sign in sign up
<<
Home , A Special Day, Bicycle Thieves, Cannes Film Festival, Divorce Italian Style, Elio Petri, Gianni Amelio

Fall, ‘18

ITAL/CINE 2553 Class meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:05-11:30 am, Bannister 106 Film screenings: Mondays, 6:30-9:25 pm, Searles 315 Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3-4 pm and by appointment in Dudley Coe 207

ITALY’S CINEMA OF SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT Professor Allison Cooper  [email protected]  207.798.4188  Dudley Coe 207

Nearly 75 years ago, Italian director made , Open City – a film recounting the struggles and suffering of the city’s inhabitants during the final months of World War II. Rossellini famously made a virtue of necessity, producing a work that would become legendary for its realistic portrayal of its characters’ hardships despite the challenging working conditions of wartime Rome. Hailed as a leading example of the nascent neorealist film movement, Rossellini’s modest film won the Grand Prize at the in 1946 and , with its commitment to representing the unembellished truth of Italian lives and experience, soon became the yardstick by which all subsequent Italian film and movements would be judged. Indeed, it is because of its contribution of neorealism that Italian cinema has come to be described as a ‘pillar of world cinema’.

At the of neorealism is the filmmaker’s active commitment to contemporary political and social problems, or impegno. Notwithstanding impegno’s strong association with neorealism, Italian directors manifest their political and social commitment through myriad movements and genres beyond neorealism, from the cutting social satire of Commedia all’italiana (comedy, Italian style) to the violent crime stories of the mafia movie. This course offers a survey of some of Italian cinema’s most successful films from the post-World War II period through to today, with particular attention paid to the distinctive and sometimes surprising ways in which Italian directors engage their audiences in their country’s pressing political and social issues.

By the end of the semester, students in the course should be able to 1) identify the principal formal means through which films create meaning (e.g. cinematography, editing, sound, and mise-en-scène; 2) identify major film movements and representative movies of Italian cinema from the second half of the twentieth century though today; 3) identify relevant Italian historical events and political, social, and cultural movements of the same period; 4) critically analyze the relationship between post World War II Italian cinema and culture; and 5) describe the general concept of national cinema and, in particular, Italian national cinema’s relationship to world cinema. Students are likely to vary in their competency levels on these abilities and can expect to acquire them only if they honor all course policies, attend classes regularly, complete all assigned work in good faith and on time, and meet all other course expectations.

Italy’s Cinema of Social Engagement carries no prerequisite and fulfills Bowdoin’s distribution requirement in Visual and Performing Arts. It may be counted toward the Cinema Studies minor, where it fulfills the non-US cinema requirement, or it may count as one of two courses taken in English for the Italian Studies major.

Course Requirements and Grading Basis 20% Participation (class and film screening attendance, regular and thoughtful participation in class meetings and activities, and weekly contributions to online Collaborative Annotated Dictionary) 15% Scene analysis (three to four pages) due on Friday, September 14 20% Midterm on Wednesday, October 10 25% Essay (eight to ten pages), rough draft due on Monday, November 19 and final draft due on Friday, December 7. 20% Final exam on Thursday, December 13 from 8:30 am – 11:30 am Participation Students are expected to attend class regularly and to engage thoughtfully with films, assigned readings, and class discussions. Attendance at weekly film screenings is obligatory. These movies are spectacular by design and intended for viewing on the big screen; smaller viewing platforms like iPads, personal computers and televisions will not do them justice. Practice active viewing and reading: some films may require more than one viewing, just as some texts may require more than one reading. Take notes on all ‘texts’ – visual or written – and bring questions or comments about them to class on the day when they are under discussion. Contribute one definition per week to the class’s Collaborative Annotated Dictionary online (you will receive an email invitation to this during the first week of classes). You are permitted two discretionary absences for the semester. Anything beyond that will negatively impact your final grade, which will be lowered by 1/3 letter grade for each additional absence.

