Fourth Generation Italian Cinema Culture
Introduction
This essay critically summarizes and evaluates the Fourth Chapter “The
sweet life” (Sorlin, 2005). The essay looks at the explicit themes and
links these to the implicit or underlying themes discussed by the author
with regard to Italian cinema in the 1950s and the 1960s in particular.
The essay also sheds critical light on these themes.Although Sorlin (2005) encompasses his discussion between 1939 and the late 1990s, his main area of discussion remains the Italian cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. He discusses two themes side by side: (i) the cinematic development in terms of genres, production styles, expansion of audience in other countries, distribution patterns, production trends, and the like; and (ii) the social, economical, moral, and educational changes that were taking place outside the Italian cinema across generations. Specifically he focuses on the fourth generation which was specifically under influence of modernism in Italian life. Sorlin (2005) attempts to make several connections between these two sides of his discussion: how they are related to each other; how one influenced the other; and what came to be the outcome of these forces moving to and from these two integral themes of the discussion in the chapter. I have divided my analysis in terms of major themes and have discussed these themes critically by relating them to each other.
Social and Economic Changes in Italian Life
To me, the discussion of the social and economic changes taking place in Italian life around the 1950s and the 1960s remain the most prominent theme throughout the chapter because Sorlin (2005) seems to connect major cinematic developments and generic themes with this bigger picture. Whether it is the serious social films such as Rocco and His Brothers (1960), or it is La dolce vita (1960), the major themes discussed are centered on these changes: the Italian “miracle” which was mainly caused by industrial and technological developments in the post World War II Italy resulting in the growing consumer society. Thus, how family values were seen differently by the fourth generation, their attitude toward social, material, and sexual needs of human nature are depicted in the genres of this particular period. Sorlin tries to make connections between the cinematic life and the life around it by discussing the characters of the films and showing their outlook to life in relation to the changes taking place in Italian life. He is successful in this basic attempt of his analysis since reading through his “The sweet life” clearly gives us the picture of the Italian life and its changing face. I will discuss this point in the next section, in particular references to the genres discussed by Sorlin.
Serious Films
Serious movies in this period, such as Rocco and His Brothers, La dolce vita, 8½, and Bicycle Thieves were more concerned with social changes in Italian lifestyle. I would say these films depicted psychological changes in the fourth generation portraying how the youth, in the new world order, would situate themselves, and how differently they would approach the challenges in a time of changing family values and social features of society. These films had a deep impact on social life. They repeatedly brought forth themes that emphasized these changes in Italian life. For instance, new patterns of jobs, money spending, and expanding choices to look to other ways for entertainment are all depicted in these films and mirror the Italian society across different classes and the struggle that especially the poor made to make their way in this economic boom.
Comedies The sharp contrast that can be seen between serious social films and the comedies shown in the particular period of Italian cinema is that the comedies (humor, farce, and satire mixed roughly) covered far wider scope of Italian life by focusing on a number of themes while at the same time taking these matter lightly as to entertain the public and to create their particular place in the industry. Therefore, in Don Camillo and Bread, Love and …, we see a number of themes taken and criticized which included the corruption in Italian politics and society, sexual outlook of men and how women fit in this design; robberies, and giving away the traditional morality. These themes were powerfully demonstrated in the films and backed up by quality of productions which became a sign of pride for the Italians because these films were shown in entire Europe as well as established their market very well in the United States. To me these comedies were more successful than the serious films because of their two main strengths: They were story-wise more creative and technically more potent than the serious genre. They show the reality of life more drastically than the serious films. For instance, these comedies were so brave as to part ways with traditional themes: they bade farewell to happy ending marriage theme. Moreover, it is in these films that we see the patterns of power shifting from men’s authority to the liberty of women who were now free to go about on their own. All these themes, to me, are the hallmark of change taking place in Italian life and were reinforced by this genre without being to critical yet taking all major aspects in consideration.
Epic, Popular, and Modern Films
The boom of films in the 1960s resulted in co-productions and financing of film projects in which a wider audience of Europe and United States was in focus and so it altered the essence of Italian life to some extent. Italian film makers were involved with French, Spanish, German, and some Latin American countries and together they came up with epic film series, popular films, and modern films which gave Italian cinema another outlook to the world cinematic entertainment. Italian films, La dolce vita, 8 1/2 , L’avventura, Rocco won several prizes and so the fourth generation was especially attracted to cinema by these pride-giving status of Italian films. The youth were also became interested in epic films because of growing education in them. The trend for film festival also kind of trained the audience about how to select a film for their taste. However, it was the modern films in Italian cinema that made the hugest profits among all the films in this period. These films were considered modern in that they gave “their consumers an awareness of their process of construction. Spectators were required to pay attention to the components of the film”; so that the experience was as interesting as a “work of fiction can bring” (127). Interpreting Sorlin’s account of what impact these movies had to the fourth generation, I see that these movies were according to their changing lives and their expectations from the new world (the economic boom); otherwise the “bewilderment” (as Sorlin states) would not become great appreciation of these films by the fourth generation because through these films they developed a sense of self evaluation which in only possible, to me, when someone is interested in something by heart. These films, in technical terms, we can see that these films focused on life in the ordinary sense (which made them close to the real audience); bringing out their problems, issues, and hopes on the screen. This was surely modern, I would agree with Sorlin, because other genres told a story, but these films talked to the audience and shared their issues through their stories. Although in later times, the cinema going decreased steadily, it was mainly because of other means of entertainment taking birth in Italian society. The modern films covered a huge milestone in developing the realist vision in Italian public with other movies taking their due share.
In conclusion it can be stated that all the genres of films in Italian cinema were shaped by the outer social trends taking place in the 1950s, 1960s, and onward. These changes were focused in serious, comedy, popular, modern, and other genres as well as these films particularly made the public aware of these changes. Therefore, it would perhaps be a right statement to suggest that the Italian cinema and the fourth generation moved hands-in-hands in the process of social, psychological, economical, and moral change. Both benefited from each other and together contributed to the overall development of Italian life.
Categories:
0 comments:
Post a Comment