Italian Neorealism in Cinema

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Luca Prono (Universita degli Studi di Bologna)
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Although the definition of neorealism as a movement has proved problematic as there never was a neorealist manifesto, film historians identify Italian neorealism as the birth of modern cinema, as the early films of Luchino Visconti, Giuseppe De Santis, Vittorio De Sica, and Roberto Rossellini, as well as the scripts by Cesare Zavattini, usually considered the most representative productions, marked a break from classical film style and its production strategies. The cinematic rise of Italian neorealism dates back to the mid-1940s when, in the political and cultural turmoil that characterized the aftermath of the Second World War in Italy, it came to represent both the hope for and an example of a radical renewal of Italian society and aesthetics after the fall of Fascism. Luchino…

3993 words

Citation: Prono, Luca. "Italian Neorealism in Cinema". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 March 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19635, accessed 12 December 2024.]

19635 Italian Neorealism in Cinema 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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