Italian cinema from fascism to the cold war: the rise and fall of neo-realism
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| UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
DEPARTMENT OF FILM AND TELEVISION STUDIES BA in Film and Literature/ BA in Film Studies
Lecturer: Stephen Gundle Seminar tutor: Owen Weetch 
PRESENTATION This part of the course will be devoted to understanding the development and decline of Italian Neorealism, a cinematic movement that broadly lasted from 1945 to 1952 (although its influence continued long afterwards). The focus will be on a diverse group of Neorealist films and the cultural, social and political context in which they were made and exhibited, namely Italy following the fall of Mussolini’s Fascist regime. In the first part of the course we shall be looking at a selection of films made in the years immediately before the fall of Fascism. Some of these films of the late Fascist period exhibit critical features that would be further developed through Neorealism. In exploring them, we need to bear in mind Fascism’s own plans for harnessing cinema to its vision of national development. In the second part of the course we shall be examining Neorealism in detail, exploring a key moment in film history whose products are characterised by specific aesthetic properties which were seen as conveying ‘authenticity’ and ‘truth’. We shall consider Neorealism as a phenomenon which was marked by an attempt to break away from both the models of entertainment and representation of the Fascist era and the dominant industrial forms of cinema (including Hollywood). One of our aims will be to assess the measure of success it achieved. Another will be to explore Neorealism as a crucial contributor to the development of a distinctive Italian national cinema free of the subservience to foreign models that marked much of the cinema of the earlier era. In doing this, we shall reflect on a specific historical conjuncture and the opportunities and obstacles it presented for film makers. We shall examine the relationship between the films featured and the social, political and cultural issues of the period in which they were made. Three directors feature strongly on the course: Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica. The three were very different in terms of their backgrounds, approaches to film-making, and political attitudes. But they shared a belief in the years around the end of the war in a type of cinema that aspired to ‘tell the truth’, share collective concerns, and participate in the democratic reconstruction of the country. They sided with the poor and the powerless and through this signalled their engagement with the great issues facing the country. To achieve this, they tried to escape the conventions of commercial film-making and to explore way of making cinema more immediate and realistic. Inevitably, Neorealism involved compromises with existing forms of film-making not to mention distribution and exhibition. The films belonging to this school were not made on the cheap and they were largely the work of professionals. They included in addition to drama and tragedy, elements of humour and spectacle, as well as melodrama. Furthermore, the movement, which was broadly hostile to stars, bred stars of its own, with whom sections of the audience identified strongly. Although the demise of Fascism and the politics of national unity favoured the neorealist project, the onset of the Cold War undermined some of its key premises. Political, aesthetic and industrial considerations all contributed to its demise. TIMETABLE Lecture: 13.00 – 14.00 Monday Seminars: Tuesday, various times Screenings: 14.00-16.00 Monday. All films are shown in Italian with English sub-titles. Please note that lectures are intended to provide you with a general overview. Each week attention will be paid to the week’s film, its production history, and to the social and political context in which it was made and released. You