Well, the first Fellini film I’ve seen and I can already feel a connection with his work. I wasn’t sure if this was classified as a neorealist film (apparently not on the DVD cover − “Fellini left behind the familiar signposts of neorealism for a poetic fable of love and cruelty”). But I think it does have elements of neorealism, which I’ll explore later on. Though as soon as the credits begin, you get a sense that this is different, more modern − as if after the break of neorealism into a new type of cinema (like Gilles Deleuze’s idea of the time-image?). It is almost like Hollywood feeling but without the colour − there is music and stylish titles (though still non-synchronous sound). Nevertheless, as the film progressed, I felt elements of Italian neorealism poke their head out, as if a director such as Fellini can completely change his style and ignore previous neorealism elements.
The whole film includes a lot of fades, to highlight the fact that time has passed. From the beginning, we see some long shots but largely there are cuts and actually melodrama when brutal strongman Zampano comes to buy Gelsomina. He employs her and although the conditions are better than the poverty she lived in (she has more to eat, for one), she faces horrible treatment from the cruel Zampano. She tries to run away once but he finds her and she ultimately obeys him and returns to the their motorbike-home. However, a strange connection takes place and she begins to grow fond of him, to the point where she sort of jokingly asks if he would ever consider marrying her. They join a circus, where we encounter one of Zampano’s old rivals, Fool a tightrope artist (we actually see him earlier when he is performing in the town). Fool is, what can I say, a bright spark of happiness that immediately endears the audience (and Gelsomina) to him though there is plenty of tension between him and Zampano, not helped by the fact that the Fool teases him every moment he gets. But the Fool gives Gelsomina hope and inspiration and even has an almost serious meaningful philosophical discussion with her (almost because it just seems so strange coming from this joking individual) and there is always that underlying humour present. He is so direct, sometimes it’s hard to tell whether he is joking or not, such as when he tells Gelsomina she has a purpose in life: “You have a purpose too, with that artichoke head of yours”. He doesn’t smile but from his manner we see he means the best for her and as he is a naïve yet optimistic person, it is sad to see him suddenly go (Zampano later kills him “accidentally” after encountering and then punching him).
This moment also marks an important change in Gelsomina, who from then is clearly scarred by seeing the murder, it is as if some hope and life is taken away from her and Zampano kills her spirit. I think he realises this too and gradually we see his guilt begin to emerge in patterns of anger then sudden remorse and even almost a more tender side (as tender as the rough, violent man can get). The death of the Fool makes him seem to get so close to opening up his feelings, before self-realisation kicks in and then ultimately anger at Gelsomina for causing this change. He almost becomes afraid of her in a way as this cycle of guilt and anger continues. “The fool is hurt”, each time Gelsomina utters these words it’s like an alarm to instigate his guilt, as he then asks if she wants to be taken home, to which she replies, “If I don’t go with you, who will?” (Something the Fool told her). Zampano is a complex character − at the start it just seems like he fits the “bad guy” label for this film yet we see his layers throughout the film and deep down we see that he did in fact like Gelsomina. When she asks him if he likes her even a little bit, he replies along the lines of “stop this nonsense, potato head”, immediately severing any sensitivity or emotional ties he could develop. In particular, the scene when he puts the blanket over Gelsomina sleeping outside (a moment of “awww”) before we see he is in fact leaving. But he leaves some money and the trumpet and it is as if he has come to the realisation that he is in fact destroying her spirit.
She is such a childlike and innocent, naïve character. So fragile that, as Martin Scorsese says in the commentary that comes with the film, we don’t really know how much of the “adults” she understands. Then we see, what turns out to be later on, Zampano discovering from a townsperson (who he hears singing Gelsomina’s song) that she has died from a fever and goes gets drunk before we see him go to the beach and collapse on the sand and cry in the final shot of the film. He looks up at the stars (which were mentioned earlier) and the audience understands that he has well and truly come to the understanding that he needed her spirit in his life. As Scorsese also said, his “violence stamped out love” and any possibility he had of expressing emotions. It is like the tragic death of a clown, when happiness itself dies too.
This brings me to Gelsomina herself, played by Federico Fellini’s wife, Giulietta Mansina − such an intriguing character. Her face just draws me immediately. Her expressions are so theatrical and expressive (she gives the impression of inexperience and naivety), she reminds me of Charlie Chaplin. Her big eyes and funny smile make her the perfect physical embodiment of innocent, natural, humour. In the commentary (one of many special features with the DVD), Scorsese points out that the film has a St Franciscan element of neorealism with its compassion for every living being, good or bad. As in the end, the audience does really feel for Zampano. I naddition, he says that the fact Zampano literally “bought” Gelsomina (for 10,000 lire) is also a feature of the harsh, reality of the post-war time − another feature of neorealism. He also points out an interesting idea that the road, which is almost synonymous with the life of travelling artists, is a metaphor of life, with its ups (the Fool) and downs (Zampano). The poor Fool is exactly that − a poor fool whose death is inevitable yet still so tragic. Scorsese relates his character to Robin Williams and says he wanted to include a character like the Fool in his films, such as in some of the films featuring Robert de Niro. A sweet film that seemed to have a mix of so many things, seemingly so simple yet really complex characters − there is more to Gelsomina’s smile than we first think.
4/5
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