This was the movie that catapulted Federico Fellini to international fame - - along with its star, his actress wife Giulietta Masina - - and it finds him poised between the neo-realism of his origins and the full-blown fantasy mode that would take over from La Dolce Vita onwards. It's a road-movie of sorts, though forget speedfreak chases and endless freeways. We're on the dusty back-roads of provincial Italy, where strongman Zampanò (a grunting, brutish Anthony Quinn) touts his act from town to scruffy town, aided by his simpleton companion Gelsomina (Masina, for whom the term `waif-like' seems inescapable). She endures his abuse until she's captivated by a vision - - a tightrope walker (Richard Basehart) kitted out with angel's wings, teetering high above a village square. The triangle plays itself out in Fellini's favourite key of bittersweet sentimentality, where life is a tragi-comic circus, love's a glittering illusion, and understanding always comes too late.

DVD Extras:

Selected Scene Audio Commentary By Christopher Wiegand, The Power Of A Smile – Documentary On Giulietta Masina, 16-Page Booklet Featuring Interviews With Giulietta Masina And Federico Fellini, Biographies And A Filmography, Artcards, Digitally Rrestored And Remastered Feature.