Italian neorealism

[communard resolution]

Do you like Italian neorealist cinema? What are your favourite films from that cycle, and which ones are your least favourite?

Do you know anything about the views and political influences of directors such as Pasolini, Visconti, de Sica, etc? Were they traditional hard-line Communists, or just vaguely leftist/'new left' influenced?

My vote for best movie: 'Accatone' by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Worst movie: 'Miracle in Milan' by Vittorio de Sica.

[FountainFigure]

I've heard really good things about Accatone. That's next on my list. The only film from this era that I've seen is Ladri di biciclette, which is highly recommendable. I also read somewhere that de Sica followed the Communist party, but that's about it.

[KC]

Rossellini's Roma, città aperta is amazing. As are de Sica's Ladri di biciclette and all of Fellini's films.

[Trystan]

The only Pasolini film I've seen is "Salo". I doubt that falls into the realist genre, but has anyone else seen it? I thought it was a good metaphor for fascism, but it's impossible to rate such a sick film.

[communard resolution]

The only Pasolini film I've seen is "Salo". I doubt that falls into the realist genre, but has anyone else seen it? I thought it was a good metaphor for fascism, but it's impossible to rate such a sick film.

Yeah, Salo came out well after the end of the neorealist cycle. I saw it at a repertory cinema for the first time, which was very funny because it was packed with middle-class couples who probably wanted to watch an 'arthouse movie' but were completely unprepared for the revolting set pieces Salo had on offer. Half an hour into the movie, only twenty people were left in the audience, and another half hour later, there were only 5 or 6.

It's been a few years since I've seen it, so I don't remember it well enough to be able to discuss its assessment of fascism. I think one of the characters uttered "we Fascists are the real anarchists" at some point, which I thought was a strange statement?

I've got an unwatched DVD copy of it somewhere though, so I may have another view over the next days.

[gla22]

I love italian neorealstic movies especially Fellini's. Nights of Cabiria is probably one of my favorite movies.