Module Information

Module Identifier
IT30610
Module Title
Italian Cinema: Neorealism
Academic Year
2014/2015
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Co-Requisite
None.
Pre-Requisite
(Normally) Eligibility for entry to Level 3 Italian.
Other Staff

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminars / Tutorials Total of 15 Lectures/Seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment 1 essay of 1500-2000 words or assigment/presentation  Continuous Assessment:  30%
Semester Exam 2 Hours   written examination  70%
Supplementary Exam 2 Hours   written examination  100%

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module students will

  • have gained an insight into the circumstances and events which led to the flourishing of Neorealism;
  • be capable of identifying and following the threads that link Neorealism to ideas muted in the early years of Fascism;
  • be aware of the themes Neorealism appropriated by studying examples from literature, the visual arts and cinema;
  • be aware of the main reasons and the implications for the demise of Neorealism;
  • be aware of the variety of idioms the culture of a country can assume;
  • be capable to researching and preparing a presentation on a given topic, to be delivered in a student seminar.

Brief description

Neorealism as a movement was very short-lived, yet associated with it are the names of some of the best known film directors, artists and writers of the fifties: from Rossellini and Visconti to Fellini, from Vittorini and Pasolini to Calvino. Despite running rapidly into the hostility of the Italian establishment its influence was profound and long-lasting both within Italy and abroad. After the long years of Fascist propaganda and mystification it distinguished itself for its keen sense of social responsibility, moral commitment and for its increasingly unwelcome determination to bring to public's attention human, political and social problems.

Reading List

General Text
FILMS: Primo search Also available on request photocopy from: Alistair Crawford Mario Giacomelli Cardiff 1983 Primo search Bazin, A. What is cinema? University of California Press Primo search Bondanella, Peter Italian cinema from Neorealism to the Present Frederick Ungar, New York, 1982 Primo search CINEMA: Crawford, Alistair Carlo Bevilaqua Il Maestro Aberystwyth 1986 Primo search Fiorentino, L. Narratori del Novecento Mondadori Primo search Gough-Yates, Kevin 'The Destruction of Neo-Realism', Films and filming vol 6, no 12 September 1970, pp. 14-22 (photocopy) Primo search HANDOUTS: (must read) Hill, A & P. Church Gibson (eds) The Oxford Guide to Film Studies Primo search LITERATURE: Liehm, Mira Passion and Defiance: film in Italy from 1942 to the Present University of California Press Primo search Luchino Visconti Ossessione Primo search Luciano de Giusti (1985) I film di Luchino Visconti Gremese Editore, Roma Primo search Marcus, Millicent Italian film in the Light of Neorealism Princeton University Press Primo search Overbe, David (ed) Springtime in Italy: A reader on Neo-Realism Talisman Books, London, 1978 Primo search PHOTOGRAPHY: Pacifici, S. A guide to contemporary Italian literature: from futurism to neorealism Cleveland World Publishing (Medirian books) Primo search Pacifici, S. From Verismo to experimentalism: essays on the modern Italian novel Indiana U.P. Primo search Pacifici, S. The modern Italian novel: From Pea to Moravia Southern Illinois U.P. Primo search Potter, J. H Elio Vittorini Twayne Primo search Roberto Rossellini (1945) Roma città aperta Primo search Vittorini, E. Uomini e no Mondadori Primo search Vittorio de Sica (1948) Ladri di biciclette Primo search Zannier, Italo (ed) Neorealismo e fotografìa. Il Gruppo Friulano per una Nuova Fotografìa 1955-1965 Art & Srl, Udine, 1987 Primo search

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6