La Strada (1954)

The very first winner of the competitive category, and still one of its most moving. Giulietta Masina's Gelsomina, a dreamy young woman sold to the brutish strongman Zampanò, is a clown-faced performance that communicates almost entirely through her eyes and posture, which is exactly why it travels across languages so easily. Anthony Quinn growls his way through the other half of the double act. Fellini was still close to neorealism here, so the roadside Italy of tents, mud and village festivals feels lived in rather than staged. Nino Rota's trumpet theme will follow you home.