Assignment 2 Film and Visual Arts

ASSIGNMENT 2
Film and Visual Arts
What is Italian Neorealism?

"I try to capture reality, nothing else." - Roberto
Rossellini
Italian neorealism, also known as the Golden Age, is a national film movement
characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class, filmed on
location, frequently using non-professional actors.
Years before the French New Wave would be celebrated for its guerilla
filmmaking techniques, neorealist directors such as Luchino Visconti, Vittorio
De Sica and Federico Fellini redefined how filmmakers could implement honest
portrayals of life on the big screen. With an emphasis on holding a mirror up to
society, the neorealist movement strived to portray real world struggles in the
aftermath of WWII, and did so to great effect.
Throughout WWII, Benito Mussolini’s government had led the nation into
political and economic uncertainty, and Italy's film industry was consequently
in turmoil. In an attempt to disrupt the production of propaganda, the prestigious
Cinecittà film studios were severely damaged by the allied forces, making the
studio unusable for the foreseeable future. This ultimately forced Italian
directors to seek alternative filmmaking practices, despite having few options to
choose from.
Simultaneously, a group of critics writing for cinema had become gravely
disillusioned by ‘Telefoni Bianchi’ flicks – commercial films that imitated
American comedies and had no interest in the struggles of the working class.
Although this frustration towards conservative, escapist cinema was somewhat
suppressed in print the popular belief that the industry was no longer creating
films relevant to the public prevailed. This, along with the destruction of
Cinecittà film studios, led to a sudden shift in Italian cinematic storytelling, both
in terms of filmmaking techniques and the topics of discussion. These two
defining factors would ultimately lead to the rise of neorealism.
With a severe lack of resources but an abundance of real-world issues to
address, Italian filmmakers who had previously shot traditional productions at
Cinecittà film studios were now taking to the streets with minimal equipment,
non-professional actors and an unbreakable belief in their socio-political
purpose. The end of WWII and the consequent end of German occupation then
allowed the neorealist movement to thrive artistically, discussing socio-political
turmoil’s and real-world struggles in a way that was never possible under
Mussolini’s rule.
The movement gained international attention when Roberto Rossellini’s “Rome,
Open City” won the Grand Prize at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, and Italian
Neorealism's brutally honest portrayals of the working class and their enduring
struggles became known as the country's cinematic 'golden era'.
What is Noir?
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood
crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual
motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period"
of American film noir.
There are controversy that exists saying as to whether film noir can be classified
as a genre or subgenre, or if the term merely refers to stylistic elements common
to various genres. Film noir does not have a thematic coherence: the term is
most often applied to crime dramas, but certain westerns and comedies have
been cited as examples of film noir by some critics. Even such sentimental
comedy-dramas as Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) have been cited
as “noir-ish” by critics who find in its suicidal hero and bleak depiction of
small-town life a tone suitably dismal for film noir. Such films are also
sometimes designated as “semi-noir,” or film gris (“grey film”), to indicate their
hybrid status
What is Parallel Cinema?

Parallel cinema was a film movement in Indian cinema that originated in the
state of West Bengal in the 1950s as an alternative to the mainstream
commercial Indian cinema.
The emergence of parallel cinema had one simple aim: to give movie-goers
something more than meaningless entertainment. It won’t be too wrong to call it
a “rebellious” branch of our otherwise conforming cinema. Mandi (1983), by
Shyam Benegal is one such movie dealing with issues that the society talks
about in dulled whispers, if at all. The story revolves around a brothel and its
prostitutes, who ultimately fight for their place of residence, when under threat
by politicians who are themselves frequent visitors. Not many people know this,
but Gulzar, besides being an impeccable lyricist was also a film director. In
1982, he came out with Namkeen, a movie that uncovered oppression of women
in rural India.
Cinema is a very powerful weapon that works both ways. While cinema
influences people, people influence it right back. That is why, parallel cinema
plays a very crucial role- mirroring our society, as well as affecting it. However,
there are a few hurdles in the way. While art movies continue to make a
presence at film festivals like Cannes, Venice, Berlin etc, and get praises from
critics, they fail to reach the audience who needs them the most. Movies that
talk about social stigma and plight do not make it to the big theatres and if they
do, often stay confined to single screenings. The viewers there are largely
privileged elites who already understand and support parallel cinema.
3 movies I have choose are
1. Pather Panchali – 1955
Pather Panchali (Father Panchali), Indian director Satyajit Ray's first

