Peter Bondanella

The performances by Giulietta Masina as the waif Gelsomina, Richard Basehart as the fool, and Anthony Quinn as the strongman Zampano, have been acclaimed for their power and sometimes ridiculed for their sentimentality. The debates over what these characters and the story represent, and the position of the film within the neorealist genre, continue today. This translation and critical edition of the continuity script for "La Strada" is a guide to the film. The notes to the shooting script enable the reader to reconstruct some of Fellini's changes while shooting the film. The edition also contains an introduction, which analyzes the work's place in film history and provides a number of articles on the film's production. Fellini's most interviews and statements on "La Strada" are included as well.