Introduction:
Film making in Italy is an intriguing subject since it has brought about change and progress in a country which was otherwise extremely backward. The rise of fascism in the pre-war decades saw a different type of cinema school emerge and some great propaganda films were produced, mostly those which glorified Mussolini and the fascist dictatorship. However Italy was actually one of the first film making countries to start an avant garde movement which flourished during the years of the First World War. Unfortunately several films from this period have been lost although there has been a substantial critical reception for films like ‘Thais’ which also produced pointers for the expressionist cinema which followed in Germany. These films featured very advanced technology and also had futuristic themes rather following on the Georges Melieres period which had pioneered the use of science fiction in cinema.
The 1930’s were important times for Italian film making especially with the creation of purposely built studios and sets called Cinecitta which was intrinsically based on the Hollywood concept. Vast studios were built in an area south of Rome and the dictator Benito Mussolini even founded a production company which was eventually nationalised and several directors who were later to achieve great fame started working there. Amongst these one may note Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini and Michelangelo Antonioni who were to pioneer the use of realism in cinema especially in several famous post war movies such as the seminal ‘Roma Citta Aperta’.
The neo realism school of cinema was also an important part of Italian cinematic development. The first film which came across as loosely fitting this genre was ‘Ossessione’ directed by Luchino Visconti. This came out in 1943 but it was also preceded by ‘Quattro passi fra le nuvole’ by Alessandro Blasetti which is also described as neo realist film. However the post war period was perhaps the richest period for this sort of neo realism and Italian cinema stepped upon the world stage with this genre.
Apart from ‘Roma Citta Aperta’ other great neo realist Italian films included ‘Paisa’ and Germania, Anno Zero’ which featured the brilliant acting of the rising Italian actress Anna Magnani. These films were shot in desperate circumstances depicting a country ravaged and destroyed by war and this increased the realism of the films which were quite unique in that sense since they depicted an Italy which was completely ravaged – a scene which would definitely not return to cinema.
Perhaps the director who changed the face of Italian cinema forever was Vittorio de Sica. His seminal films included ‘Ladri di Bicicletta’ and ‘Umberto D’ which focused on the sheer poverty and the reduction in status of intelligent men who are reduced to begging to survive. In a way, De Sica’s films were an unprecedented attack on the cruelty of neo liberal economic policies which reduced and destroyed those who were weak and gave more money to the strong.
‘Miracle in Milan’ is another great Italian film which demonstrated the powers of De Sica in portraying the city of Milan as a powerhouse of social reforms. However ‘Umberto D’ remains the director’s best film since here we have all the embodiments of social forces at work especially the progressive and the conservative which lie in conflict.
Actresses were also very important for the continued development of neo realistic Italian cinema. These included Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida who became celebrities in their own right and also embodied the sexiness of the Italian female form. Another genre which began to take shape especially in the mid 1950’s was what was termed as pink neo realism whilst there was also the Italian comic genre which began taking shape especially the phenomenon of Toto’ who transformed the Italian comic scene especially with his commentary on social themes. The directors Dino Risi and Mario Monicelli were also important for Italian cinema since they introduced crucial films such as ‘Il sorpasso’ and ‘I Mostri’ which have now been accepted as cult films and also launched the careers of several important actors and actresses.
Other genres which gained popularity in the 1960’s and 70’s included the Spaghetti Westerns by director Sergio Leone who championed the causes of the American west whilst there was also the influx of other styles such as the police film which also took on. Italian cinema suffered a crisis in the 1980’s with the rise of the soft porn type comedy which gained in popularity and which severely reduced the reputation of Italian cinema accordingly. However there were still good films being made especially by actors such as Alberto Sordi and Monica Vitti well into the 1970’s which upheld the reputation of Italy as an excellent film making destination. The school of Italian neo realism definitely shows that the nation’s cinema was up with the very best and it is still very much appreciated today.
Works Cited:
Bacon, Henry. 1998. Visconti: Explorations of Beauty and Decay. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. 'The Fascist War Trilogy'. Forgacs, David, Lutton, Sarah and Nowell-Smith Geoffrey. Eds. Roberto Rossellini: Magician of the Real. London: BFI
Bernardi, Sandro. 2000. 'Rosselini's Landscapes: Nature, Myth, History'. Forgacs, David, Lutton, Sarah and Nowell-Smith Geoffrey. Eds. Roberto Rossellini: Magician of the Real. London: BFI