Papers

1 Fall, ‘18

Your scene analysis will explore the techniques used in an assigned film sequence and consider how they create meaning. Your essay will analyze one or more films viewed in the course in relation to specific formal features or themes, or in the context of Italian society, politics, and/or culture. I will read and comment on the first draft of your essay, which you will then have the opportunity to revise. Unless they are the result of a documented emergency, late writing assignments will be docked 1/3 of a letter grade for every day beyond the due date.

Exams The midterm and final exams consist of the identification and analysis of a scene selected from one of the films viewed during the semester, short answer and multiple-choice questions, and a short essay. The final exam date and time are set by the College and cannot be changed except for documented emergencies or in the event that a student has three final exams over the course of two days (if this situation applies to you, you should contact me as early as possible to discuss alternative exam scheduling). Please plan your holiday travel accordingly.

Courtesy in the Classroom Please be respectful of our time together by silencing and putting away your phone before class begins. Laptops may only be used with the permission of the instructor, and then only for the purpose of taking notes. Finally, please eat and visit the restroom before or after class instead of during it.

Academic Honesty As a matriculated Bowdoin student you have agreed to abide by the College’s Academic Honor Code, and you remain bound by it each time you submit academic work at the College. If you are uncertain about whether or not your work is in compliance with the Code, you are encouraged to re-read it or to consult with me prior to turning in your work.

Films These films are the primary texts of the course and, as such, please consult them beyond required class screenings as you prepare written assignments and study for exams. Key scenes from many of them may be reviewed online in the Bowdoin Digital Clip Archive (note that you must be on the Bowdoin network or VPN into it to access the site). Films are also on reserve in the Media Commons (basement of H-L Library) and, in many cases, are available via streaming services such as iTunes, , and Kanopy.

1. Call Me by Your Name (, 2017) [On reserve in H-L] 2. Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini, 1945) [Streaming on Kanopy] 3. (, 1948) [Streaming on Kanopy] 4. (, 1961) [Streaming on Kanopy] 5. The Conformist (, 1970) [Streaming on Kanopy] 6. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (, 1970) 7. The Seduction of Mimi (Lina Wertmüller, 1972) [Streaming on Kanopy] 8. (, 1994) [On reserve in H-L] 9. (, 1997) [On reserve in H-L] 10. Gomorrah (, 2008) [On reserve in H-L] 11. (Francesca Comencini, 2012) [On reserve in H-L] 12. (, 2013) [Streaming on Kanopy]

Texts Please purchase A History of Modern Italy by Anthony J. Cardoza (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019) at Bowdoin’s Virtual Bookstore. All other readings are available on our course Blackboard site. Please print out each week’s readings and bring them to class on the day they will be discussed.

Program Subject to modification. Assignments listed for each date are due on that date unless otherwise noted: readings should be completed in advance of Monday class meetings and films should be viewed on Monday evenings in preparation for Wednesday class meetings.

FIRST THINGS

Week 1 Aug 29-Sep 1

Wed Welcome! Course overview

2 Fall, ‘18

Sat Film event! (required): open-air screening of Call Me by Your Name (Luca Guadagnino, 2017) on Main Quad (in front of VAC) at 8 pm, preceded by Gelato Fiasco ice cream at 7:30 pm. Screening (and ice cream) will move to Sunday evening in the event of rain.

Week 2 Sep 3-5

Mon Read “Movie of the Year: Bret Easton Ellis on the Many Pleasures of Call Me by Your Name” (Brett Easton Ellis, 2017) and “Elio’s Education” (D.A. Miller, 2018). In-class visitor Sergio Rigoletto (Associate Professor, U of Oregon), followed by Prof. Rigoletto’s lecture at 4:30 pm in Mass Hall, Faculty Room: “The Universal Tale and the Haunting Specters of Call Me by Your Name” (required) – please note there is no evening screening this Monday

Wed Speaking the language of cinema! Learn the formal ways that films make meaning and how to create a shot list. Read “Analyzing Films” handout, find and note examples as indicated from the Bowdoin Digital Clip Archive

