ITALIAN ROMAN MOVIE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

ITALIAN ROMAN MOVIE - Essay Example De Sica’s perspective of Italy and the neorealist elements of the film are explored at the last section of this paper. 1. Vittorio de Sica’s Life Vittorio de Sica, born on July 7, 1902 and died on November 13, 1974, was a director, actor, and a leading figure of the Italian Neorealist movement (Britannica Online). He used to be a theater actor who loved performing light comedies before establishing his company, and eventually becoming a director (see fig. 1). De Sica acted in about 150 films and directed 35 films of which the most critically acclaimed was â€Å"The Bicycle Thieves†. As handsome as he was, he played leading man roles in films like â€Å"What Rascals Men Are!† One of his films, â€Å"Umberto D.†, didn’t do well in the box-office although it was one of his finest works. Jason Ankeny stated that â€Å"De Sica's career as a filmmaker was critically damaged† (New York Times Online). He went on to act in different films which include â€Å"A Farewell to Arms†, â€Å"It Happened in Rome†, and â€Å"Indiscretion of an American Wife†. He returned to directing in the 1960’s and created the films â€Å"La Ciociara†, â€Å"Ierri, Oggi, Domani†, and â€Å"Caccia alla Volpe† which were critically acclaimed and award-winning. Fig. 1. Vittorio de Sica; Holocaust; Dan.Romascanu.net, n.d.; Web; 7 March 2011. 2. Vittorio de Sica and the Neorealist Movement â€Å"The roots of Neorealism—an emphasis upon simple, honest story lines, a documentary style, the frequent use of children as protagonists, on-location shooting, social themes, and faith in the brotherhood of man† are displayed in De Sica’s films (Britannica Online). As one of the founders of the neorealist movement, De Sica stayed true to the ideals of neorealism which was reflected in a lot of his films. Budget constraints led him to shoot on location, employ untrained actors, and appropriat e simple camera work. â€Å"The Bicycle Thieves† was a simple story that resonated the themes of poverty, economic standing, and class differences. â€Å"Though critical favourites, the films of the Italian Neorealist movement never attained popular acceptance† (Britannica Online). I think the reason behind this was that people were not brave enough to face the realities of life that De Sica showed in his films. He was showing poverty, helpless men, suffering women, etc. which were all hard to bear seeing on screen. His films, I think, also somehow criticized Italian society. He displayed the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of Italian people on screen. â€Å"The Bicycle Thieves† in one scene at the restaurant showed how rich people indulge in drinking and eating while a lot of their countrymen are suffering in poverty. The film also showed the lack of police power as represented when Antonio reported the missing bicycle. But the greatest critique of the movie, I think, is the representation of a man who is slowly losing his dignity because of poverty. The young man who stole the bicycle was the most obvious representation of that. In the last scene of the movie, however, we see Antonio steal a bicycle himself and eventually lose all that he had – dignity and honor. And the cycle of poverty continues. The Italian society must play its part, then, in order to rise above the difficulties of poverty. 3. Postwar Italy Diana Pinto stated that â€Å"Italy in the postwar period has experienced a tormented social and political development spanning the entire gamut of western hopes and