VM100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Nonlinear Narrative, Ossessione, Bitter Rice
4 Jul 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
VM100 History of Media Arts !
Prof. Michael Selig !
Semester 1 Lecture #19
Realism is a style- there are no representations of other objects- objects represent themselves. !
-Not necessarily more adequately connected to reality !
-A style significantly define by the writings of Andre Bazin, a french critic !
-Important in French film culture. French culture and Bazin develop film culture in the west post
WWII.
-Co-founder of “Cahiers du Cinéma”
-‘Cahiers’ pioneers autorship
-Essays “theory” in realism and film
“The Evolution of Language in Cinema”- To Bazin, there are two types of directors,
“those directors who put their faith in the image and those directors who put their faith in
reality”
Faith in image- Montage and expressionism movements
Faith in reality (the ‘correct’ way)- Murnau (sunrise), Flaherty (Nanook), Von Stroheim (Greed).
Faith in reality in sync sound films- J. Renoir’s “Rules of the Game”, O. Welle’s “Citizen Kane”,
W. Wyler’s “Best years of our Lives”.
For Bazin, realism tries to:
-Eliminate contrivances (conventions of representation. Impose less meaning or abstractions,
and more reality, let image speak for itself.
-Most especially, eliminate continuity editing- films should favor of long takes and deep focus
(instead of trying to make continuous time, let it exist).
FOUNDATIONS FOR VISUAL CONVENTIONS OF REALIST STYLE!:
-Utopian view of cinema- “Strip image of spiritual dust and grime”- when image is cut up in
little pieces, low-key light etc.
-Bazin, though Catholic, plays part in the post WWII nihilism with these views.
Remember: Long shots with long takes and depth of field is very important to the realist
style.
Italian Neorealism
-Roughly 1942 to mid-1950s.
-Term coined in 1943 by Italian critic, genre was so different in Italian film history. !
To describe distinctive style of !
-Low budget Italian features
-Shot on location
-About contemporary social problems
-Very different from tradition of spectacle and historical epics.
Example- Luchino Visconti’s “Ossessione” (1943)
-Roberto Rossellini’s “Rome: Open City” (1945)
-Vittorio De Sica’s “Bicycle Thief” (1948)
-Bitter Rice (1949)- commercial exploitation of neorealist aesthetic, movement
becomes conventionalized
-Fellini’s La Strada (1954)- Last neorealist film with international acclaim
Cesar Zavattini- Screenwriter, theorized about and promoted neorealism.
Document Summary
Realism is a style- there are no representations of other objects- objects represent themselves. A style signi cantly de ne by the writings of andre bazin, a french critic. French culture and bazin develop lm culture in the west post. The evolution of language in cinema - to bazin, there are two types of directors, Those directors who put their faith in the image and those directors who put their faith in reality . Faith in reality (the correct" way)- murnau (sunrise), flaherty (nanook), von stroheim (greed). Faith in reality in sync sound lms- j. renoir"s rules of the game , o. welle"s citizen kane : wyler"s best years of our lives . Impose less meaning or abstractions, and more reality, let image speak for itself. Most especially, eliminate continuity editing- lms should favor of long takes and deep focus (instead of trying to make continuous time, let it exist).
