Two By Fellini: ‘La Strada’ and ‘II Bidone’ in 35mm

A double-feature of Italian films from the 1950s by legendary director Federico Fellini will make for a perfect date night or a solo journey into a puddle of tears.

“La Strada” is undoubtedly one of Fellini’s early masterpieces. This poetic fable depicts a love triangle set on the margins of society between rival circuses. The director put so much into it that he literally had a nervous breakdown in the midst of shooting, but the final product won him an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Released one year later, “Il Bidone” is the second, and considerably underrated, chapter in Fellini’s “Trilogy of Loneliness” between “La Strada” and “The Nights of Cabiria.” It tells the tale of three swindlers that travel from town to town preying on the poor. When Broderick Crawford’s character reunites with his daughter, played by Fellini’s wife, Giulietta Masina (who also stars in “La Strada”), he is forced to examine the path he’s chosen. Don’t expect a happy ending.

Tickets: $10

The New Beverly
7165 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. thenewbev.com

—Daiana Feuer