Italian NeoRealism 1946 → COM 320: History of Film

Italian Neorealism: Origins Prior to and during WWII, filmmakers were encouraged to make “meaningless,” pure entertainment films 1924: the state film service L’Unione Cinematografica Educativa (LUCE) was founded for the purpose of “civil and national education,” based somewhat on the Soviet model Fascism was in place in Italy by 1922; Benito Mussolini (“Il Duce”) was the leader beginning in 1925

Italian Neorealism: Origins 1932: Venice Film Festival founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata 1934: Luigi Freddi (Italian Minister of Propaganda & a Fascist party leader) established “Cinema of Distraction,” rejecting the Soviet model in favor of Hollywood-style production

Italian Neorealism: Origins (cont’d) Over the next few years, Freddi created a number of film institutions: 1935 – national film school: Centro Spiramentale della Cinematografia 1937 – national studio: Cinecitta 1937 – film journal: Bianco & Nero Between 1934 and 1942 the Venice Film Festival awarded “Mussolini Cups” as prizes (e.g., Robert Flaherty for Man of Aran; Leni Riefenstahl for Olympia).

Italian Neorealism: Origins (cont’d) “White telephone” films—what were they?

Italian Neorealism: Origins (cont’d) 1938: “Alfieri Law”gave producers direct aid, were allowed to make light-weight “white telephone” melodramas and comedies; filmmakers thus honed their craft. (Note similar function to Screwball Comedy in U.S. in the 1930s—see next slide) Documentary Before Neorealism: Italy’s Forgotten Cinema During World War II there was a ban on U.S. and other foreign film imports.

Screwball Comedy Genre (1934-1940) PLOT: Battle of the sexes (conflict); but conflict is ultimately resolved (integration) SETTING: A fantasy world - - the world of the rich, during the Depression! CHARACTERS: Most are wealthy, don't have mundane, everyday concerns. An eccentric couple (mainly the female), often set among staid old-money. ICONOGRAPHY: Nothing very deep . . . Icons of wealth are trivialized, denigrated. (e.g., mink thrown on ground); verbal sparring as a euphemism/metaphor for sex (Hayes Office era). FORM: Mostly a "straight shoot" using classical editing . . . many CU's compared to other films of that era, liberal use of reaction shots . . . some mickeymousing (not in all films) Examples: It Happened One Night, l934 My Man Godfrey, 1936 The Awful Truth, 1937 Topper, l937 Bringing Up Baby, l938 My Favorite Wife, 1940 The Lady Eve, 1941

Italian Neorealism: Origins (cont’d) Neorealism actually began in last couple of years of fascism, inspired by Soviet Montage, French Poetic Realism, and Hollywood (e.g., Luchino Visconti’s Ossessione, ‘43, was a version of Hollywood’s The Postman Always Rings Twice) Benito Mussolini executed in ’45; the liberation that followed allowed the expression of repressed socio-political views.

Italian Neorealism: Substance “Open form narrative;” ranges from partisan heroics to contemporary social problems; “loosening of plot linearity” The new realism included the notion of abolishing contrived plots and reliance on all professional actors

Italian Neorealism: Substance Was it “leftist?” Opinions vary. Not all the filmmakers were leftists (e.g., DeSica) Italian Neorealism/Marxist screenwriter Cesare Zavattini and many other filmmakers and critics called for a new realism as early as 1942 Captured the “beauty of ordinary life”

Italian Neorealism: Form “Amalgam” of amateur and professional performers Location shooting

Italian Neorealism: Form Sometimes a rough look--partly a result of economic hardship B&W footage had the look of newsreel documentaries

Italian Neorealism: Impacts on Films to Follow Fellini—his evolving auteurism Direct Cinema and other documentary forms In U.S. & Canada—Maysles brothers, Frederick Wiseman, D. A. Pennebaker, etc. Selected political cinemas (e.g., Cuba)

Italian Neorealism: Impacts on Films to Follow Other realist cinema In India “Parallel cinema” of India, such as the films of Satyajit Ray (Apu trilogy) In the U.S. e.g., Charles Burnett’s 1979 Killer of Sheep, an examination of life in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles

Key Directors: Luchino Visconti Full name: Luchino, Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzollo November 2, 1906 – March 17, 1976 Directed 20 films between 1943 and 1976 Served as a writer on 16 films from 1941 to 1976 Best-known work: Ossessione (1943) Also a respected theatrical director, for the Rina Morelli-Paolo Stoppa Company President of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1969 Openly homosexual; known partners included actor Helmut Berger and director Franco Zeffirelli

Key Directors: Roberto Rossellini May 8, 1906 – June 3, 1977 Directed 51 films between 1936 and 1977 Served as a writer on 44 films and a producer on 11 Best-known works: Roma, Città Aperta (Open City) (1945) Paisà (Paisan) (1946) Stromboli (1950) Il Miraculo (The Miracle) (1948)—1952 U.S. Supreme Court decision on its “sacriligeous” status confirmed that the 1st Amendment applies to movies! (overturning the 1915 “Mutual vs. Ohio” case which had upheld the legality of an Ohio state censorship office) Made six movies with Ingrid Bergman before and during their seven-year marriage (their three children include actress Isabella Rossellini) President of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1977 “I do not want to make beautiful films. I want to make useful films.”

