Italian Neo-Realism Cinema Essay

Italian Fascism is an authoritarian and nationalistic system of government and social organization, it was the political result of the relationship between socialist and nationalist rhetoric. It is a form of governance which employs intolerant views and practices, advocating traditionalism, interventionism and sameness rather than individualism. In order to promote their totalitarian ideals during the 1930s to 1945 fascist politicians such as Benito Mussolini, who had previously been a socialist newspaper editor, employed propaganda that included virtually all modes of media: the press, posters and film. The widespread dissemination of totalitarian ideals infiltrated into the school system where young Italians born from 1910 to 1935 were taught to “obey and fight.” The purpose of this paper is to analyse the diffusion of the Italian Identity through fascist propaganda from 1922-1943 and the identity that was diffused as a result of the exploitation of Mussolini’s various propaganda mediums. Did fascist propaganda contribute to the diffusion of an Italian identity? If so, what identity was diffused?

The Bicycle Thief is probably the best known and most highly praised of all the Italian Neorealist films of its era. The films of the Neorealist movement were characterized by several primary ideas. Instead of featuring stories focusing on glitz and glamour, Neorealist films focused on the poor and the working class. Instead of building and fabricating complex sets to film on, they did their filming on location. And instead of trying to get the most well known, highly paid celebrity actors, they frequently used people that weren’t even professional actors and had no training for their starring roles. This all helped lend a sense of realism and weight to the stories.

Martin Charles Scorsese was born November 17, 1942. Suffering from asthma, he spent most of his time watching movies and by the time he was eight, he was already drawing his own storyboards that were directed/produced by himself. Although he considered going into priesthood, making movies was Scorsese’s true calling and he went on to make some of Hollywood’s most memorable films. Incorporating themes from his Italian American roots into his visceral, cinematic storytelling that has influenced generations of filmmakers. He is an American director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and film historian, whose career spans more than 53 years. Scorsese 's body of work addresses such themes as Sicilian-American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo, modern crime, and gang conflict. Many of his films are also notable for their depiction of violence and liberal use of profanity. Part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential filmmakers in cinema history. For three decades Scorsese has been at the forefront of American cinema. Its most avid champion and often its most electrifying practioner. The most cinematic of directors, he has also been among the most formally restless and exploratory, evolving an obsessive-compulsive mise-en-scene based on dynamic, agile camerawork and radical editing rhythms.

Italian neorealism (1945-1953), through directors like Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica, made its trademark on cinematic history not only in Italy, but also throughout the world. It was films such as Rome Open City (Roma città aperta, 1945), The Bicycle Thief (Ladri di biciclette, 1948), and Umberto D., (1952) whose style of depicting the harsh economic and social realities of the poor and working class of Italy took off as a new cinematic style after World War II. Neorealism is a response to desperate economic situations and often illustrates suffering, poverty, injustice, and/or discrimination. Many argue that neorealism is a way of seeing reality without prejudice due to the documentary-like technique of the film and its ability

In addition, to further show his detestation towards Mussolini, the movie withholds that part of the reason why the dictator implemented the anti-Semitic policy of 1938, was due to the fact that he was under pressure to please Hitler and gain Germany’s support in Abyssinia.(115) The reason as to why Zeffirelli chooses to conceal this is rather unclear, as it is a piece of evidence that slightly lessens Mussolini’s malice and shows a different side to him. However, through this portrayal what can be held true for certain is that one of the director’s main aims is to persuade the audience of Il Duce’s

Futurism and Fascism were two essential movements in the history of the Italian state. Futurism was an attempt to rid Italy of its past and create a new, improved country through the destruction and aggression while fascism was a radical, political movement. The relationship between these two ideas continues to be questioned. Did Fascism cause Futurism, vice versa, or is there in fact no correlation between the two? I will discuss the interaction between Fascism and Futurism as well as several pieces of Futurist art work.

