Ma La Vita Continua: Music as Communitas in Nights of Cabiria

Nights of Cabiria is a film that brings to light the grand issue of the human condition,  and explores the importance of self discovery. Fellini's use of music in the film only serves to emphasize Cabiria's journey, in which she struggles to find love and emotional connection--a journey which ultimately fails and takes her elsewhere.

The final scene of this movie is extremely significant to Cabiria's own pilgrimage. For the duration of this nearly two hour film, Cabiria searches and searches for what she truly desires--love, happiness, companionship-- only to be burned time and time again. The film starts off with Cabiria's attempted murder and robbery, and ends nearly the same way. But during the final scene of the movie, Cabiria is able to break the vicious cycle she has been stuck in, and the use of music helps to aid her during this process. 

Ma La Vita Continua--Nino Rota

Song plays an integral role during this movie. Often signifying Cabiria's unbreakable hope and spirit despite countless humiliations, the song of the final scene--aptly titled "Ma La Vita Continua (But Life Goes On)" is a true testament to her pilgrimage. Yet again scorned by her lover Oscar, Cabiria walks out into the street only to be almost immediately be surrounded by cheerful performers, singing and dancing, who are ultimately successful in putting a faint but hopeful smile on her face. As Victor Turner might say, this is a moment of existential  communitas-- "the direct, immediate, and total confrontation of human identities which, when it happens, tends to make those experiencing it think of mankind as a homogenous, unstructured, free community" (193.) In that moment, Cabiria is surrounded by complete strangers who do not know who she is or the troubles she has faced. Despite this they play music for her, and in those moments Cabiria is freed from the ties that bound her to Oscar, Alberto, Giorgio, and all of the people who walked all over her.

While the entirety of the film serves as a part of Cabiria's pilgrimage, she is at a standstill for most of it. Objective sound--sound that is physically part of the world of the film--is present throughout the film. But in most of the scenes it is utilized, Cabiria's focus is not on the sound, but on whatever man currently has her attention. This detracts from any sense of communitas, as the "solidarity" (217) needed for true communitas is voided. The final scene of the movie differs because Cabiria wholly gives herself over to the music, allowing for a true spiritual sense of belonging. The movie is left open ended, but the viewer should be left with a feeling that Cabiria's personal pilgrimage has just made a turnaround for the better.