In the early years , De Laurentiis produced neorealist films such as Bitter Rice ( 1946 ) and the Fellini classics La Strada ( 1954 ) and Nights of Cabiria ( 1956 ) . In the early years , De Laurentiis produced neorealist films such as Bitter Rice ( 1946 ) and the Fellini classics La Strada ( 1954 ) and Nights of Cabiria ( 1956 ) , often in collaboration with producer Carlo Ponti .