Angles and Point of View in LA STRADA
To greatly oversimplify things, La Strada is a film which uses physicality to convey emotion, and editing to convey passage of time.
In this sequence, Gelsomina runs away to town and sees many wonders for the first time: religious parades, copious amounts of food, and a daring highwire act by “The Fool” which will soon shape her future.
The sequence montages through her day, and uses stark contrasts of whites and blacks not just in its cinematography but wardrobe and set dressing.
Especially note the high and low angles it use, showing Gelsomina looking up from angles which get steeper, then cutting what she’s looking at from low angles which also get steeper and steeper:
kneeling as a cross is carried by
looking up at the Madonna and child (note the “Madonna Immaculata” sign in the background)
gazing in wonder at The Fool
Using these angles and cutting them together in this way clearly shows us the wonder and awe in Gelsomina’s eyes (Giulietta Masina’s expressive face is the best asset of a wonderful film), as well as the sights which inspire said emotions from her point of view.