Where to start with this film... firstly I adored the character of Gelsomina, skilfully played by Masina. I'm not sure what it is about Masina's face plus the circus makeup, that makes her look both harmless and unsettling at the same time, but in a perfectly captivating way. It hurt to watch her continually get beat down (and essentially emotionally killed after the ordeal with Il Matto) by the excessive, constantly reinforced masculinity of Anthony Quinn's character, Zampano, and I felt sorry for her. At first I could not understand why she would not leave him, until I understood her context of post-war middle class Italy and her immense empathy even for him. The ending marked a turning point for Zampano, who finally thinks, and reflects. Nino Rota's leitmotif has been stuck in my head, it is a representation of Gelsomina's yearning for love, saddening, comforting, haunting and beautiful all at the same time.
