|
THE LIBRARY INVITES DEEP FOCUS FILM STUDIES EDITOR TO GIVE TALK ON ITALIAN NEOREALISM
The Library in
Leeds played host to an evening of Italian Neorealism recently as
DeepFocusFilmStudies.com was invited to give an introductory lecture on the
genre.
For those unable to attend, there is a 51 second introductory video and a 20 minute audio recording of the lecture below. Always keen to encourage Italian-themed pursuits, villa specialists Tuscany Now organised the event and requested our collaboration in choosing a film which we would then discuss in front of an audience. Since very few people in attendance would be familiar with the genre, we decided upon Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 masterpiece Bicycle Thieves as its ideal example, which was then screened for free. The story of a father trying to make ends meet in poverty-stricken post-war Italy, Bicycle Thieves has remained a firm favourite of critics, regularly making it into lists of the greatest films ever made. Dedicated to providing an art form which connects an audience to the most real of human experiences, Neorealism is one of the most admired cinematic genres to have been developed in mid-twentieth century Europe. Blending art-house and popular cinema, Neorealism became noted for its use of unknown actors, unresolved endings and use of genuine impoverished locations in place of lavish, glamorous Hollywood-style sets. In our introduction to the genre we explained it in its historical context, cited some of the more prominent examples, and discussed its most fundamental characteristics so that the audience could get the maximum benefit from the viewing of the movie. Describing the experience as similar to something out of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, popular lifestyle blogger Lorna Dee Evans appreciated the value the introductory talk before the screening added to the viewing. ‘The talk from Bryn was focused on what makes Italian Neorealism such an iconic genre – he pointed out the various tell-tale signs… which we would pick up throughout the film, and this was something I was grateful for’. Speaking for The State of the Arts website, Hope Vanda Churm applauded the event. ‘Tuscany Now gave us a delightful evening, showcasing the best of Italian Neorealist cinema and educating the people of Leeds about the relevance of the movement in relation to the history of European cinema as a whole’ Organiser James Story said he was ‘delighted with the outcome and overall response to the event’ and admitted that he would find such a collaboration with DFFS again in the future not only beneficial, ‘but also very enjoyable’. Find out more on this story, including what Bryn thought of the event, by reading the Tuscany Now blog. The Neorealism essay the lecture was based on is available elsewhere on the DFFS site. |
A great crowd-pleaser, the event garnered plenty of coverage from some local publications and bloggers. Check out what some of them had to say about the experience:
Life by LDE - Lifestyle blogger The State of the Arts - Leeds arts publication Leeds City Magazine - Events in Leeds Leeds Inspired - Events in Leeds
|
The full lecture can be listened to on the Tuscany Now Podcast:
Images from the evening can be viewed in our gallery below:
|
What is Neorealism?Examining Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves (1948) as an introduction to the genre of Italian Neorealism
|
From Factual to FantasticIssues of using non-fictional elements within fictional contexts in popular film
|
Central Station (1998)Intelligent, deep yet accessible, it gets just about everything right. Stunning cinematography, engaging characters and a story that brings Brazil to life
|