85100 - History of Italian Cinema (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

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).

Course contents

The class starts with an in-depth analysis of the concept of “national cinema” for better understanding both the focus and the approach adopted by the lecturer in presenting the Italian case study. After this methodological introduction, the class investigates the history of Italian cinema from the silent era to nowadays. In doing that, Italian films will be analysed both as art form and as economic good. The aim of the class is twofold. On the one hand it investigates an historical path in order to retrace the evolution of Italian films in terms of style, aesthetics, themes, etc. On the other hand, it detects relationships between Italian films, Italian history, Italian art forms and Italian cultural industry.

The investigation of Italian film history will be supported by the in-depth analysis of some films which are particularly important for understanding key-periods, key-genres and key-trends of Italian film history. The films are:

-Ossessione/Obsession (1943), by Luchino Visconti

-Ladri di biciclette/Bicycle Thieves (1948), by Vittorio De Sica

-Riso amaro/Bitter Rice (1949), by Giuseppe De Santis

-La strada/The Road (1954), by Federico Fellini

-Divorzio all’italiana/Divorce Italian Style (1961), by Pietro Germi

-Per un pugno di dollari/A Fistful of Dollars (1964), by Sergio Leone

-Blow-up (1966), by Michelangelo Antonioni

-Profondo rosso/Deep Red (1975), by Dario Argento

-Call Me By Your Name (2017), by Luca Guadagnino

Readings/Bibliography

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

Higson, A. (1989), The concept of national cinema, "Screen" 30(4): 36-46.

Teaching methods

The course will be structured in lectures led by the teacher. Sessions will be accompanied with power point presentations, video clips and film screenings.

Assessment methods

All students are required to attend the class, the screenings and to actively participate in class discussion. The final oral exam will be based on lectures, film screenings, readings provided by the lecturer, and in class discussions.

Students are requested to watch the films listed above.

Teaching tools

Power point presentations provided by the lecturer; film screenings.

Office hours

See the website of Marco Cucco