Italian Cinema History

• Here are some study notes to help you study for a quiz on Italian cinema

Early Italian Cinema

• Started by focusing on historical films before moving to super spectacles
• Films needed dedicated viewing spaces beyond nickelodeons
• Developed during a time of growing Italian nationalism

Italian Super Spectacles

• These productions were very expensive (100,000+ for the time period)
• They were connected to Italian nationalism and imperial aspirations
• Examples include films like Cabiria
• Helped promote Italy's image as a major power

Cinema of attractions

• Took a non-cinematic approach and focused on spectacle rather than narrative
• Emphasized visual impact over storytelling

Cinema of narrative integration

• Used transitional camera techniques
• Represented a shift toward more structured storytelling

World War I

• Italy's dominance in cinema ended as the war began
• Chemicals for celluloid were diverted to war efforts
• Italy joined with Britain and France in 1915
• Hollywood gained advantage as it wasn't directly affected by the war

Cabiria movement

• Featured 12 reels (approximately 15 minutes each)
• Represented epic storytelling and grand production values
• Very expensive for its time (100,000)
• Connected to nationalist sentiments

Nationalism

• Historical films glorified Rome's imperial past
• Featured wars of conquest, Roman salutes, and parades
• Supported Italy's involvement in political conflicts (Italian-Turkish war)
• Promoted the idea of Italy as a great power

New Isms

• Fascism is a governmental system under dictator (Mussolini introduced in 1922)
• Totalitarianism is complete state control of media and all aspects of society
• Humanism focuses on human endeavor and solving problems through reason

Mussolini and Fascism

• In 1922, Mussolini introduced fascism in Italy
• His philosophy was that society doesn't exist only for the well-being of individuals composing it and that it was "in conformity with nature's plans"
• Classical liberalism emphasized individualism, while fascism promoted collective good
• The essence of fascism is that the government should be the master, not the servant of the people
• In the fascist world, people serve the government, not the other way around

Italian Cinema in 1920s

• By 1925, annual production fell to only 15 films, mostly co-productions
• In 1926, films were spread into different social classes
• There was a vacuum in the American film market that gave Italian cinema a chance
• The government sanctioned private initiatives to protect the domestic film industry
• Foreign films (especially Hollywood) dominated the Italian market

The Strongest weapon of the age

• Mussolini admired Soviet cinema and propaganda techniques
• Unlike Eisenstein who wanted to raise political consciousness, Mussolini just wanted to present a positive message to the middle classes
• He wanted to show "everything is good" without insulting the audience
• He used cinema as a tool for cultural hegemony

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937)

• He was a writer, politician, philosopher, and former leader of the Communist Party
• Was imprisoned because a judge deemed his ideas "dangerous"
• He had a difficult life and his health deteriorated in prison
• Associated with the concept of "new cultural hegemony"

Cultural hegemony

• Prison notebooks
• Gramsci was a politician who was deemed dangerous by a judge and imprisoned for a long time
• He was a former leader of the Communist Party who lived a difficult life
• His health deteriorated while in prison
• The lecture mentions "new cultural hegemony" as one of Mussolini's weapons/tools

Lateran pacts of 1929 (Hiệp Ước Lateran pacts of 1929)

• Mussolini separated church and state in Italy
• Instead of competing with the Pope for control, he created a separate country for the Vatican
• This allowed Mussolini to be clearly "in charge" of Italy while the Pope had his own territory
• The lecturer mentioned "you can go to Zach and Paul's and now it's a separate, regulated separate country"

Venice film festival

• It shut down during World War II but reopened after the war
• It was the second major film festival in the world
• Connected to Mussolini's control of Italian cinema

Centro Sperimentale della Cinematografia

• Established in 1936 as the Second Film School of the World
• The first film school opened in 1919 in Moscow
• Mussolini admired Soviet filmmakers but wanted to create his own version
• It had many famous alumni
• Still exists today with its own journal (Yankee and Arrow) that remains the #1 film magazine

