Saturday 27 July 2013

Introduction for Italian Neo Realism

Italian Neorealism is a film movement back in the 1940s. It lasted from 1942-1952 which engaged with Post-World War II in Italy. Italian Neorealism influenced greatly on directors and film traditions around the world as this movement are engaging narrative technique that brought up social issues and shows on how cinema could shape and redefine national identity.
During the fascist rule under Mussolini, cinema was produced only to promote the good image of Italy and was different from reality as the government district that crime and immorality should be execute from the screen. Films on that time were usually about middle-class melodramas. However, by 1944, fascist rule was occupied by Allies and the fall of fascist allowed the truth of impoverished conditions of working classes and urban life to be told. Italian Neorealism, national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class. These movement basic tenets were focus on its own nature whereas it should confront audiences with their own reality; about poverty and unemployment. Dialogue and language should be natural to maintain realism; hence, regional dialects are used.

Italian Neorealism movement is naturalistic and aimed to give Italian cinema a new degree of realism, which promoted the use of non-professional actors. It is filmed on location, with difficult economic and moral conditions of post-World War II Italy, and it shows the psyche and condition of poverty, desperation, injustice, and oppression. This movement usually shot at real locations like streets to show the damages after world war instead of the custom-built sets & studios. It also shows the impact of neorealism and complexity of relationships in different national film tradition, style, or historical period. Normally it was shot in natural light with a handheld camera and keep the images of grainy film stock technique to enhance the narrative and bring out a more realistic film.

One of the best examples of Italian neorealism is Bicycle Thieves (1948) directed by Vittorio De Sica. Marlon Brando, an American screen and stage actor once said, "Bicycle Thieves (1948) is the perfect example of what can be done in front of the motion picture camera and is so rarely done" – Marlon Brando.



Synopsis:
Bicycle Thieves (1948) is a story about an unemployed man, Antonio Ricci which was depressed during the Post-World War II economy of Italy. He was finally offered a job which requires him to own a bicycle in order to work in the street of Rome. However, his bicycle is stolen during the first day of work and leads him to search for his bike high and low by streets of Rome with his son’s companion, Bruno Ricci. Painful relationship exists between a father and a son was shown in this film. Antonio Ricci knows that he won't be able to keep his job without the bike.

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