So far we have learned that there is two impressionism which is the German Expressionism and the French Expressionism. This week we will be discovering a third impressionism that is called the “Italian Neorealism.”
Cesare Zavattini was the theoretical founder of neo-realism in 1942, suggesting a new form of Italian cinema that abolishes contrived and planned plots, use real people and locations so that direct contact is established with contemporary social reality. In plot terms, Zavattini looked at plots as a fake structure of “everyday life.” In actors terms, professional actors are hired to compliment the falsehood. They apply the Contemporary Social Realism by having unconditional on the ordinariness of Today, Today Today.
The elements of the Italian Neorealism includes:
l Shot on-location, in the ruins of the post-war era
l Used grainy film stock, giving it its newsreel look
l Sound recorded and added after the shoots
l Used mixture of professional actors and non-actors
l References to contemporary national experience
l Socially-conscious and humanistic POV (Point of View)
l Possesses melodramatic aspects
l Motivated to rebuilt national reputation
Neorealism was known as a cinema of poverty and pessimism. Its decline began in the fifties when the times were changing for the better. This is because it is revolutionary and happened during a time of non-revolutionary transition towards prosperity and affluence. It is not economically profitable. Unpopular in Italy, dependent of foreign appreciation. The Italian government does not favor neorealism, bringing about imports of American films.
This week’s goal is to achieve the evidence of the Italian Impressionism’s elements from the movie produced in the year 1948, Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio De Sica.
The theory that being applied in this week’s movie is called the genre and semantic/syntactic approach by Rick Altman. In semantic/syntactic approach, semantic represents the visual aspects and syntactic represents the thematic aspects of the film. The approach uses both semantic and syntactic complementarily to do a proper genre analysis on a movie. The problem that genre in film encounter is films cannot be imposed by a generic definition as genres are not static but evolutionary as the changing times. Genres evolve according to times and many sub genres or minor sub-genres have been spun out which in turn become hybrids of original genres or a mixture of several genres.
There are 3 condition under Genre. The first condition is that the film must possess universal/general semantics and syntaxes that are particularly found in corresponding genres. For an example, a western must possess the specific costumes and settings along with the cowboy that will display an aural of justice with a theme of good vs. evil. The second condition is that the spectator’s expectation and hypothesis must be present. To cite an example, the act of audience guessing the ending of the film. Thus, genres have to audience based, following the expectations of the industry. The third condition is that the genre exists like a paradox for being conservative and innovative at the same time, as long as they repeat “formulas” to display old conventions while modernizing new ones.
As we understand the impressionism and theory, we can start to search for our elements in the movie now.
Bicycle Thieves, an old post World War 2 economy of Italy film that follows an unemployed Antonio Ricci, who is on seventh heaven when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. His wife, Maria, sells the family’s bed linens to retrieve Antonio’s bicycle from the pawn shop so he can take the job. However, disaster strikes when Antonio’s bicycle is stolen, and his new job is doomed unless he can find the thief. With the help of his lively son, Bruno, Antonio comb the city, growing increasingly desperate for justice.
There is used mixture professional actors and non-actors elements found in this film. An example can be given is from the start of the movie where a bunch of guys walk together to a building and is ushered out by a high authority senior. At this moment, the high authority senior is portrayed by a professional actor. The guys that surround over the high authority senior at the building stairs is portrayed by the non-actors. The used mixture of the professional actors and non-actors displayed the real scenery of how the post-World War 2 atmosphere look like where the non-actors act according to their experience and the professional actor’s acting skills covers up the flaw of the falsehood.
There is socially-conscious and humanistic POV elements found in the film. This element of Italian Expressionism usually portrays problem happening in society’s daily life such as abduction of young children, arguments between neighbors or even a street thug stealing a bicycle from a person.
Even though it seemed like a small case to other people but for that person who is the victim might be experiencing a serious downfall that might affect he or she’s partner along with the family. To cite an example, Antonio Ricci, an unemployed man who is desperate for work but has no money along with his wife and 2 children struggle to survive in the depressed post-World War 2 economy of Italy.
He is delighted to at last to get a good job on hanging posters around with a sole condition in which he needs to have a bicycle to work. Knowing this condition, the wife pawns their bed sheets in order to get money to redeem his bicycle from the pawnbroker. On the first day of work, Ricci’s coveted bicycle is stolen by a bold young thief who snatches it when he is hanging up a poster. Soon after, a series of unfortunate events keeps on appearing as an obstacle for Antonio, hindering him from recovering his lost bicycle.
There is melodramatic aspects appeared in the film. Towards the end of the film, Antonio is seen sitting on the curb outside the packed football stadium with his boy, Bruno. He looks at the hundreds and hundreds of bicycles that are parked outside the stadium and as he cradles his head in despair, a fleet of bicycles mockingly speeds past him, making his desperation to get a new bicycle even worse.
All in all, this film shows how a simple crime that happened to an ordinary person can ruined his or her life entirely. From this film, I have learned that being alert and aware of your surroundings is important as danger comes in many ways that we would not expect.
All in all, this film shows how a simple crime that happened to an ordinary person can ruined his or her life entirely. From this film, I have learned that being alert and aware of your surroundings is important as danger comes in many ways that we would not expect.
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