Describe the conventions of Italian neorealism
Neorealism criticises the view of society as collection of people who are indifferent to suffering of others. A response to the end of the fascist government of Benito Mussolini.
The "White Telephone" or telefono bianco films of the 1930s were popular melodramas but weren't reflective of real life in Italy. Neorealism looked very realistic in comparison to these films.
Emphasis was on "reality"- filming on location, non-actors, natural lighting, doco-style, focused on working class and poor.
Directors:
Luchino Bisconti
Ossessione (1943)
not strictly neorealist film but shares some qualities of the style by being less flattering of life in Italy.
Roberto rossellini
Rome Open city (1945)
Paisan (1946)
Germany Year Zero (1948)
Vittorio De Sica
The Bicycle Thief (1948)
the masterpiece of italian neorealism and also on many best films lists
used location shooting and non-professional actors
from Vaughn Millar's powerpoint presentation.
Italian Neorealism and Global Cinema
review of The Bicycle Thief based on conventions of Italian neorealism
I missed the first half of the film, but I liked what I saw based on the last half. Using a non-professional actor to play Bruno, the son, was a great idea. He was very natural as he cycled through sadness, happiness and fear as he and his father went searching for the missing bicycle. The father's dogged determinism and ultimate defeat was wonderfully conveyed by the adult actor, also a non-professional. Everything felt very real. With all the amazing architecture in Italy, I wonder why filmmakers would have used fabricated sets. To an international audience, watching the movie after its release would have seemed like a view into the real Italy. To an Italian audience, it must have felt like someone really understood what they were going through post-WWII. It might have been comforting, or they may have longed for the return of the 30s musicals and glamorous melodramas.
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