From 1922 until 1943, the cinema came under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, who ruled the kingdom of Italy. The cinema was set to often promote the Fascist state, pessimistically characterized, these films were many filmmakers were producing these types of uninspiring films due to the fascist regime. Films presented a different way of life about Italy, which avoided the real life struggles with reality, leaving a huge hole for directors of the neorealism era to emerge in. With the World War II commencing, damage and destruction to multiple countries, meant lack of workers, lack of equipment, and studios were not on offer to filmmakers, but this also created stories for many to hear and write about. Due to the war filmmakers were forced

Fascism had a large influence in Italy, as demonstrated by Mr. Spina’s struggles living as

The origin of “Italian Neorealism” began after the fall of Mussolini’s Fascist regime in 1943 and the end of World War 2. Now being free from fascist censorship Italian directors were able to blend cinematic realism with social and political problems facing Italy which would have never been allowed earlier. The term “neorealism” was first used by film critic Antonio Pietrangeli towards Luchino Visconti’s film Ossessione. The “French New Wave” was started by five French film enthusiast: André Bazin, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, François Truffaut, Jacques Rivette who wrote and discuss cinema because they lacked the money to create films themselves. They talked about how movies have become stale due to the lack of innovation in the industry and decided to create their own original formats, such

During World War II many films in Italy the Italian community created a new type of genre for that specific decade called Italian Neorealism.The Neorealism genre was a style of film characterized by stories done by the poor and working class. These movies were typically filmed on location meaning not in a studio but rather at a real place and used nonprofessional actors. The films themselves contended with the difficulty of life post World War II. The early films were about social issues and war. Director Roberto Rossellini's created a movie during the Neorealist time called Rome Open City which was released in 1945. The movie shows a deeply moving portrait of Rome during the last couple years of the war, with Germany occupying the city and Allied forces slowly closing in. The film was made on whatever film stock Rossellini could gather up in the post war Italian economy. It was shot in the streets of Rome with a kind of documentary realism that would show an even greater impact to this story.

It sought to deal realistically with the events leading up to the war and with their resulting social problems. Rooted in the 1920s, it was similar to the verismo ("realism") movement, from which it originated, but differed in that its upsurge resulted from the intense feelings inspired by fascist repression, the Resistance, and the war.

Rossellini engaged Fellini as a writer for Open City, which was an influential film in the Italian Neorealism movement, and earned him his first Oscar nomination for his contributions to the film (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Rossellini came to Fellini at his Funny Face Shop, which he had opened up with Enrico De Seta, where they were living during the postwar recession drawing caricatures of American soldiers. Rossellini came to Fellini to add gags to his script (Kezich 78). After this Fellini quickly became a prominent scriptwriter with his most known contribution to Italian cinema as a scriptwriter through Rossellini in films such as the 1946 Paisà. Fellini eventually made his director debut in collaboration with Lattuada in their 1950 film Luci del varietà, which was the first in a series of works dealing with provincial life. This film came out to very poor reviews and left Lattuada and Fellini with debts to pay for over a decade and the production company bankrupt (Kezich 114).

The film itself was proposed after imminence of war in East Africa in 1935, and the strong nationalistic sentiments held by Italy as it faced sanctions by the League of Nations. After completion of filming in July 1937, Benito Mussolini received a private showing on August 4th. The exclusivity of its “First Rome” atmosphere appealed greatly to Mussolini, who won the Mussolini cup at the Venice Film Festival a short time

The rise and fall of Italian Fascism is important to the history of modern Italy because of its lasting influence. It has shaped and affected many areas of Italian society, such as its economy, politics, and social communication. Negative views toward the government and high levels of unemployment preceding this time led to the rise in right-wing politics and Fascism has made lasting impacts on the right-wing parties still in existence today. This literature review will discuss the rise and fall of fascism in Italy through Adrian Lyttelton’s The Seizure of Power; Fascism in Italy, 1919-1929, the radical right wing as a consequence of fascism through Franco Farreresi’s Threats to Democracy: The Radical Right in Italy after the War, and the lasting impact of the fascist political era on contemporary Italian society up until the late 1960’s through Samuel Barnes’ 1972 study on "The Legacy of Fascism:" Generational Differences in Italian Political Attitudes and Behavior".

“Cinema Paradiso” is a reminiscence film about a famous film director, Salvatore Di Vita (Marco Leonardi), who returns home to a Sicilian village for the first time after almost 30 years. He reminisces about his childhood at the Cinema Paradiso where Alfredo (Philippe Noiret), the projectionist, helped little Salvatore a.k.a Toto discover the entertaining world of films. He is also reminded of his lost teenage love, Elena (Agnese Nano).