feature film, relates the story of an impoverished Bengalese family. When
the father (Karuna Banerjee) leaves for the city to pursue a writing career,
the mother (Karuna Banerji) is left with the responsibility of caring for
the rest of the brood. Gradually, the film's true central character emerges:
Apu (Subir Banerji), the family's son. Though excruciatingly realistic at
times, Pather Panchali takes an occasional timeout to dwell on the purely
cinematic. For example, when the mother receives a postcard bearing
good news, Ray dissolves to a pond, where a pair of water skates scamper
about. The music by Ravi Shankar at first seems to be at odds with the
action; soon, however, we come to accept the music as a logical
outgrowth of the events at hand. A multiple award winner, Pather
Panchali was the first of Ray's celebrated "Apu Trilogy" (the other two
entries were 1956's Aparajito and 1959's The World of Apu). The film
was also released as The Song of the Road and The Lament of the Path. ~
Hal Erickson, Rovi
Points to be noted.
 The film was shot mainly on location that had a limited budget and
featured mostly amateur actors and was made by an inexperienced
crew
 The film was produced by the Government of West Bengal
 It is based on Bibhuti bhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali
novel
 It shows Industrial revolution
 It also depicts Colonial India and independence
 Similarities with Neo Realism
1.Amatuer actors
2.Location shooting
3. Usually static camera
4.Uses dialogue hooks to connect
scene
5.Unresolved ending
6. Gritty emotional stories
2. Ankur – 1974
The privileged son of a wealthy landlord is forced to oversee his father’s

property in a rural village instead of continue with university studies. He
falls in love with his housekeeper, who is of a lower caste.
This debut film from writer-director Shyam Benegal holds a special

place in Bollywood history. It was the first of four films with which the
young director popularized India's so-called "middle cinema" or "Parallel
Cinema," a West Bengal alternative to mainstream commercial Indian
filmmaking. Benegal was inspired by Italian Neorealism and the earlier
work of Bengali film director Satyajit Ray, as is evident in the importance
of location and the realist style of his craft.
Points to be noted
 The film in some way defines poetic cinema.

 Govind Nihalani's framing of the film is absolutely hilarious as the
silhouette shots probably unheard of in those times which didn't
showcase the male lead in a heroic light
 cinematography of the movie is pure bliss with all the frame within
a frame composition with sublime wide-angle shots.
 The film also described as ethnographic fictions in the sense of
Jean-Luc Godard’s
 The political events determine everyday behaviour.
 The film is open about sexuality in a way anyone has never
encountered in Indian cinema before
 It shows veritable climate of passion.
 The film portrays a feeling that echoes with the poor who keep the
poor as poor.
3. Do Bigha Zameen
A zamindar threatens to seize two acres of land owned by a humble
family if they fail to repay their debts. The father of the family then
works as a rickshaw puller in Kolkata to earn money
In its tragedy and depiction of subject poverty where a family is

destroyed for the need of just some money, Do Bigha Zameen has an
inherent beauty. The poverty of Shambhu is not humiliating, instead there
is a quiet dignity attached to his misery which is heartening. In spite of
his need for money, Shambhu decides upon the rightful means to earn it
and never wavers from his ethics. This is something which made old
India and which seem to have been eroded to a great extent. The film
depicts the indivisible nature of this poor family, each member of which
walks in complete unison with others for a common purpose, the very
fabric of traditional Indian society. At the end, even when they have lost
everything, the family remains intact.
Point to be noted
 It is also highly dramatic and a bit too sentimental in its narration

 The relaxed camera shots and scenes are carefully constructed, but have
the naturalness of a documentary in it.
 The film is influenced by another radical film movement sweeping
Europe: Italian Neorealism.
 The film gave importance to the unimportant and evoked sympathy
without the crutches of melodrama.
 It is a transitional film
 The film ends in a sad satirical note, which is the principle characteristic
of neo-realistic cinema.
NITI GAJARLWAR
SEC B
MITU18BAJM0022

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ASSIGNMENT 2

Film and Visual Arts

What is Italian Neorealism?

What is Parallel Cinema?

3 movies I have choose are

1. Pather Panchali – 1955

Pather Panchali (Father Panchali), Indian director Satyajit Ray's first

The privileged son of a wealthy landlord is forced to oversee his father’s

This debut film from writer-director Shyam Benegal holds a special

 The film in some way defines poetic cinema.

In its tragedy and depiction of subject poverty where a family is

 It is also highly dramatic and a bit too sentimental in its narration

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