Nights of Cabiria

Fully restored and re-subtitled, Fellini's 1957 Oscar-winning story of a waif-like prostitute named Cabiria (Giulietta Masina), whose taste in men is decidedly unlucky, but whose joie de vivre is unshakable, holds up remarkably well some 30-plus years later. Cabiria, as played by Masina (who was Fellini's wife; born within one month of each other in 1920, they died less than six months apart in 1993/1994), is a little bit Charlie Chaplin and a little bit Lucille Ball. Each time Cabiria is knocked down, tossed off, ridiculed, or simply cruelly ignored by men, she picks herself up (either literally or metaphorically) and gets back in the game of life. And it is that resilience in the face of adversity that at first makes us sympathize with her lot, then admire her pluck, and ultimately--in one of the most luminescent cinematic finales ever--learn that life is beautiful, indeed. A 40-minute interview with Fellini's longtime assistant, Dominique Delouche, appears after the credits. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)