85100 - HISTORY OF ITALIAN CINEMA (1) (LM)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

At the end of the course, students will have learned the basic concepts required for them to find their bearings in the history of Italian cinematography. In particular, they will be capable of tackling a number of common focal points that can link cinema with the history of Italian culture (method of representation, cultural industry, relationships with other expressive forms).

Contenuti

We will review the cinematic construction of the modern Italy in many classic films, that span from Neorealism to the Golden Age of Italian cinema (1958-1975), focusing in particular on issues of space/composition, time/narrative, fashion/form, and genre/gender. We will analyze and discuss major works by Fellini (La dolce vita, Fellini’s Casanova), Antonioni (L’Avventura, Blow up), Pasolini (Mamma Roma, La Ricotta, Medea), Rosi (Salvatore Giuliano), Petri (La classe operaia va in paradiso), Bertolucci (Prima della rivoluzione) and Bellocchio (I pugni in tasca) within the context of European Art cinema and the politics of Auteurs, and in light of the most influential critical theories of the 1960s (Bazin, Metz, Pasolini and Deleuze). We also will focus on Italian popular cinema, discussing genre movies by Sergio Leone (A Fistful of dollars), Mario Monicelli (Big Deal on Madonna Street), Pietro Germi (Divorzio all'Italiana) in the context of Italian film industry (production and the market). The final part of the course will be dedicated to contemporary film and its ambiguous relationship with the canons of Neorealism and Italian-syle comedy, from the Oscar-winner The Great Beauty (by Paolo Sorrentino) to some successful TV series, such as Gomorrah and 1992.

Testi/Bibliografia

Bondanella, P., A History of Italian Cinema. New York, Continuum, 2009.

Brunetta, G. P., The History of Italian Cinema, Princeton, Princeton UP, 2009.

Other readings (single chapters or articles) will be provided every week.

Metodi didattici

The course will be structured in lecture/seminars led by the teacher. Sessions will be accompanied with video clips from required viewing as well as a broader filmography, and with specific readings, that students will prepare for discussion in class.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

All students are required to attend the screenings, prepare presentations on specific films and the critical readings, and actively participate in class discussion.

Requirements: Two 5-6 page analytical reviews of one or more film (in English); one final project, combining theoretical and analytical perspectives. Grade distribution: reviews 15%x2=30%; attendance, presentations and discussions=30%; final project=40%.

Final project: the final project will be a 10/15-page essay (in Italian or English), or a multimedia/visual presentation (e.g. a short film-essay). Visual projects must be accompanied by a 5-page introductory essay explaining the rationale and the critical goals of the project. A detailed, 1-2 page outline of the final project, with primary and critical bibliography, must be presented and discussed with the course instructor.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Students are required to watch 15 movies (from a list of classics that will be provided at the beginning of the course).

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Giacomo Manzoli