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Italian Neorealism

Italian neorealism emerged in post-war Italy, around the late 1940s. 

The Italian film industry during World War Two was having a difficult situation; Benito Mussolini's fascist dictatorship restricted the imports of films produced in hostile countries, such as Hollywood films. The exports of Italian films were also limited. 

After the liberation from the dictatorship, the Italian filmmakers explored the unique film-making style which was apart from Hollywood.

As a result, neorealist films emerged as a contrasting category in films; it rejects unrealistic, dreaming stories and sheds light on human reality. 

What is Neorealism?

"Neorealism, as a term, means many things, but it often refers to films of working class life, set in the culture of poverty, and with the implicit message that in a better society wealth would be more evenly distributed."

— Roger Ebert, the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times

  • Location filming

  • Nonprofessional actors 

  • Avoidance of ornamental mise-en-scene

  • Natural light

  • Freely-moving documentary style of photography 

  • Avoidance of complex editing & post-production processes (so that avoid contrivance)

The neorealist films in Italy are characterized by their focus on ordinary, everyday Italians, especially working-class people. Filmmakers emphasize the visual truth of such a group of people. 

Check this out!

Bicycle Thieves is the corner-stone in the film arts; it arose from the rejection of existing film-making and nationalistic fascist-era cinema.

As a result, it contributed to the establishment of neorealism - a new category in film history. 

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