Italian neorealism
Italian neorealism arose in the 1930s amidst the second world war in Europe. one example of this film genre are white telephone films. These explored and depicted the turmoil of italys upper classes and imitated american comedies of the time. Italian lower and working classes often couldnt directly relate with this media, and it was often used by those in positions of power to solidify the outside worlds view of Italy and its status. They were presented in a comedic and didn't touch on the troubles that the majority of Italian people were facing at the time
Stories focused on the working class people of italy. The films were often shot on location during the day in order to make sure of natural lighting. Often films were shot with a documentary style, and complicated editting was often avoided.
The main purpose for these films was for the government (under the control of Mussolini) to make sure Italy was viewed in a positive light
One well known example of Italian Neorealism is director Roberto Rossellini
He created a trilogy about WW2 and the liberation of italy after the end of the war
the movies were released in 1945, 1946 and 1948, only a few years after the end of the second world war
Another example is The Bicycle thief (1948) directed by Vittorio De Sica.
The film didn't have an overly complicated plot, it just follows a father and boy as they try to find a stolen bike. despite the simple plot, you can really see the struggles of the lower and working classes after World War 2 in that particular area. The film really demonstrates the lengths that people will go to in desperate times/how morals can be ignored in tough times. I really like the build up over the film as the father gets increasingly more and more desperate. he starts to ignore his own morals and does regrettable things in front of his child just because of how desperate his life is, even going so far as to commit the action that he was wronged by in the first place. The film also doesn't feature a happy or definitive ending. The viewer doesn't know if he manages to obtain another bike, if he gets fired, if he finds another job. I guess in some ways this would reflect the feeling of uncertainty that the characters themselves face, they personally dont know what to do now. The film also wasn't fully subtitled, a lot of sentences have no translation and it is left for the viewer to read through the lines. I think that it works well for the film because we are only given the information that we cant figure out for ourselves, because the plot is easy to understand, the viewer isn't treated like an idiot who needs to be directly told everything that's happening, which can definitely be seen as something many other films dont necessarily do. I did enjoy the film, but it was a little bit slow, and predictable, but the purpose of the film didn't feel like it was trying to surprise the viewer with the ending,rather show the emotional process that the protagonist goes through.
Stories focused on the working class people of italy. The films were often shot on location during the day in order to make sure of natural lighting. Often films were shot with a documentary style, and complicated editting was often avoided.
The main purpose for these films was for the government (under the control of Mussolini) to make sure Italy was viewed in a positive light
One well known example of Italian Neorealism is director Roberto Rossellini
He created a trilogy about WW2 and the liberation of italy after the end of the war
the movies were released in 1945, 1946 and 1948, only a few years after the end of the second world war
Another example is The Bicycle thief (1948) directed by Vittorio De Sica.
The film didn't have an overly complicated plot, it just follows a father and boy as they try to find a stolen bike. despite the simple plot, you can really see the struggles of the lower and working classes after World War 2 in that particular area. The film really demonstrates the lengths that people will go to in desperate times/how morals can be ignored in tough times. I really like the build up over the film as the father gets increasingly more and more desperate. he starts to ignore his own morals and does regrettable things in front of his child just because of how desperate his life is, even going so far as to commit the action that he was wronged by in the first place. The film also doesn't feature a happy or definitive ending. The viewer doesn't know if he manages to obtain another bike, if he gets fired, if he finds another job. I guess in some ways this would reflect the feeling of uncertainty that the characters themselves face, they personally dont know what to do now. The film also wasn't fully subtitled, a lot of sentences have no translation and it is left for the viewer to read through the lines. I think that it works well for the film because we are only given the information that we cant figure out for ourselves, because the plot is easy to understand, the viewer isn't treated like an idiot who needs to be directly told everything that's happening, which can definitely be seen as something many other films dont necessarily do. I did enjoy the film, but it was a little bit slow, and predictable, but the purpose of the film didn't feel like it was trying to surprise the viewer with the ending,rather show the emotional process that the protagonist goes through.
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