Another strong fellini flick held together by yet another expressive powerhouse performance of Giulietta Masina, whose role here may well be described as a more assertive variation on her Gelsomina character in La Strada. She's stealing the show and chewing the scenery here nonetheless. Also still quite characteristic for the director's 1950s work is a good deal of empathy towards his protagonists in comparison to the more cynical outlook of his later films.