Italian Neorealism - Coursework Example

Italian Neorealism Introduction During the First World War, the European film industry was adversely affected while at the same time American movie makers began to produce technically improved movies in large quantity. During the 1920s, the Italian film industry experienced bankruptcy which was then gradually revived by state intervention. It was during the end of the Second World War that a new breed of Italian filmmakers appeared who together gave birth to neorealist cinema, and it succeeded in attracting the attention of global film audience (Wagstaff, 9). In the period before what is today known as the neorealism age of Italian cinema when neorealism got the theoretical platform, filmmakers from all over the world were subjected to a major concern. This concern was that filmmakers were searching for ways in which social issues in their real form can be portrayed through movies, and this paved the way for neorealist cinema. However, this genre of neorealism was not restricted only to the art of filmmaking. Neorealism was born from literary styles of the West like “naturalism, realism, and, most importantly, Italian versimo” (Ruberto & Wilson, 3) – all of which depicted the stark realities of life in a kind of detached, scientific mode of narration. Italian neorealism’s most significant legacy is its narrative construction which is often improvised based on real locations, as opposed to a pre-structured script in Hollywood movies. Narrative construction The first thing that can be observed in neorealist films is the lack of a bound script well prepared in advance. Such scripts are replaced with loose structure in which scenes evolve gradually depending on the available resources, situation and the real locations where such films are shot. There is actually a lack of ‘stories’ in general as can be seen in Vittorio di Sica’s The Bicycle Thief where the film does not end in the conventional manner. The problem that was addressed in the entire film, i.e. whether Antonio will be able to sustain his job after failure to find his stolen bicycle, was not solved towards the end. Indeed, it appears that neorealist films end only when all the possible solutions to a problem have been explored and exhausted. The narration style of neorealist films focuses not on bringing a concrete ending to the sequences shown in the entire film, but on keeping the end open so as to provide opportunity to the audience to make their own interpretations. Often, the structure of the narration is circular which means the final scene gives the impression that things are back to as it was in the beginning of the movie. For instance, in Persona, the film starts with Elisabeth who needs caring due to private torments and ends with her nurse, Alma in a state of trauma as she gashed her arm. According to the French theorist Gilles Deleuze, there is a basic characteristic in the narration style of Italian neorealist films; “the abandonment of an essentially antagonistic narrative and a tendency to a ‘wandering’ approach” (Wagstaff, 28). The films are generally not subjected to unnecessary drama, instead they move according to time and space as they are experienced in real life. These films portray real life in art form thus bridging the gap between art and life. The tendency in these films is that the experiences of the protagonists are shown to portray their bare situations. For instance, in The Bicycle Thief the job is of posting advertising bills, but from the desperation of the character to get back his cycle to the extent that he even took the risk of stealing one towards the end of the film proves that the job, although very menial, is the only means for his and his family’s survival. Thus the audience gets the picture of the financial condition of the protagonist. This innovative approach towards the narrative is Italian neorealism’s most significant legacy. Such lack of bound script calls for improvisation and Italian neorealist films are known for the same and this can be clearly understood by the audience. Even since sound has been introduced in filmmaking, the task of making films have become a complex affair with the need of large investments. Post Liberation, the materials with which films were made in Italy, the type of subjects that became the theme of most films along with the essence of the Italian sense of independence liberated filmmakers from the confines of decoupage. Roberto Rossellini was a filmmaker who used his inspiration to improvise so as to improve the written narration of his films. His modifications were based on his human and material resources, nature, landscape, and so on like Rome, Open City which was based on Roman people captured by the Nazis. Due to the circumstances and financial constraints the narration had a more crude than stylized appeal. Similarly, there was Feuillade who created every next instalment of Les Vampires or Fantomas based on his findings of appropriate locations in the streets of Paris. Thus, every instalment was equally unknown to the filmmaker just like the audience waited with eagerness for the next week (Bazin, 1). Such improvisations were also part of the film, Persona. According to its director, Ingmar Bergman there must be ample preparation before making any kinds of improvisations. Since there were only two characters in the film, therefore Bergman could make sufficient experiments without extra costs which led to improvisations in the narration (Lothwall, 61). In this way, neorealist films are made with improvised scripts. Another point to note here that the extent of improvisation can vary with every filmmaker. Often modifications are done in greater detail making the written narration get a completely new look and feel on the screen. For instance, the screenplay of The Bicycle Thief is of the same standard