One for the Fellini fans: this restored 35mm print of the Italian director's 1957 Oscar-winner contains the seven-minute Man In The Sack sequence, believed missing since it was unveiled at Cannes some 40 years ago.
Nights Of Cabiria tells how pixie-like, warm-hearted prostitute Cabiria, (Fellini's wife Masina) never stops dreaming of a better future. The plucky Roman streetwalker is mugged by a pimp, tricked by a stage hypnotist and eventually robbed by the seemingly charming Oscar (Perier).
Fluently shot in monochrome, it presents a far from flattering picture of an exploitative Catholic Church, as well as a neo-realist concern for the disenfranchised of Italian society. Highly theatrical in many of its devices and a little laboured in its storytelling, Nights Of Cabiria nonetheless contains a Chaplin-esque turn from Masina, who combines defiant resilience with touching innocence.
Verdict:
NO VERDICT
