty and almost put to rest the case. One juror's belief that the young man is actually not guilty leads to a discussion and this puts a doubt in the others minds as to what really might have transpired on the night of the murder. As the murder is reconstructed it reveals more and more flaws in the accepted version. And gradually one by one the jury changes its point of view on the murder until they unanimously arrive at the decision to give pardon to the young man. The movie doesn't necessarily say that he is not guilty but then addresses the issue of how precious one life is and how simply we make a decision, in this case by the raising of hands. The entire film unfolds in one room and still manages to keep your interest right through. Others in the movie include Deepak Kejrival, Amitabh Srivastava, Annu Kapoor etc. A very good remake but then sure watch the original. My next reco will be a Sidney Lumet ;-)

Other Basu Chatterjee movies include Baton baton mein, Chhoti si baat, Khatta meetha, Chameli ki shaadi, Swami, Chitchor, Manzil (which has the fabulous Rimjhim gire saawan that never fails to bring good old memories), Shaukeen, tele-serials Rajani, Kakkaji kahin, Byomkesh Bakshi all fab.

[Paramvir Singh]

Movie 4 d week : the mystery of Picasso

Language : French

Director : Henri-Georges Clouzot



'The mystery of Picasso' is a documentary where the great master, Picasso playing himself, is painting on and on while Henri-Georges Clouzot is filming. While Picasso does twenty paintings for the camera Clouzot documents the process from the other side using a special technique. The result is amazing. The twenty paintings were destroyed subsequently and you will get to see those only here, documented. Picasso makes it seem so very simple. A must watch for anyone who is into art of any form. I loved it too ;-)





Book 4 d week : Gods and godmen of India

Author : Khushwant Singh





A good read this book by the self-proclaimed agnostic Khushwant Singh. He puts across his argument very well indeed. "No people in the world are more receptive towards irrational beliefs than we Indians. We already have astrology, horoscopy, palmistry, Rahu kalams and 'miracles' like Ganapati drinking milk, godmen and godwomen producing Vibhuti, wrist-watches and figurines from thin air…" Talking of various religions he seems to think Buddhism may be a little more sophisticated than the other religions. They believe in rationality and follow a path of skeptical reason and inquiry he says about their finding a Dalai Lama "However odd this system of locating successors may sound to skeptical ears, it has an enormous advantage over other political systems: from childhood a boy is trained to take over the responsibilities of a spiritual and secular leader of his people. He does not have to be the eldest son of a King to become the Prince of Wales nor the son of the President or Prime Minister to be the heir presumptive. By the time he takes over his responsibilities, he is fully acquainted with his job." The author uses good reasoning to put across his point of view and says " The question is not whether there is a God or not. What worries us more is the blind belief in godmen. In the name of god they are cheating the people". He does well to expose godmen who are happily amassing wealth and building a clientele among the who's who of politics. He also does well to quote A T Kovoor, the greatest godman buster of our country. " in India whenever religious rites and commonsense are in conflict, you can be sure that the rite, however irrational and irritating will win". A very interesting read this atheist sure loved reading it and pondering over the many questions on god and prayer. You will too irrespective of whether you or on god's side, on godman's / godwoman's side, or neither. I am looking for a book called 'Lord of the air'. Someone please lend.

[Paramvir Singh]

Movie 4 d week : La Strada

Language : Italian

Director : Federico Fellini



Giuletta Masina and Anthony Quinn give absolutely brilliant performances. Gelsomina, a simpleton, is sold off to a traveling entertainer, Zampano. The two travel together and Gelsomina becomes part of Zampano's entertainment act and subsequently they become part of a circus act. Zampano breaking a chain strapped to his chest with sheer brute strength is the scene stealer.  Gelsomina loves  Zampano but his brutal character doesn't allow him to accept what he really feels for her. Zampano just can't stand Il Matto (played brilliantly again by Richard Basehart), another entertainer in the circus , and gets into a scuffle with him, which results in him being thrown out of the circus. The two of them, Zampano and Gelsomina,  end up on the road (La Strada in Italian for you. I improved my Italian vocab J) all over again. The two continue on their journey until the fateful climax when Zampano realizes he indeed loves Gelomina but then it is too late. Set in the backdrop of Italy's World War II defeat, 'La Strada' is Fellini's masterpiece and an all-time classic. Giuletta Masina is superb and reminds me of Geeta Bali for some reason. She plays the simpleton to perfection. The music by Nino Rota is absolutely brilliant and is definitely a character in the film.

Also watch 'Nights of Cabiria' where Giuletta Masina (Fellini's wife in real life) plays Cabiria, the prostitute.

Trivia : Nino Rota was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score for his work on The Godfather. However, when the Academy discovered that some of the music for that film was recycled from an earlier movie (read la Strada) hNino Rota himself  had scored, they declared it ineligible and withdrew the nomination. Also Nino Rota wrote music for all of Federico Fellini movies in a 25 year partnership.