The French film critic Andre Bazin wrote of Vittorio De Sica,"To explain De Sica, we must go back to the source of his art, namely, his tenderness, his love. The quality shared in common by Miracle in Milan and The Bicycle Thief...is the author's inexhaustible affection for his characters." Born in 1902 in Sora, near Rome, Vittorio De Sica spent his early years in Naples. His father, Umberto De Sica, was a bank clerk and former journalist who knew many show business people and used these contacts to launch his son's career. In his teens, De Sica made his screen debut and was popular as a singer of Neapolitan songs in amateur entertainments. De Sica studied accounting in Rome and completed his military service before taking a job in a theatre company. He progressed from playing clowns and old men to leading roles in romantic comedies, and by 1930 he was a matinee idol. Throughout the thirties, he teamed frequently with director Mario Camerini, the most prestigious Italian director of the era, in a series of light-hearted films such as I'd Give a Million (1935).
In the years 1940-42, De Sica directed several minor films in the "white telephone" film genre, developing his directorial and technical skills. In 1943, he directed The Children are Matching
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De Sica showed his expertise in directing nonprofessional actors and making use of outdoor location shooting, as well as his compassion for the poor. Shoeshine (1946) received a Special Award at the 1947 Academy Awards presentation and marked De Sica's international reputation as a major film director. In 1948 De Sica and Zavattini collaborated on the landmark film The Bicycle Thief, which received an Academy Award for best foreign film. These films garnered more acclaim abroad than in Italy, where they were scorned by right-wing politicians as defeatist works which gave a distorted picture of Italian life to audiences
Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola was a young scholar monk who was very smart but also very arrogant. He put his mentors down and told them they were wrong. Mirandola had his own theories on Humanism and Neoplatonism and was known as the “father of humanist idea.” The concept of Neoplatonism came from scholasticism which was present in the 800’s-1400’s. Scholasticism was made to prove the existence of god. From the concept of Neoplatonism, which was present during the 1300’s-1450’s, came the concept of Humanism.
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was an Italian humanist, philosopher, scholar, Neo-Platonist and writer whose main passion was the reconciliation of philosophy and religion. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was born on the 24th of February 1463 to a wealthy and illustrious family and died on the 17th of November 1494. Being the youngest son of three boys, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was mostly outlived by his elder brothers who took on presumably significant roles; his brother Antonio became an imperial army general while Galeotto 1 continued their father’s dynasty. Leaving behind his share of ancestral wealth and principality, he went on to become one of the world’s respected writers after fully devoting himself to studying theology and philosophy (Mirandola, Mirandola, Rigg and More, 1890). This essay discusses the life of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola; his strive towards success and contributions to the Italian renaissance.
Pico della Mirandola was an Italian Philosopher and a humanist. A lot of people would consider Pico della Mirandola an ideal man of the Italian Renaissance. Pico really helped the Renaissance, he made a huge impact on a lot of other philosophers, and a lot of other philosophers influenced him. Pico della Mirandola once stated,“Whatever seeds each man cultivates will grow to maturity and bear in him their own fruit. If they be vegetative, he will be like a plant.”(BrainyQuote). Pico della Mirandola was the biggest influence on Renaissance philosophy because of his book, Oration on the Dignity of Man, his 900 theses, and his religious impact.
Vittorio De Sica’s greatest neorealist film was Bicycle Thief. De Sica’s Bicycle Thief combines all of th...
Despite the nature, origins and even existence of the Renaissance being subject to intensive investigation by many historians, the traditional understanding of the European renaissance as being defined as the bridge between the Middle Ages and modern era has resonated in society throughout time. Exemplified through the influx of creative arts, literature and philosophy of that time, Swiss cultural historian Jacob Burckhardt defined this bridge as being the result of an immense intellectual transformation in humanity. In fact, the term ‘renaissance’, coined by the French historian Jules Michelet, can be translated to mean ‘new birth’ or ‘rebirth’. Spanning roughly through the 14th to 17th centuries, the renaissance is often recognised as the time of a revolution of cultural revitalization and exploration. These traditionalist ideas of the Renaissance as developed by Michelet and later expanded by Burckhardt were however ultimately disposed by revisionist historians like Charles Homer Haskins who began a revolt against Renaissance idea, motivated by the goal to deny the era any legitimate historical existence and annex the period to the middle ages. However, the perspectives of these historians in this debate are ultimately a reflection of their own context and purposes. Both Michelet and Burckhardt’s approach reflect their own 19th-century world, whilst Haskins was heavily influenced by his liberal, optimistic 20th-century ideals. A more contemporary approach to the debate is exemplified through historiographer Wallace K. Ferguson. Ferguson had chosen to focus and draw conclusions from the mirrored reflections and controversies surrounding the Renaissance idea that persisted amongst past historians. However, despite argua...