Cinema City

• Described as "the second base soundstage in Europe"
• Controlled by Mussolini
• Referred to as "Massachusetts studio system" in the transcript
• Where films like Gladiator and Bond films were later shot

Telefoni bianchi - White Telelphone film

• Symbol of wealth in Italian society
• If you had money, you could have a white phone (instead of the standard black dial phone)
• Also associated with white furniture, carpeting, and decor
• These films showed characters with white phones/furniture before they gained wealth, creating unrealistic expectations
• Got their nickname because "everybody since they were white"

Cinema of Distraction

• Mussolini wanted films that would present a positive message to the middle classes: "Hey everybody, everything's fine"
• These films avoided being critical of society and focused on entertainment
• The goal was to distract audiences rather than raise political consciousness

War years

• Italian film production increased to 86 films per year around the time Mussolini came to power
• Calligraphic films were described as an "artistic version" with one example being "Leopard" (1960)
• In 1940, Italy entered the war and Mussolini censored (but didn't completely ban) American films
• He allowed some films like Marx Brothers comedies to be shown
• Rossellini pioneered a new style using documentary footage combined with staged scenes
• He used non-professional actors and matched the "real style" to create seamless films

Allied invasion of Italy 1943

• Code day operation Huskers" (Operation Husky)
• Approximately 60,000 Allied and 50,000 Axis soldiers died
• Total casualties were around 320,000 Axis and 330,000+ Allied forces
• Fighting was difficult because it often happened street by street, building by building, sometimes room to room
• Soldiers would drill holes through walls to see into the next room before entering

Mussolini dies 1945

• After Allied invasions, the King had Mussolini arrested
• Hitler sent paratroopers to rescue him from prison
• Mussolini was briefly back in power but had to escape again due to resistance
• He was caught while trying to escape to Lake Como
• After his fall, there was an "Italian spring" - a period of renewal and return to normalcy
• Filmmakers could be experimental again instead of making melodramas and comedies
• This led to a revival of modernist traditions with "content injection" of popular traditions
• New filmmakers were trained and ready to create more realistic films
• This period was compared to the "Arab Spring" and "spring in Eastern Europe"

Neorealism

• Followed "realism of truth in literature" which was very popular
• Films often focused on ordinary life rather than extraordinary events
• The lecturer mentioned "bicycle piece" as an example - a whole film built around a stolen bicycle with real consequences
• When Hollywood studios wanted to adapt these stories, they suggested using stars like Cary Grant, which would have undermined the realism

Roberto Rosselini 1906-1977

• Created films using a combination of documentary footage and staged scenes
• Used non-professional actors to create a realistic style
• Matched the look of actual footage to make his films seamless
• His approach influenced the neorealist movement

Neo-realist filmmakers

• Many were trained professionals who had studied film techniques
• Neorealism represented a rejection of fascism
• They were influenced by both Soviet cinema and French poetic realism
• Visconti worked with Jean Renoir, while Tony worked with Marcelo
• These filmmakers had been studying international cinema techniques

Influences to neo realism

• Rome's studios were filled with refugees after the war, making it difficult to shoot there
• The ruins of war provided a natural backdrop for filming
• There was anxiety in society about collaboration during the war
• These factors pushed filmmakers to use real locations and non-professional actors
• The lecture mentioned that "the rooms themselves were fabulous backdrop for shooting"

Cesar Zavattini

• Influenced by semi-documentaries like "The White Ship"
• Believed films should portray contemporary social reality
• His philosophy was fundamentally humanist, showing human life without embellishment
• Advocated for "non-box action" films instead of melodramas or romantic stories
• Believed cinema should be about "today, today, today" - focusing on the present
• Said an ideal film would be "90 minutes of monthly attachments"
• Challenged mainstream cinema conventions that showed a "mistrust of reality"
• Believed stories about reality and real people had "fallen in value" and needed resurrection

