1. Ossessione http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUBFXrf8Pak Battleship Potemkin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps-v-kZzfec Children of Paradise (1945) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_dXOdVcc AM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_dXOdVcc AM Rita https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY2IpSCV-Nk

2. Italian Neorealism (1942-1952) -reaction to conditions in Italy during and after WWII -In 1943 a film theorist names Umberto Barbaro coins the term “neorealism” to describe films: -filmed on location -filmed on fast film stock with available lighting -nonprofessional actors -loose plot structures without closure -pessimistic themes/endings

3. Post-War Filmmaking after WWII there was a psychological and moral collapse in Italy (and all over the world) the unemployment rate was extremely high miserable living conditions (cities were in ruins) inflation was very high corruption in government INR films address these dire social conditions

4. Parallels Between (pre WWII) Italian Film Industry & Hollywood filmed on studio back lots had a star system most popular films were romantic comedies and family melodramas Mostly apolitical and escapist films Example: the “white telephone” film “white telephone films” set on cruise ships, night clubs or fancy hotels gently mocked upper class conventions light comedies

5. Cinecitta, Italy’s largest film studio, became a refugee camp after WWII

6. "For my generation, born in the 20s, movies were essentially American. American movies were more effective, more seductive. They really showed a paradise on earth, a paradise in a country they called America.” Federico Fellini

7. Fascism in Italy Italy had a fascist government from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini Under a fascist government, the state is an absolute power controlling everything during reign of Mussolini Italian cinema was highly censored by Fascist authorities Movies had to make Italy “look good” to outsiders some critics have argued that Fascism was probably the number one source contributing to rise of INR

8. 1943: Umberto Barbaro coins the term “neorealism”

9. 19431946

11. Soviet Montage (1920s) belief that cinema can generate political and social change Goal is not to entertain but educate Soviet filmmakers wanted to base films on current events and historical events no fictional stories

12. French Poetic Realism (1930s) depicted struggles of ordinary people who struggle with fate and contemporary social conditions often used on location shooting and nonprofessional actors Often used working class subjects

13. Documentary Propaganda films in Italy gov’t produced films which celebrate the country used nonprofessional actors and on location shooting looked like newsreels (even though they were fictional) technical influence but not a political influence since these films were pro-Fascism

14. Italian Neorealist Style

15. Zavattini “One of the problems with turning reality into a story is that stories are a way of disguising human defeat” “This is how we would imagine a scene with an aeroplane. The plane passes by…a machine gun fires…the plane crashes…And this is how you would imagine it. The planes passes by…The plane passes by again…the plane passes by once more…”