should take notes. Seminars provide you with the opportunity to ask questions, express your views and clarify issues. You should be prepared to intervene actively. Each week there will be a reading that you should go through carefully before your seminar. Please note that your reading does not begin and end with the week’s assigned text. It is expected that you will read widely from the reading list in your own time and especially when preparing your essay. ASSESSMENT There will be one examination of 2 hours on both parts of the module (ie Autumn term and Spring term). The mark achieved by your two answers (one on each term’s work) will count for 60%. The examination questions on Italian cinema will focus solely on Part II (see the schedule below) of this part of the module (i.e. weeks 4-10). Essays: you write one essay of 3,000 words. All questions will relate to Part I of the course only (ie weeks 1-3). Questions will be circulated in week 2. The essay deadline is 12.00 on Monday 16 November 2014 (week 7). DETAILED COURSE OUTLINE PART I: ITALIAN CINEMA UNDER FASCISM Week 1 Film: Quattro passi tra le nuvole/ Four Steps in the Clouds, dir.: Alessandro Blasetti (1942) Lecture: Blasetti and the State Institutions of Cinema Seminar reading: Seminar reading: J. Reich, ‘Mussolini at the Movies’ in Reich, J. and Garofalo, P. (eds.), Re-viewing Fascism: Italian Cinema, 1922-43, pp.3-29 Week 2 Film: I bambini ci guardano/The Children are Watching Us, dir.: Vittorio De Sica (1943) Lecture: De Sica as Actor and as Director Seminar reading: G.Toles, ‘On a Train to the Kingdom of the Earth: Watching De Sica’s Children’ in B.Cardullo (ed.), Vittorio De Sica: Contemporary Perspectives, pp.101-29 Week 3 Film: Ossessione (Obsession), dir.: Luchino Visconti (1943) Lecture: The Critique of Fascism Seminar Reading: G.Nowell-Smith, Visconti (chapter on Ossessione) PART II: NEOREALISM, WAR AND THE POSTWAR WORLD Week 4 Film: Roma città aperta/Rome Open City, dir.: Roberto Rossellini (1945) Lecture: The Birth of Neorealism and the Shadows of War and Dictatorship Seminar readings: C.Wagstaff, ‘Rossellini and Neorealism’ in Forgacs, D. Lutton, S. and Nowell-Smith, G. (eds.), Roberto Rossellini: Magician of the Real, pp.36-49; M.Wood, ‘Anna Magnani’ in Sieglhor, U.(ed.), Heroines Without Heroes Week 5 Film: Paisa/Paisan, dir.: Roberto Rossellini (1946) Lecture: The Discovery of Italy: Neorealism as Method Seminar reading: K.Schoonover, ‘Neorealism at a distance’, in T.Trifonova (ed.), European Film Theory, pp.301-18 Additional recommended viewing: A Bell for Adano (Henry King, 1945) Week 6: Reading Week Week 7 Film: Sciuscià (Shoeshine), dir.: Vittorio De Sica (1946) Lecture: De Sica as Neorealist: Observation and Engagement Seminar reading: C. Zavattini, ‘A Thesis on Neorealism’ in D.Overbey (ed). Springtime in Italy, pp.67-78 Week 8 Film: Bitter Rice/Riso amaro, dir.: Giuseppe De Santis (1949) Lecture: Neorealism and the Postwar Impact of Hollywood Seminar reading: extract from S.Gundle, Bellissima: Feminine Beauty and the Idea of Italy, pp.107-24 Week 9 Film: Bellissima, Dir.: Luchino Visconti (1951) Lecture: Neorealism and the Critique of Cinema Seminar reading: M.Marcus, ‘Visconti’s Bellissima: The Diva, The Mirror, the Screen’ Chap 2 of After Fellini: National Cinema in the Postmodern Age Week 10 Film: Umberto D, dir. Vittorio De Sica (1952) Lecture: The End of Neorealism Seminar reading: D. Forgacs, ‘The Making and Unmaking of Neorealism in Postwar Italy’ in N.Hewitt (ed.), The Culture of Reconstruction OTHER NEOREALIST FILMS YOU MAY WISH TO WATCH: Germania anno zero/Germany year zero, dir.: Roberto Rossellini (1947) Ladri di biciclette/Bicycle Thieves, dir.: Vittorio De Sica (1948) Miracolo a Milano/Miracle in Milan, dir.: Vittorio De Sica (1951) La terra trema/The Earth Trembles, dir. Luchino Visconti (1949) READING You should plan to read about contemporary Italian history and culture as well as about the films and the directors we shall be studying. Part I of this reading list points you towards survey materials. Part II lists books about neo-realism. Part III refers to the main directors on the course. Part IV provides suggestions for reading on specific political and cultural topics. PART I: SURVEY TEXTS NATIONAL CINEMAS Vitali, V and Willeman, P. Theorising National Cinema Hill, J. and Rockett, K, (eds.) Film History and National Cinema Cook, J, Higson and the concept of national cinema Higson, A. Waving the Flag: Constructing a national cinema in Britain WORKS ON FILM AND HISTORY
