24: Freshman Seminar: Voyages to Italy: Reframing the Bel Paese in the Postwar Era

W 10-11 | 6331 Dwinelle | Instructor: Mia Fuller

Units: 1

Italy is known for its many contributions to cinema, perhaps especially for neorealism in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Not only was neorealism stylistically innovative – shunning studio artifice by using natural lighting and non-professional actors – but it also helped to forge a new image of Italy in the mid-1940s. Instead of the threatening Nazi ally it had been, Italy was now seen as a nation recovering from war amid cities in ruins, and lacking the most basic resources. But then, within a very short time films focused on marginalized or rural Italians and their struggles gave way to stunning comedies and thrilling dramas, celebrating or satirizing the ‘economic miracle’ of the 1950s and highlighting the culture shock many Italians experienced in their quickly changing society. In this seminar we will watch and discuss the films that shaped the world’s most lasting impressions of Italy and its citizens, sampling some of the great works by Visconti, de Sica, Fellini, and Rossellini, among others.

Prerequisite: Freshman standing.