Neorealism In Italian Cinema

In what ways do two films you have studied on the course support or contest the view that film genres are hybrid and in constant evolution?

Neorealism is a national film movement integral to Italian cinema. The end of World War II and the loss of the Italian film industry’s centre signalled the start of ‘The Golden Age of Italian Cinema’. In a shattered nation, Italian filmmakers attempted to capture the hardship of everyday life and a changing society. Over the decades, neorealism’s roots still persist in modern Italian cinema, inspiring the neo-neorealist movement. However, “increasingly neorealism is recognized as a hybrid genre, drawing on a wide range of different generic practices, from noir to fantasy” and is moving away from its purer

The genre showed signs of social progress and cultural change across Italy and was used to comment on the experiences of ordinary people. Through neorealism, filmmakers aimed to move away from cinema’s escapist pleasures and believed they had a duty to inform and enlighten cinemagoers. The documentary-like objectivity that this created became the trademark of the genre. In the 1950s, however, Italian neorealism rapidly declined with the public increasingly craving optimistic Americanised cinema. This echoed the nation’s desire to move away from their poverty and despair, towards prosperity and

The Vele is infamous outside the world of cinema. The housing complex, often referred to as a ghetto, became a haven for criminals and crime due to its lack of state presence. Like Paisà’s post-war setting, Gomorra is filmed in its own equivalent of a battlefield - the housing estate hub of the Camorra. For that reason, the Vele acts as the true figurative emblem of the Camorra, which “seems to condense the oppressive destiny of the characters in an architectural image”. Location shooting works alongside Garrone’s wish to use non-professional actors who are native to Scampia. In an attempt to make Gomorra as authentic as possible, Garrone spent several months at the Vele housing complex in Naples, “familiarizing himself with the neighbourhood, the local people and their ethos”. Locals performing in the film and actively participating in the filming was integral to creating Gomorra’s realism. Holdaway said that “the assumption is that local inhabitants create a more accurate representation of the location” and through this, realism is created through its proximity to reality.

The shooting in Gomorra is critical to its conformity to the neorealist genre. Hand-held cameras and long, drawn out shots capture the plot. This technique gives either an ‘over the shoulder’ perspective (refer to figure 1) or allows the audience to feel immersed in the film as a bystander