Sorlin P., European Cinemas, European Societies Ellwood, D., The Movies as History: Visions of the Twentieth Century Rosenstone, R., History on Film, Film on History Chapman, J., Film and History
Bondanella, P. A History of Italian Cinema Brunetta, G.P. The History of Italian Cinema Landy, M., Italian Film Liehm, M., Passion and Defiance: film in Italy from 1942 to the present Wood, M., Italian Cinema Sorlin, P., Italian National Cinema, 1896-1996 HISTORIES OF ITALY Ginsborg, P., A History of Contemporary Italy, 1943-88 Dunnage, J. Twentieth Century Italy: A Social History Clark, M., Modern Italy, 1871-1995 Duggan, C., A Concise History of Italy Duggan, C., The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796 ITALIAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY Forgacs, D & Gundle, S., Mass Culture and Italian Society from Fascism to the Cold War Forgacs, D. Italian Culture in the Industrial Era 1880 -1980 Baranski, Z & Lumley, R., (eds.), Culture and Conflict in Postwar Italy (chap by Gundle) Forgacs, D. & Lumley, R. (eds.), Italian Cultural Studies (chaps by Wagstaff, Gundle) Gundle, S. Bellissima: Feminine Beauty and the Idea of Italy Gundle, S. `Visions of Prosperity: Consumerism and Popular Culture in Italy from the 1920s to the 1950s' in Levy, C. and Roseman, M. (eds.), Three Postwar Eras in Comparison: Western Europe 1918 – 1945 - 1989 Gundle, S., Death and the Dolce Vita: The Dark Side of Rome in the 1950s
Ricci, S., Cinema & Fascism: Italian Film and Society, 1922-1943 Hay, J., Popular Film Culture in Fascist Italy Landy, M., Fascism in Film: Italian Commercial Cinema, 1931-1943 Landy, M., The Folklore of Consensus: Theatricality in the Italian Cinema, 1930-1943 Reich, J. and Garofalo, P. (eds.), Re-Viewing Fascism: Italian Cinema 1922-1943 Forgacs, D. and Gundle, S., Mass Culture and Italian Society from Fascism to the Cold War Ben-Ghiat, R., Fascist Modernities: Italy 1922-1945 Ben-Ghiat, R., Italian Fascism’s Empire Cinema
Bayman, L., The Operatic and the Everyday in Postwar Italian Film Melodrama Cardullo, B. (ed.), André Bazin and Italian Neorealism Schoonover, K., Brutal Vision: The neorealist body in postwar Italian cinema Overbey, D . (ed.), Springtime in Italy: A Reader on Neo-realism Forgacs, D., ‘The Making and Unmaking of Neorealism in Postwar Italy’ in Hewitt, N. (ed.), The Culture of Reconstruction Wagstaff, C., ‘The Place of Neorealism in Italian Cinema from 1945 to 1954’ in Hewitt, N. (ed.), The Culture of Reconstruction Gundle, S., `From Neorealism to Luci rosse: Cinema, Politics, Society 1945 85' in Baranski, Z. and Lumley, R. (eds.), Culture and Conflict in Postwar Italy: Essays on Mass and Popular Culture Monticelli, S. ‘Italian Postwar Cinema and Neorealism in Hill, J. and Church Gibson, P. (eds.), Oxford Guide to Film Studies Marcus, M., Italian Cinema in the Light of Neorealism (Introduction) Ruberto, L & Wilson, K., Italian Neorealism and Global Cinema Shiel, M., Italian Neorealism: Rebuilding the Cinematic City Lichtner, G., Fascism in Italian Cinema Since 1945 Minghelli, G., Landscape and Memory in Post-Fascist Italian Film Craig, S.S., Cinema After Fascism: The Shattered Screen
