September
The Italian Cinema II
Taught by Maurizio Giammarco, Ph.D

Il Viaggio in Italia through its cinema continues. Building on The Italian Cinema course presented last year, this new class will provide an historical overview, beginning with the influential films of the 1960s and 1970s, continuing through the 1980s and 1990s, and ending with the most evocative movies at the beginning of the 21st century.

We begin with a brief consideration of the final works of the acknowledged masters of neorealism—Vittorio DeSica, Luchino Visconti, and Federico Fellini—before discussing the next generation of dynamic writer-directors who reinvigorated Italian film. Through new forms of cinematic expression, they examined the legacy of World War II and fascism (Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist); class struggle and gender politics (Lina Wertmuller’s Swept Away); memory, loss of national identity, and modern ennui (Francesco Rosi’s Three Brothers); and terrorism (Marco Bellocchio’s Good Morning, Night).

The course concludes with Italian comedy, starting with a brief look at the popular style known as La commedia all ‘italiana, which evolves into a new form with the films of Nanni Moretti and Roberto Benigni.