WORLD WAR II AND THE RESISTANCE

Week 3 Sep 10-14

Mon Read “Chapter 11. From Fascist Dictatorship to Democratic Republic: 1940-1948” (Anthony L. Cardoza, 2018) and “Introduction” (Millicent Marcus, 1986)

Wed Watch Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini, 1945)

Fri Scene analysis due in Dudley Coe 207 by 5 pm

RECONSTRUCTION

Week 4 Sep 17-19

Mon Read “A Thesis on Neo-” (, 1952-3) and “: Quotidian Storytelling and Transnational Horizons” (Laura E. Ruberto and Kristi M. Wilson, 2017)

Wed Watch Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948)

THE ECONOMIC MIRACLE

Week 5 Sep 24-26

Mon Read “Chapter 12: Italy Transformed: 1948-1970” (Anthony L. Cardoza, 2018) and “Italian Comedy in the ” (Rémi Fournier Lanzoni, 2008)

Wed Watch Divorce Italian Style (Pietro Germi, 1961)

REVISITING , I

Week 6 Oct 1-3 Mon Read “Chapter 9. Forging the Fascist Totalitarian Regime: 1925-1935” (Anthony L. Cardoza, 2018) and “The Allegory of the Cave” from Republic (Plato, 380-360 B.C.E.)

Wed Watch The Conformist (Bernardo BOertolucci, 1970)

Week 7 Oct 10

Wed Midterm exam

THE YEARS OF LEAD

3 Fall, ‘18

Week 8 Oct 15-17

Mon Read “Chapter 13. Italy Adrift: 1972-1991” (Anthony L. Cardoza, 2018) and “The Political Film” (Gaetana Marrone, 2013)

Wed Watch Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion (Elio Petri, 1970)

Week 9 Oct 22-24

Mon Read “Gender Relations” (Luisa Passerini, 1996) and “Images of the South: The Mezzogiorno as Seen by Insiders and Outsiders” (Gabriella Gribaudi, 1997)

Wed Watch The Seduction of Mimi (Lina Wertmüller, 1972)

MIGRATIONS

Week 10 Oct 29-31

Mon Read “Immigration and Social Identities” (Vanessa Maher, 1996) and “The Image of Italy and Immigrants to Italy in the Media: A Destination or Place of Damnation?” (Mahmoud Zidan, 2015)

Wed Watch Lamerica (Gianni Amelio, 1994)

REVISITING FASCISM, II

Week 11 Nov 5-7

Mon Read “Chapter 10. Fascism on the Warpath: 1934-1940” (Anthony L. Cardoza, 2018), “Italian Cinema and Holocaust Memory” (Millicent Marcus, 2013), and excerpt from Primo Levi’s The Drowned and the Saved (1986) (“Communication”).

Wed Watch Life is Beautiful (Roberto Benigni, 1997)

THE MAFIA

Week 12 Nov 12-14

Mon Read “Threat Assessment: Italian Organised Crime” (Europol Public Information, 2013), “Modern Mob Movies: Twenty Years of Gangsters on the Italian Screen” (Dana Renga, 2013), and excerpt from Gomorra (, 2006)

Wed Watch Gomorrah (Matteo Garrone, 2008)

Week 13 Nov 19

Mon Draft of essay due at beginning of class

THE SOCIETY OF THE SPECTACLE

Week 14 Nov 26-28

Mon Read “Women in Italian Cinema: From the Age of Silent Cinema to the Third Millennium“ (Bernadette Luciano and Susanna Scarparo, 2017) and “The Showgirl Effect: Adolescent Girls and (Precarious) ‘Technologies of Sexiness’ in Contemporary Italian Cinema” (Danielle Hipkins, 2016)

4 Fall, ‘18

Wed Watch A Special Day (Francesca Comencini, 2012)

Week 15 Dec 3-5

Mon Read “Chapter 14. An Elusive Transition: Italy Since 1992” (Anthony L. Cardoza, 2018) and “Contemporary Italian Film in the New Media World” (Mary P. Wood, 2017)

Wed Watch The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013)

Fri Final draft of essay due in Dudley Coe 207 by 5 pm

5