as any American film; however it is possible that most of the shots were not previously planned by the filmmaker. This is evident from the fact that all shots were taken in real locations in the streets of Rome, and so situation often drive filmmakers to improvise in the narration. Thus, it becomes a common phenomenon that many scenes in these films appear separate from the main narration and so can be easily eliminated. What differentiates Italian neorealistic cinema from Hollywood classical movies is the treatment of the story which often remains incomprehensible to the audience even after the last scene is over. The Italian filmmakers were mostly tempted to depict melodrama on screen which often made the dramatic effect predictable. However, Andre Bazin has stated “we should not conclude from this that such a method (improvisation) is inherently less aesthetic than slow and meticulous planning” (Bazin, 2). It is a general acceptance by film audience that films are made only with the help of monetary support, and other resources making the audience inclined to make less appreciative of the artists behind filmmaking. Just like any other art forms, the process of filmmaking depends on the subject matter of the narration. While some genres require meticulous planning, there are others like Rossellini, Lattuada and Aldo Vergano who improvised according to the situation (Bazin, 2). In The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice, David Bordwell states that his “purpose in this essay is to argue that we can usefully consider the “art cinema” as a distinct mode of film practice, possessing a definite historical experience, a set of formal conventions, and implicit viewing procedures” (Bordwell, 716). The concept of art cinema actually gained more prominence during the years following the Second World War when United States film producers faced severe competition from the advent of television in households, and therefore for recovery of production costs there was need of global film market. With the beginning of the making of neorealist cinema, they became the first art films made of international standard. Bordwell has said that it will not do justice to art films if they are defined within the limited parameters of specific mode of production or consumption. Although different directors of art films have distinct style of filmmaking with different themes, “the overall functions of style and theme remain remarkably constant in the art cinema as a whole” (Bordwell, 717). However, art cinema has some distinctive features that differentiate it from classical approach towards cinema. First, the concept of showing a cause and effect in the course of events is either subtle or missing in art films. For instance, in Persona, the nurse leaves her patient with no apparent concluding service that acted as healing power on her patient. Nevertheless, Bordwell has argued that art cinema is not merely recognized by its subtlety in bonds between relations. The question remains that what are the factors that lead to such subtlety or what kind of expectations the filmmakers have from the audience in the context of watching those films. The narratives of art cinema are mainly guided by two principles which are “realism and authorial expressivity” (Bordwell, 718). Art cinema is essentially a realistic form of cinema which depicts real locations like Neorealism and the New Wave, and real problems like alienation or lack of communication. Basically, the major difference with Hollywood classical cinema is that “the art cinema uses “realistic” – that is, psychologically complex – characters” (Bordwell, 718). This is true in Bicycle Thieves where the characters portray realistic emotions when the bicycle is stolen. Such practice of using realistic characters makes art cinema generally dependent on showing causes based on psychology; i.e. the main focus remains on characters and their impact on each other. While in classical films characters have very definite attributes and goals, in art film the characters do not bear explicit wishes and objectives. In art cinema characters may behave incoherently which apparently carry no reasons or else the characters themselves are unsure of what they desire. Such inconsistencies in character depiction create a kind of drifting effect in the narration of art cinema. While in Hollywood cinema the narration is focused on reaching a definite target by the end of the movie, in art cinema characters move in a dispassionate manner from one situation to the other (Bordwell, 718). Thus, the focus remains on the characters than bringing a concrete conclusion to the events shown during the entire film. The Bicycle Thief (1948) The Bicycle Thief, directed by Vittorio di Sica was set in the post-war Rome. It depicted the struggles of an ordinary man who earns for his family while maintaining self-respect. The leading roles were played by two inexperienced actors, and Sica’s selection of non-actors was based on the fact that it was a neorealism movie. Portrayal of real social issues has more profound effect on the audience if played by persons who are not recognizable due to popularity in other films. While actors apply techniques to portray emotions, non-actors have life experience over artistic sense which has more realistic effect. The story focused on Antonio whose bicycle was stolen on the first day of his new job which was pasting posters in the city. It was an era of widespread unemployment in Italy which added to the anguish of the character. In the course of his search he tries to take the help of police, media, and an elderly colleague of the thief; however for everyone a stolen bicycle was a minor issue compared to other major issues in their lives. In the end, Antonio steals a bicycle himself to make up for his bad fortune, an action he would otherwise