Frederico Fellini's film Nights of Cabiria details the journey of a prostitute in Rome and her search for love despite her profession and environment. Most events of the film take place in lower class areas throughout the city, and I thought that when Cabiria was happy and hopeful these places were sacred, and became profane once she had become disillusioned. For example, at the very start of the film, we see Cabiria frolicking in the sun in a field next to a river with her apparent lover. This seems to be a happy image, full of joy and light. However, it soon turns grim as her lover grabs her bag and shoves her into the river to drown. This sudden change in action also changes the feel of the space in which it takes place. The beautiful riverside setting is now dark and, one could argue, profane.
Another example of transformation of space is when Cabiria is with the famous actor Alberto Lazzari. She is whisked into opulent surroundings and she is excited and happy to have been chosen by him.
He flirts with her and acknowledges his identity, and Cabiria feels special and gets a hint of the romantic life she is after. However, he too lets her down as he shuts her away after the arrival of his girlfriend. All at once, the beautiful rooms and specialness of the evening fade, and Cabiria is left alone with only a puppy for company. The sacred, treasured experience has suddenly become shameful and profane.
Cabiria's search for love reminded me of Girard's words on violence and the sacred, specifically that they are intertwined. What she found to be sacred put her in the most danger. Each time she thought she had found love, she was almost killed. Her life as a whole could be seen as violent, as her profession put her in many dangerous situations and I appreciated that this film didn't shy away from that.
Instead of giving her the typical happy ending that many movies allow the "prostitute with the heart of gold", Fellini's film denies Cabiria what she most desires. No millionaire comes driving to her home professing his love for her, in fact, she ends up alone at the end of the film. I found this ending to be more realisitic than the typical happy ending stories because those are rare for people in Cabiria's situation, especially in the time that the story takes place. Socially, prostitution is not a very acceptable profession, and sadly many people are unlucky in love. At the end of the film, I feel like Cabiria has accepted that love might not come her way, and has become more okay with it. Cabiria's search for love reminded me of Girard's words on violence and the sacred, specifically that they are intertwined. What she found to be sacred put her in the most danger. Each time she thought she had found love, she was almost killed. Her realization that she didn't need "true love" to find peace and happiness shows the end of her journey and illustrates a growth in character that doesn't happen in the traditional happily ever after stories we are so familiar with.
Abigail,
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis of space in the film, particularly the mansion of the actor. The viewer can recognize that physically the location is completely different from the riverside or Cabiria's little house, but in reality the situations that occur within each place cause them to be associated with the profane. Also, your point about the link between the sacred and violence in regard to Cabiria's life seems like a pretty accurate observation. I hadn't thought of it that way, and I liked your commentary on it.