Italian Neorealism

To understand Fascism better, it is basically a spiritual attitude. It sees not only the individual but also the nation and

In the film The Bicycle Thief the audience is able to witness all the elements of neorealism. The use of non professional actors, to low class working characters, the flattening of scenes, and the location where it was shot at; are just a few of the essential elements that can be found in this film along with copious neorealist films. It is clear that the director used a variety of shots, angles, and set-ups in order to create certain emotions at very specific scenes in the film. From the start we are able to obtain a feel about the film’s tone as a result of the lack of color. The use of black and white truly helped the audience experience what Italy was like during the post World War 2. As a result of the depressing post war we are able to detect how the act of trying to improve oneself can sometimes lead to desperation.

Italy’s problems started with the fact that it didn’t have one main ruler, but two people and a concept, resulting in a different approach to the unification. Gulseppe Mazzini had a radical program focusing on a centralized democratic republic based on universal suffrage and the will of the people. Vincenzo Gioberti, who was a catholic priest called for a federation of existing states

Film and realism are connected to one another; it gives the audience an opportunity to interpret the film in their own perspective, in relation to the real world. As someone with a firm opposition to editing and montage, Bazin stated that the mise en scène truly represents “true continuity” in film, reproducing the real world more realistically. (Cardullo, 7) There are two editing systems: Classical Hollywood Cinema and Neorealist Cinema. From their similarities and differences, it can be said that Neorealist Cinema portrays the real world more realistically and effectively than CHC… In order to produce Bazin’s “true continuity” and reproduce situations more realistically, the filmmaker must choose an effective editing system, refrain from interrupting the flow of images, and use minimal editing, proven through the two films Bicycle Thieves (Neorealist Cinema) and Stagecoach (CHC).

Giolitti’s government was extremely unsuccessful in promoting political stability in Italy. It seemed that the Italian liberal state suffered from political divisions all over the country; this was something no other Liberal western power had experience in the years 1903 to 1914. However under the ‘political divisions’, Giolitti was trying to reform and modernise Italy during his periods in power as Prime Minister. Giolitti and his government attempted to broaden support for Liberalism by appealing to traditionally hostile groups such as the Catholics and the working-class, created a grand trasformismo (a key concept used to

The political structure of the Italian peninsula prior to 1861 was that of a fragmented group of small kingdoms and

The aesthetics of realism in each film can be utilized in many diverse ways to offer certain truths about the world of the film to further express the film’s story. These theatrical elements emphasize what the film attempts to relay to the audience; moreover, it intensifies the authenticity of each aspect of the film. The use of real people, on-camera interviews, textual information, and of direct address to the camera displays the realism of each film.

Consider the intricate sociopolitical climate of Italy just before the film’s release in 1948. Italy would hold its first election after almost twenty years of rule, Benito Mussolini was overthrown as head of Fascism and prime minister of the Italian government on July 15, 1943. The political framework of the Italians

The Italian resistance movement also knows as Resistenza or Movimento Partigiano, had a crucial impact on World War II final results. The movement has been active approximately since September 8 1943, also known as Armistice day, until the very beginning of May 1945.

Realists attempt to portray the illusion that their film world has not been manipulated and is almost like a mirror to the real world. Their techniques are different to those of any other film. They try to make the film seem as real and as close to normal life as possible by using natural lighting instead of special lighting equipment, they also mostly use hand held cameras and employ non- professional actors to really uphold this realistic image.

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

Italian politics in aftermath of the Second World War were dominated by the political polarization between communist and anti-communist parties. During this period, Italy had one of the strongest communist parties in Western Europe . The 1946 general elections in Italy marked the first free elections since the fall of fascism during the war. The results of these elections were favorable to the communist cause in Italy, with the Italian Communist Party taking in nearly 20% of the popular vote, forming an integral part of the opposition along with the Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity . The Christian Democratic Party under the leadership of Alide de Gasperi amassed roughly 35% of the popular vote, making it the largest party in the National Assembly. The Christian Democrats achieved the plurality necessary to form the next government with De Gasperi as prime minister. Unlike in France, the Italian communists did not enter into a coalition government, and so did not have to bear the burden of reasonability for the economic hardships facing the nation. Italian communists were increasingly critical of the De

In this essay I will look at the emergence of Italian neo-realist cinema and how Italian Neo-realism has been defined and classified in the film industry as well as how its distinct cinematic characteristics could only have been conceived in Italy and how these characteristics set the neo-realist style apart from other realist movements and from Hollywood.

As a result of how Italy was created but not fully unified, the new Italian state suffered from a variety of weaknesses which the new liberal state was unable to tackle these. This made Italy susceptible to the appeal of fascism, and therefore aided Mussolini’s rise to power.

government felt it had no choice in the matter; it had to go to war.