Decline of storytelling

• The lecturer explained that "the most important characteristic of Neo realism is the realization of the necessity" of moving beyond traditional storytelling
• Zavattini believed that conventional stories showed a "mistrust of reality"
• Traditional storytelling was seen as imposing "dead formulas over legend's social attacks"
• The value of real experiences had "fallen in value" and needed to be resurrected

Neorealism and Pure Cinema

• No extraordinary events, no crimes of passion, no use coincidence"
• Films focused on ordinary events that wouldn't even make "2 lines of straight" news
• The bicycle theft example shows how a simple event can have huge consequences in real life

Neo-realism

• "Reconstituted or committed reportage" like reporting on reality
• Films had "universal significance" Despite focusing on ordinary life
• These films showed "The man having these bicycles stolen, the consequences to community of ordinary life"
• Social message was "Not detached" but "hard wired into the storage"
• Necessary characteristics of neo realism in film include:
• Authentic on-location shooting as opposed to artificial studio settings
• Rejection of Hollywood acting styles
• Documentary-style cinematography to "match the realism"
• The lecturer mentioned they experimented with "overlapping dialogues" where "you can't quite hear what you're saying" for authenticity
• Political commitment was embedded in the films rather than being explicit propaganda

Decline of Neo realism

• 1948 Italian spring - ended when liberal and left wing parties are defeated
• 1949 huge importation of american films leads to the Andreotti Law
• Result is increase in production, but decline in the less popular neo realist style
• The economy improved partly because "the Americans came in with the Marshall Plan"
• Once the German currency was stabilized, "the Americans flooded the market" with films
• The Andreotti Law tried to increase domestic production
• Audiences didn't want to watch neorealist films - "it was depressing for about 90 minutes and nothing happens"
• Hard to do these things that are real

Pink NeoRealism

• Described as having "more emphasis on spectacle and mildly titled [titillating]" content
• New sex symbols emerged like Sophia Loren
• The lecturer mentioned films that won "best acting Oscar in 1992" as examples of this later style
• These films still had "some social issues" but were "much more common than for entertaining"
• Featured "movie star and model sex involved"

Transitional Cinema

• Neo-realism declined as Italy's economy improved after WWII with help from the Marshall Plan
• American films flooded the market, and audiences didn't want to watch depressing realistic films anymore
• The Andreotti Law tried to increase domestic production, but audiences preferred more entertaining content

Italy's Move from Neorealism to Human Condition

• Filmmakers like Fellini (who co-wrote "Bicycle Thieves") began looking at bigger picture issues
• Focus shifted from individual struggles to broader human condition themes
• Films began exploring alienation and communication failures in modern society

Second Italian film renaissance

• Films became more self-reflexive, questioning their own purpose and existence
• Directors created "films within films" to justify their artistic choices
• They examined stereotypes and motifs rather than just telling straightforward stories
• This approach led to more experimental techniques that challenged audience expectations

Pier Paolo Pasolini

• Multi-talented artist who was a filmmaker, poet, novelist, and essayist
• Co-wrote "Knights of Cabiria" with Fellini starring Vassini (Fellini's wife)
• Created a neo-realist version of the Gospel of Matthew filmed in an Italian village
• His "Trilogy of Life" adapted classic story collections (Decameron, Canterbury Tales, Arabian Nights)
• His controversial film "120 Days of Sodom" was banned worldwide
• Died under mysterious circumstances

Cultural Genocide (Diệt Chủng Văn Hoá)

• Pasolini believed traditional culture and working-class values were being destroyed by development without progress
• Two main causes according to him: Post-war economic prosperity created a materialistic consumer culture and rise of television and "white telephone films" simplified the complexity of life
• Pasolini's response was to use classical forms and stories to reject contemporary values
• He challenged societal rules through controversial content including sexual themes and violence
• Created "stylistic contamination" by mixing genres and tropes in unexpected ways
• Used beautiful settings to contrast with disturbing content