condemn. Till then, he was confronting the outer world with a clear conscience since he was searching for his own bicycle. However, now he struggled with his inner self before deciding to become a bicycle thief himself. The situation was worsened since this theft was witnessed by his son, Bruno. Eventually, he walked home holding his son’s hand but unable to look into his eyes. Along with losing his job he also failed to sustain his self-respect in the eyes of Bruno. The entire film was shot in real locations in Roman streets which is a distinctive trait in neorealism cinema. Like in neorealism cinema, the narration focused on the effect of Antonio’s character on Bruno’s perspective of his father. Neorealist films are injected with liberal thinking, and di Sica managed to capture the manner in which individual problems get dwarfed by broader social issues. Some realistic scenes like rich gentlemen ignoring the pleas of beggar children depict the social disparity. The looseness in the narration structure is evident in the film by the weak connection between different scenes. In search of the bicycle, Antonio visits two marketplaces, almost catches the thief, confronts an old man, consults an oracle, and finally attempts to steal bicycle himself. Although the flow of the narration is gradual and logical, the scenes are not consequential. For instance, the events at the first marketplace do not have any connection with Antonio confronting the old man at the church. Most of the scenes are distinct with no connection with previous scenes, thus indicating the narration’s lack of consistency. The narration did not provide any solution to Antonio’s problem; it just laid bare the facts of life with an open ending for the audience to speculate on the social plights. Persona (1966) Another neorealism film Persona directed by Sweden born Ingmar Bergman was centered on the relationship that was established between a young nurse, Alma and her patient who was popular stage actress, Elisabeth Vogler. The relationship between the characters was subjected to stress caused by the narrow gap between dream and reality. Towards the end of the movie the boy from prologue touches the split-screen image of Alma and Elisabeth thus indicating merging of the characters. The self-conscious feeling of the film seemed to originate from within to create a more realistic effect. The narration of the film is based on two distinct characters and as such is restricted by a set of boundaries. The film portrays the dilemma faced by the nurse, Alma when confronted by a mute and incoherent character, Elizabeth. Being the caretaker of Elizabeth, Alma is aware of her life’s every intimate details, and added by the confessions made by Alma about her own life create a psychological bond between the characters. The final scene depicts how the characters reflect themselves in each other with the split-screen image of Elisabeth and Alma. The film has a dream like effect and viewers perceive the artwork as they appear on a dream screen. The first scene of the film suggests birth of movie, while in the middle there is total blackness suggesting rebirth of the characters. An effect of union between the characters is depicted with camera focusing first on Elisabeth and then on Alma as the story of the deformed child is narrated; it was like the characters were telling the same story with different perspectives. As can be seen in most neorealist films, Persona’s narration focused mainly on the characters and their impact on each other. Bergman created a relation between the characters’ inner turmoil with the cinematic medium. In her silence, Elisabeth found solace as opposed to her extrovert exterior that was imposed on her by her acting profession. Alma, on the other hand, revealed the self beneath that mask while at the same time she used Elisabeth’s silence as platform to portray her own roles. Conclusion The narrations of most Italian neorealist films were based on poor and working class people set in real locations mostly with amateur actors. These films reflected mostly the economic and social conditions of Italy during the post Second World War period with the narrations focusing on the emotional turmoil of the protagonists. Essentially, neorealism indicates a particular genre of movies created during a specific period in Italy rather than an entire school of filmmaking. It can be concluded from the above discussion that Italian neorealist films are basically not only depiction of real social issues on celluloid, but also that the narrations are done in a realistic manner. Therefore, improvisation in the script is often so detailed based on real locations and situations, that often narration takes a completely new form when portrayed on the screen. The focus is on the conditions of the protagonists and showing different existing problems in the society, rather than providing distinct solutions. The purpose is to allow the audience to encounter the realities of life as they are, and since solutions come from experience therefore in most realist films there are open endings so that audience can make their own speculations. Hence, unlike Hollywood movies where there is distinct goals to fulfill by the end, neorealist movies focus more on the events during the movie than on its culmination. References Bazin, Andre. Cinema Realism and the Italian School of the Liberation, 1948 Bordwell, David. The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice, 1979 Lothwall, Lars-Olof. “Interview with Ingmar Bergman.” 1968, 61-68, In Ingmar Bergman: Interviews, ed. Raphael Shargel. USA: Univ. of Mississippi, 2007 Ruberto, Laura E. & Wilson, Kristi M. Italian Neorealism and Global Cinema, Wayne State Univ. Press, 2007 Wagstaff, Christopher. Italian Neorealist Cinema: An Aesthetic Approach, Univ. of Toronto Press, 2007 Read More