I'll cut straight to the point by listing the series of romantic interests and their use for plot progression:
1. Giorgio: Giorgio starts off the plot of our film, immediately showing the viewer what our protagonist's lifestyle is versus her wants. Cabiria may seem to 'have it all' in this 'podunk' outskirt of the town, but she's already missing the man in her life she so very much wants (not specifically speaking about Girgio, as further down the line we see that any man may very well do). After only knowing Girgio for a month, she blindly loves him- even as he tries to kill her for 4,000 lire (which is roughly $5,000). Cabiria is abrasive and loudmouthed and quite frankly I was surprised to find out that she was a lady of the night.
2. Alfonso Lazzari: The use of this character furthers the plot and shows how weak and naive our protagonist really is. What could she have possibly expected by going home with this man? She saw him strike another woman, yet she willingly followed him around all night according to his every whim. In my eyes, what she wanted was to be treated as a sophisticated woman and not an object for a night. However, her lifestyle prevents her from being treated as such. It is also unfortunate that she is locked in a bathroom for a night, with nothing to watch and listen to but two beautiful people talk about (and act upon) their love for one another. As this part of the plot progresses, Cabiria's want to be genuinely loved makes her even more desperate.
3. Virgin Mary: Honestly, it was a hard decision to put the Virgin Mary on this list but I feel as though she is an important love interest in Cabiria's life, although probably not conventionally so. Cabiria, in her desperation, turns to religion. However, what she takes away from a very powerful visit with Mary is grief and guilt. Mary would have provided love for Cabiria in the way that Cabiria wanted but not necessarily knew. Unable to see this opportunity as one that could really change her life, she leaves ashamed at her choice of lifestyle and later heckles at a group of nuns while drunk. Now the plot has progressed passed desperation as Cabiria hits a new low.
4. Oscar Dinofrio: Lastly, there is Oscar. While watching this film I knew immediately that this man was too good to be true. Perfecty fitting Cabiria's wants with no consequence from her lifestyle choice, Oscar was obviously just as poorly off as she. He was the culmination of Cabiria's naive hopes and dreams, and again she is crushed. The last three romantic interests lead up to Oscar for a reason- he is the 'final blow' of sorts. At the end of the film, it appears that Cabiria has given up all hope. Well, it almost appears that way, but just like the prior three times, she picks herself up again. Did she learn anything from this experience, unlike the last three? Maybe so, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
"Blasphemy is fundamentally about transgression, about crossing the
lines between the sacred and the profane in seemingly improper ways."
The blasphemy is this film is Cabiria's choice of finding love. In a sacred way, in the way of what she wants, she looks for love through romance and marriage. She wants to be treated with respect and love. In a profane way, she goes about it by being a streetwalker. Both are very unrealistic ways of going about 'being loved.' One is far too naive and one is far too scandalous. Blasphemy is eventually found in every one of Cabiria's romantic interests. Blasphemy runs cold through this film and as the viewer I very much wanted it to end for the sake of our protagonist. Perhaps Cabiria may have taken something away from this after all... but like I said, I'm not going to hold my breath.
You make some interesting points. I differ a little in my viewing of what she tries to get out of Alfonso. I think she does it for status among the other women. You see it in the way that she was asking him for his autograph and the whole pretense she puts up for him. I think this makes the transition to her experience with Mary and religion much more believable. She had reached the pinnacle of the street women (well, almost), she went home with a famous movie star, and she had the autograph to prove it. But she realized the emptiness of that and tried to find some meaning in religion. She didn't really find what she was looking for, but she reacted angrily to the people she felt were content in their former lives or just covering up how they really felt (her anger at the group and the nuns). Tragically, she fell for Oscar, another charlatan. I had a bad feeling about him right from the start. He always seemed like a con artist to me.
ReplyDeleteI think your inclusion of the Virgin Mary adds a very unique perspective when considering Cabiria's romantic interests. I think Mary's appearance comes at a critical time for Cabiria, when she perceives she has reached yet another low point in her life. What is particularly interesting about Cabiria's interaction with Mary is that she isn't actually capable of finding solace in her--and as a result, she falls even lower. I think this is interesting because Fellini seems to like highlighting aspects of the human condition in his films, and this is a great example of that. Cabiria seeks to find solace in anyone she can, and yet all she seems to find is more isolation. In the end, I believe Cabiria wasn't able to find her religion in any form of external entity, she only found it within herself.
ReplyDeleteI think blasphemy can also be found in a streetwalker attending a pilgrimage for Mary, the christian symbol of female virtue. Mixing the profane occupation of prostitution with the sacred symbol of the Virgin Mary could be seen as extremely blasphemous to some. To think of that, as well as her "relationships" with the three men all as blasphemous, then in this way blasphemy is the main driving force of the plot.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting way to divide up the plot of the movie. What you describe as four different "romantic interests" seems as though the film has four different episodes. Each episode starts with Cabiria searching for love in something new, ultimately being crushed, and then searching again. This gives insight into the circular plot structure that I wrote about in my own blog; Not only is the whole film a circular journey, but her story comes full circle again and again in these episodes that repeat themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt seems a similar blasphemy could be really grouping Mary as one of Cabiria's loves. Once again, it seems she is trying too hard, and enters this relationship with the Holy Mother in a naive fashion. While she does show much emotion similar to her relationships with men, she again primarily has her own intent first. The blasphemy is that she does not separate the sacred Mary from her very profane men.
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