
Nights of Cabiria
Synopsis
Practicing the world's oldest profession in the archaeological walk of Rome's Parco di Porta Capena, the trusting, stubbornly-optimistic streetwalker Cabiria refuses to lose faith in love. After escaping death by the skin of her teeth, the hurt and momentarily-disenchanted Cabiria continues to confront life with a mixture of naivete and arrogance. One evening she ventures into the elegant Via Veneto and gets picked up by suave film star Alberto Lazzari. Disappointment awaits once more, and as poor Cabiria prays to Virgin Mary for guidance and a blessing, the man of her prayers, Oscar D'Onofrio, barges into her life after a chance encounter at a vaudeville theatre. But do miracles happen?
Production Budget Analysis
The production budget for Nights of Cabiria (1957) has not been publicly disclosed.
CAST: Giulietta Masina, François Périer, Franca Marzi, Amedeo Nazzari, Aldo Silvani, Dorian Gray DIRECTOR: Federico Fellini CINEMATOGRAPHY: Aldo Tonti MUSIC: Nino Rota PRODUCTION: DDL Cinematografica, Les Films Marceau
Box Office Performance
Nights of Cabiria earned $766,530 domestically and $-14,485 internationally, for a worldwide total of $752,045. The film skewed heavily domestic (102%), suggesting strong North American appeal.
Profitability Assessment
Insufficient publicly available data to assess profitability.
INDUSTRY IMPACT
The American musical Sweet Charity (and its film adaptation) is based on Fellini's screenplay.
PRODUCTION NOTES
▸ Production
The name Cabiria is borrowed from the 1914 Italian film Cabiria, while the character of Cabiria herself is taken from a brief scene in Fellini's earlier film, The White Sheik. It was Masina's performance in that earlier film that inspired Fellini to make Nights of Cabiria. However, no one in Italy was willing to finance a film which featured sex workers as heroines. Finally, Dino de Laurentiis agreed to put up the money. Fellini based some of the characters on a real sex worker whom he had met while filming Il Bidone. For authenticity, he had Pier Paolo Pasolini, known for his familiarity with Rome's criminal underworld, help with the dialogue.
Nights of Cabiria was filmed in many areas around Italy, including Acilia, Castel Gandolfo, Cinecittà, Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore, Porta Maggiore, the Baths of Caracalla and the Tiber River.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Summary: Won 1 Oscar. 17 wins & 7 nominations total
Awards Won: ★ Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (30th Academy Awards) ★ Grolla d'oro for Best Leading Actress — Giulietta Masina
Nominations: ○ International Submission to the Academy Awards ○ Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (30th Academy Awards)









































































































































































































































































































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