Key Directors: Vittorio De Sica July 7, 1902 – November 13, 1974 First appeared in films as an actor in 1917, in Il processo Clémenceau Continued acting in films until his death in 1974 Directed 36 films between 1940 and 1974 Served as a writer on 23 films, and a producer on 8 Best-known works: Sciuscia (Shoeshine) (1946) – Won an honorary Oscar Ladri di Biciclette (The Bicycle Thieves) (1948) – Won an honorary Oscar Leri, Oggi, Domini (1963) – Won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film Matrimonio All’italiana (1964) – Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Il Giardino Dei Finzi Contini (1970) – Won Best Foreign Language Film After the Fox (1966) – An English-language comedy starring Peter Sellers, Victor Mature, Britt Ekland, and a cameo by De Sica, with a script co-written by Zavattini and Neil Simon, and music by Burt Bacharach...must be seen to be believed

Key Directors: Federico Fellini January 20, 1920 – October 31, 1993 Directed 25 films between 1950 and 1990 Served as a writer on 51 films between 1942 and 1990 Best-known works (Note his EVOLUTION): La Strada (1954) – Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film Le Notti de Cabiria (The Nights of Cabiria) (1957) – Won Best Foreign Language Film Oscar; adapted into the Broadway musical “Sweet Charity” 8 ½ (1963) – Won Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Amarcord (1973) – Won Best Foreign Language Film Oscar He was a huge fan of Stan Lee and Marvel Comics; one of his first writing jobs was the Italian translation of the Flash Gordon comic strip. Worked productively with his wife, actress Guilietta Masina Known for his hot temper on the set

Key Works: Ossessione Released in 1943 Directed by Luchino Visconte Written by Luchino Visconte and Mario Alicata Premiered in Rome May 16, 1943 A tale of forbidden love between a drifter and an innkeeper’s wife, culminating in murder – Italy’s film version of The Postman Always Rings Twice Italy’s Fascist Party banned the film and destroyed its prints and negative. Visconte managed to save one print. Not seen again until it was shown in Sweden in 1959

Key Works: Open City Italian title: Roma, città aperta Released in 1945 Directed by Roberto Rossellini Written by Sergio Amidei and Federico Fellini Premiered in Italy September 27, 1945 A story about the Italian Resistance’s struggle against the Nazis in occupied Rome, set just one year earlier (1944) For added realism, Rossellini cast real Nazi POWs in some of the German roles, and used real military uniforms and vehicles. First Italian Neorealism film to be released outside of Italy

Key Works: Paisan Italian Title: Paisà Released in 1946 Directed by Roberto Rossellini Written by Sergio Amedei, Klaus Mann, Federico Fellini, Marcello Pagliero, Alfred Hayes, Vasco Pratolini, Roberto Rossellini, and Rod E. Geiger Premiered in Italy December 10, 1946 Anthology of six tales, of American soldiers following their landing in Sicily, and tracing their relationships with the Italian people. The monks in Episode V are genuine Franciscan monks, from the Maiori convent near Salerno.

Key Works: The Bicycle Thieves Italian title: Ladri di Biciclette Released in 1948 Directed by Vittorio De Sica Written by Cesare Zavattini, Suso D’Amico, Vittorio De Sica, Oreste Biancoli, Adolfo Franci, and Gerardo Guerrieri Based on the novel by Luigi Bartolini The story of a father in post-war Rome who, after years of unemployment and poverty, get a chance at a wonderful job… only to have his bicycle – critical for the job – stolen. De Sica decided to use no professional actors. All of the cast is comprised of amateurs.

Key Works: Stromboli Also known as Stromboli, Terra di Dio (Stromboli, Land of God) Released in 1950 Directed by Roberto Rossellini Written by Roberto Rossellini, Art Cohn, Sergio Amidei, Gian Paolo Callegari, Renzo Cesana, and Father Félix Morlión A young Baltic woman marries a fisherman to escape a prison camp, but finds that life in his village, the titular Stromboli, is every bit as alien and difficult. Ingrid Bergman left Hollywood to work with Rossellini… and then was banned from Hollywood for six years because of her extramarital affair with him. Her pregnancy resulted in Robert Jr., and two years later came twins Ingrid and Isabella. Howard Hughes used the scandal in publicity for the American premiere, resulting in the film earning $1 million on its first day.

Key Works: Umberto D Released in 1952 Directed by Vittorio de Sica Written by Cesare Zavattini and Vittorio de Sica Graphically demonstrates the impact of rampant post-war inflation (the protagonist is an impoverished pensioner/retiree) Most of the actors were non-professional, including Carlo Battisti, who played the title role (he was a professor of linguistics) An open-ended conclusion to the film is typical of Italian Neorealism—we’re not sure what happens to Umberto and his dog Flike

Key Works: La Strada Translation: “The Road” Released in 1954 Produced by Dino de Laurentiis Directed by Federico Fellini Written by Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, and Ennio Flaiano Premiered at the Venice Film Festival September 6, 1954 A carefree girl is sold by her parents to a traveling circus, becoming the assistant of the show’s surly, abusive strongman, and struggles to find her purpose and place in life. Winner of the first-ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

fine