Neorealism as a movement, if indeed it can be described 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 the public's attention human, political and social problems.