Film: Italian Neorealism & Social Realism

What historical factors led to the emergence of Italian Neorealism in the 1940’s?

• Devastation of Italy after WWII

• Poverty

• Social Institutions that failed to address poverty

What are the formal characteristics of Italian Neorealism?

• Longer framing distances

• non-professional actors

• use of extras (a lot)

• on location shooting

• natural lighting

• long takes

• loose episodic narratives

• rejection of heroic characters

• focus on the collective, mass of working class and their struggles

What are the thematic characteristics of Italian Neorealism

• Questioning inequality & poverty

• critique of social institutions

• focus on every day events (mundane) that shape peoples lives

• “Banal Dailiness”

• linking individual stories to the broader reality

What are the aims of Italian Neorealism according to Cesare Zavattini?

What are the representational objectives of social realism?

• presents borader dynamics of power in society

• feature individual characters but connect them to broader social realities

• characters are representatives of a larger group

• emphasis on the limitation of individual agency in the face of conflict

How do these differ from those of Classical Hollywood?

Classical Hollywood focuses on individual characters and their heroic event, not braoder social reality. Classical Hollywood also used “stars” and focused on them.

What Italian Neorealist techniques are used in “Bicycle Thieves”?

• Lots of long framing distance

• Lots of long takes

• on Location filiming

• emphasis on working class as a group

• uncertered framing

• narrative excess - lingering takes to shift from main character to broader context

• criticized institutions - p[olice, public transportation, the church

• no use of stars

What techniques does “Bicycle Thieves” use to achieve social realism?

Focuses on Antonio and his son Bruno, but connects them to the broader social problems in Italy.

What are the major differences between “Bicycle Thieves” and Classical Hollywood Cinema?

unlike Hollywood cinema, Bicycle Thieves focuses on society as a whole, rather than the stars and individual characters. it focuses on everyday actions rather than extraordinary events.