Back to 1895 was when a star was born a man that loved to act and dance, but his life was over way to soon. On May 6, 1895 Rudolph Valentino was born in Castellaneta, Italy (Rudolph Valentino Encyclopedia par.1). Rudolph Valentino was born to a French mother and an Italian father but, his father died when Rudolph Valentino was at a young age (Biography par.2). Valentino was spoiled, even kicked out of different school, but in the end he got a diploma farming (Rudolph par. 1). Since Valentino’s father died at an early age he did not have much discipline (Walker 11). Rudolph Valentino started off as a dancer, then from that he moved to silent movies as an actor to make that the start of his acting career; all the ladies loved him because how he acted in his movies, Rudolph Valentino was a big hit in the 1920’s during his silent movie career until he suddenly died at an early age. (Rudolph Valentino).
Bicycle Thieves is considered an example of Italian Neo-realism. The plot demonstrates Italians of the working class in Italy and unfolds their day to day lives. One could argue it portray the reality and develops into an emotional storyline towards the end. Antonio, the main character is offered a job requiring a bicycle and on his first day it was stolen on the streets. You immediately feel drawn to the character as you want to see a happy ending. Watching the film, automatically feel sorry for him as he’s got no money and needs to make a living as soon as possible for his wife with two children to support. From the close ups and observational shots it clearly shows he is desperate as Antonio and his son Bruno go around searching for it for hours. The opening sequence uses the conventions of documentary to introduce the film giving an impression of realism and authenticity, which attracted me to the film instantly. These shots were used to capture realism. The function of this scene is to illustrate the nature of surrounding and an insight of Italy at this time.
The Edict of Milan, issued in 313 AD, opened the way for people in the Roman Empire to practice the Christian religion. With this edict of religious toleration came the right for Christians to worship openly. They also regained possession of their places of worship and all of the contents associated with these religious buildings. Not only did this allow freedom for Christians to worship openly, but they were also given the opportunity to have influence in the government and private sector of the Roman Empire. The far reaching effects of Christian influence around the world are still seen today. It is easy to conclude had the Edict of Milan not been adopted and religious toleration for Christians had not been declared, our world belief and value system would be entirely different today.
In the period between 1943 and 1950 Italian cinema was dominated by Neorealism which became the most significant film style of post-war Europe. Formation began back in 1936 when propagandists opened modern Cincitta studios and the film school name ‘Centro Sperimentaledi Cinematografia’. Along with the opening of schools such as this was a movement that placed a group of cinematographers under full-year contracts, among them was Carlo Montuori who used his classic techniques in creating ‘Bicycle Thieves’ (1948) one of the most well known films produced during the Neo-Realism movement. Perhaps also one of the most influential directors was Roberto Rossellini who directed Rome Open City at the end of WWII. Many directors and influential films such as this began to change and shape the way Italian films were made and what their relation to society was like.
Amelio places an immense focus on intertextuality in this film as an homage to the end of the neorealistic era. He particularly references one of the leading figures of the neorealistic movement, Vittorio De Sica, and his film Bicycle Thief. The title, Stolen Children, and the main character’s name, Antonio, are an allusion of Bicycle Thief. Through Amelio’s choice of allusions,
The film I choose to write about along with its remake was the Italian Job. The Italian Job was filmed in 1969. The film was distributed by Paramount Films and was produced under Oakhurst Productions with just a budget of three million pounds. The film’s major stars are Michael Caine who plays the major character Charlie Croker and Benny Hill as a Professor Simon Peach and others and the soundtrack was created by Quincy Jones. The plot revolves around Croker a gangster, being released from prison after serving a two year sentence and getting a tip from a friend about a job.
Federico Fellini was born on January 20, 1920, in Rimini, Italy. After a mostly uneventful childhood, Fellini moved to Rome at age 19 after he dropped out of Law School (Encyclopaedia Britannica). In Rome he contributed to a humor magazine, Marc’Aurelio, with cartoons, stories and gags (Encyclopaedia Britannica). During World War II he became a scriptwriter and later married his wif...
Dante Alighieri was born in Florence, Italy in 1265 into a noble family. As a young boy, Alighieri’s mother passed away and by the age of nine, he was put into an arranged marriage to Gemma di Manetto Donati although still in love with another girl, Beatrice. On Beatrice’s sudden young death, Alighieri dedicated the Vita Nuova or New Life, a collection of lyrical poems expressing his love for her ...
Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy. He was a mathematics professor who made pioneering observations of nature with long-lasting implications for the study of physics. Galileo constructed a machine that changed everything in astronomy, the telescope, and this supported the Copernican theory. In 1600, Galileo met Marina Gamba, a Venetian woman, who gave him three children. The daughters were Virginia and Livia, and son Vincenzo. But He never married Marina because he feared his illegitimate children would threaten his social standing. He died in Arcetri, Italy, on January 8, 1642.
Leonardo was born in a small town in Tuscany, Italy called Vinci on 15 April, 1452. Back then, not all people had surnames; only those who were rich and powerful deserved one. Therefore, when people today refer to him as “Leonardo da Vinci”, “da Vinci” actually means “from Vinci” in Italian. His talent for painting was recognized by his family and neighbors when he was still a boy, and he started his painting career at a very young age. At 14, he was sent to Florence by his father to learn from Verrocchio, who owned a leading workshop at the time. It is said that when he cooperated with Verrocchio on the Baptism of Christ, his skill was so much finer than his master’s that Verrocchio quit in the middle and never painted again for his whole life. 1