Ranvaud, D. (ed.), Roberto Rossellini Bondanella, P., The Films of Roberto Rossellini Forgacs, D. Roma città aperta Gallagher, T. The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini Forgacs, D. Sarah Lutton, S. and Nowell-Smith, G. (eds.), Roberto Rossellini: Magician of the Real Rossellini, I. In the Name of the Father Gottlieb, S. (ed.), Roberto Rossellini’s Rome Open City Vittorio De Sica Curle, H. & Snyder, S. (eds.), Vittorio De Sica: Contemporary Perspectives Cardullo, B., Vittorio De Sica: director, actor, screenwriter Gordon, R.S.C., Bicycle Thieves
Tonetti, C., Luchino Visconti Servadio, G., Luchino Visconti: a biography Stirling, M., A Screen of Time PART IV: ITALIAN FILM STARDOM Gundle, S. Mussolini’s Dream Factory: Film Stardom in Fascist Italy Wood, M. ‘Anna Magnani’ in Sieglhor, U.(ed.), Heroines Without Heroes Gundle, S. `Saint Ingrid at the Stake: Stardom and Scandal in the Bergman-Rossellini Collaboration' in Forgacs, D., Lutton, S. and Nowell-Smith, G. (eds.), Roberto Rossellini: Magician of the Real Gundle, S. `Film Stars and Society in Fascist Italy' in Garofalo, P. and Reich, J. (eds.), Re-viewing Fascism: Italian Cinema 1922-43 Landy, M. Stardom Italian Style Masi, S. & E.Lancia Italian Movie Goddesses PART V: POLITICS, CULTURE AND SOCIETY Fascism Morgan, R. The Fall of Mussolini Bosworth, R. Mussolini Bosworth, R. Mussolini’s Italy Mack Smith, D. Mussolini Ben-Ghiat, R. Fascist Modernities: Italy 1922-45 Falasca-Zamponi, S. Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini’s Italy Duggan, C. Fascist Voices: An Intimate History of Italian Fascism Gundle, S et al (eds) The Cult of the Duce: Mussolini and the Italians De Grazia, V. How Fascism Ruled Women: Italy 1922-45
Resistance and ReconstructionGinsborg, P. History of Contemporary Italy (chaps 1 - 3) Cooke, P. The Legacy of the Italian Resistance Lamb, R. War in Italy Ellwood, D.W. Italy 1943 – 1945 Woolf, S. (ed) The Rebirth of Italy (chaps by Warner, Quazza) Mammarella, G. Italy after Fascism Travis, D. `Italy' in Judt. T. (ed.) Resistance Clark, M. Modern Italy 1871 - 1982 (Chap 15) Ginsborg History of Contemporary Italy (Chap 3) Ellwood, D. Rebuilding Europe Allum, P. 'Italy' in McCauley, M. (ed.), Communist Power in Europe 1944 – 1948 Mammarella, G. Italy after Fascism Gundle, S. `The “Civic Religion” of the Resistance in Postwar Italy', Modern Italy, 5:2, 2000, 113-32 Patterns of Postwar Party PoliticsGundle, S & Parker, S (eds.), The New Italian Republic Farneti, P. The Italian party System (1945 – 1980) Hine, D. Governing Italy (chaps 3 and 4) Gundle, S. `Italy' in Butler, D., and Ranney A. (eds.) Electioneering The Christian Democrats (DC) and the Catholic ChurchGinsborg, P. History of Contemporary Italy (Chap 5) Clark, M. Modern Italy (Chap 16) Allum, P. Politics and Society in Postwar Naples Jemolo, A.C. Church and State in Italy Hine, D. Governing Italy (Chaps 2,3) The Communist Party (PCI) Gundle, S Between Hollywood and Moscow: the Italian Communists and the Challenge of Mass Culture, 1943-91 Ginsborg History of Contemporary Italy (Chap 6) Sassoon, D. The Strategy of the Italian Communist Party Hine, D. Governing Italy (Chaps 3, 4) Hellman, S. `Italian Communism in the First Republic' in Gundle and Parker, The New Italian Republic
The Idea of AmericaDe Grazia, V. `Mass Culture and Sovereignty: The American Challenge to European Cinemas, 1920-60', Journal of Modern History 61 (1989) Ellwood, D. W. Rebuilding Europe Ellwood, D. W. Italy 1943 – 45 Duggan, C. & Italy in the Cold War (chaps by Zamagni and Wagstaff) Gundle, S. Bellissima: Feminine Beauty and the Idea of Italy (chap 5) Gundle, S. `Memory and Identity: Popular Culture in Postwar Italy' in McCarthy, P. (ed.), Italy Since 1945 Gundle, S. `Hollywood Glamour and Mass Consumption in Postwar Italy' in Kushnar, R. (ed.), Histories of Leisure Women and Family De Grazia, V. How Fascism Ruled Women: Italy 1922-45 Hellman, J. Journeys Among Women Caldwell, L. Italian Family Matters Clark, M. Modern Italy (relevant sections) Ciorni, M. and Visions and Revisions: Women in Italian Culture Prunster, N.(eds.) Morris, P. (ed.) Women in Italy, 1945-1960 Willson, P. Women in Twentieth Century Italy Gundle, S. Bellissima: Feminine Beauty and the Idea of Italy |