Italian neorealism and all that ****.

I was just wondering, what people in here think of italian neorealism.
and how many even know the concept of italian neorealism.

some of the smartest people here (real fans of films) will know, what iīm talking about, but there will be some, who dont have any idea.

but the main reason why i started this thread, is because i think we need real discussions and some intelligence in here. iīm not saying that everything that has been written here before is crap. iīm only saying, that the only talk going on, is about favourite films and which actor/actress sucks and so on.

there is nothing wrong in those "discussions", but there is more to films than that.

so if people would like to comment, it would be great.

italian neorealism was only a side topic, but if you want to discuss about that, thats great.

ladri di biciclette is the best one of that genre, thats all.

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Eh, I'm sorry, but I don't really see the difference in saying "I like italian neorealism" from "I like Nicole Kidman".

What are your thoughts about neorealism? How do you think it differs from, say, the French New Wave?

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They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

Nope. The answer is Umberto D.


Tip: Lose the pretension, and actually share your thoughts on the subject matter. Also, keep in mind that many of the members here have limited access to older/foreign movies. It seems a little extreme to suggest that people aren't "real fans of film" just because they haven't seen/been exposed to/or lack access to certain films.

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Yes, please enlighten me on the "concept" of Italian neo-realism.
Let's see neo, meaning new, and realism meaning....well realism. Is there some sort of new reality in Italian film--the world? Enlighten please.

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During the fascist years in Italy the idea of realism within film and literature arose. These italian filmmakers were influenced by american authors such as Hemmingway and Faulkner and they wanted filmmakers to return to some kind of naturalism. They wanted to show everyday people in their actual surroundings. They were very inspired by the french poetic realists in the 30's and the soviet montage movement in the 20's and the facist regime didn't like it one bit of course. And it was not until the fall of Mussolini and the fascist regime that the italian realist movement, the new movement (=neorealist) got started for real. These directors (De Sica, Rossellini, Visconti, and others) wanted to portray the day of the worker. As Guiseppe De Santis and Mario Alicanta wrote in 1941: "we will create our most beautiful film following the slow and tired step of the worker who returns home." These guys worked on location with handheld cameras and with amateur actors not only because "to make it real" but also because of lack of money and equipment. The films had a strong leftist agenda even though they more took the side of the workers and the common man rather than being socialist or communist propaganda. Kind of ironic when you know that most of the italian neorealist directors were trained in the production company, Cinecittā, that was partly controlled by the fascists.

Well i guess i have to apologize. I didnt think that maybe everyone does not have the kind of access to older films, like i and most people in europe have. So sorry about that.

And maybe talking about italian fims and talking about Nicole Kidman is indeed the same thing, but there is still only discussions about Kidman , and not about neorealism. Why? If they are equal, then why isīnt there talk about italian films.

I think that in french new wave there was more films about friendships and love than in neorealism. In neorealism the big themes were unemployment,workers and poverty. But iīm not an expert on these genres, so if you know more, please tell me.

I watched Umberto D by Vittorio de Sica today, and it was great.
That tells a little bit about my access to old movies too.

Cool. We can only hope Belusconi is training the next generation now in the same way!

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That's it?! That's your contribution to a thread you started by saying you wanted more intelligent conversation at this forum?
Here I thought I'd get a little lesson in the art of Italian neo-realism, an expose on the art of Italian cinema, or a little background on some of the directors involved with such films.

Well, I guess I'll have to watch my I Love Lucy ep entitled: "Lucy Does An Italian Movie.

Anyway, thanks for your input Piddy. Interesting stuff that. That style of cinema sort of reminds me of the reality shows that are so popular today. But on film. You know like The Real Cancun?

That movie is really damn hard to find. I thought I would try and rent it, but I gave up and decided that I'll buy it blindly.


But about Italian Neorealism, I haven't seen enough of it to comment on the genre, but I absolutely love Bicycle Thief. Most neorealism is quite hard to find here in the states, but not impossible.

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You're not hopeless...

i merely meant, that since there is a film student, that knows so much about these genres that hes knowledge makes me embarrased,then why shouldnt i let him tell all the details about it.

and like i said in the first message, the neorealism is only a side topic.

but thanks for your criticism anyway. mulkku.

Zelig, I don't see the point in me "telling you how it is" just because I am a film student, that's not the point at all with this forum. You're obviously very interested in films made outside Hollywood so share your thoughts with us - no one will laugh at you. The little "introduction" about neorealism that I gave here earlier could be from any film dictionary out there, it doesn't say anything about my personal thoughts or feelings about italian neorealism. Frankly, I had just barely heard about some of the neorealist filmmakers before I became a film student, so it's not so strange if people that are not film students or very into films don't know enough about this to discuss it. Like Henry the Kid said, and I believe he is really into films, it's damn hard to find these films.

This deal with people preferring to talk about what their favourite van Damme martial art movie is instead of discussing the "big cinema movements of the 20th century". Well, that's not so strange. Mainstream cinema will always attract the most people and it is really not that uninteresting. In fact, I think it's sometimes more interesting than, say, italian neorealism since contemporary mainstream cinema is a reflexion of contemporary mainstream society. The problem sometimes with this forum, according to me, is not what is being discussed but how the subjects are being discussed. I too would like some more depth than just "list your favourite blond actresses" but you know what? The only one who can start an, according to me, insightfull/meaningfull/deep (you name it...) discussion in that situation is me! You can't just complain about all the discussions that the others are engaging in without starting a better one yourself.

So come on, Zelig! You said you love The Bicycle Thief! Let me here your thoughts about it because I really would love to hear them! And I think it is sad if you feel embarrassed because you can't recite Thompson & Bordwell's Film History: an introduction as well as I can... It's not about that, man. So what is it about this film that attracts you so much??

I didnt mean you would have to tell me what it is all about, i meant that if there are people that are interested about details and more detailed history, then i would say that i dont have that kind of information.

You are right about the fact that mainstream cinema will allways attract more people than european. And i agree that, the way people are discussin these things in here is the real problem, rather than what they are discussin.

What i love about in The Bicycle thief is the sad, but also beautiful, relationship between the boy and the father. I noticed the same thing when i was wathing Umberto D, but in this case it was the relationship between the man and the dog. Also in Umberto D i liked the scene where Umberto cannot rest even thougt he is very sick, because he tries to pay the rent.

Now tell me what makes you love/like/hate/ignore... these movies.