Introduction
The Italian neorealism in cinematography is claimed to have influenced greatly the New Wave movement in French cinematography. “What seems to me most astonishing about the Italian cinema is that it appears to feel it should escape from the aesthetic impasse to which neorealism is said to have led” (Bazin 47). It is natural that the world saw changes after World War and the changes influenced every area of human life and activities. The importance of the historical impact of international conflicts can scarcely be overestimated because of the global scale of such events as wars and epidemics. The Italian neorealism and the French New Wave can be considered contemporary movements with specific techniques.
The techniques of Italian neorealism can be traced to the movie Bicycle Thief (1948) directed by Vittorio De Sica. As stated in the study guide by Gareth Hedges, the movement had peculiar features: “1942-52, post-war film movement in Italy; rejects the polished Fascist aesthetic & Hollywood; classical style; open-ended ambiguity; themes: social realism, working-class, poverty; aesthetics: long-takes, documentary verisimilitude; location shooting; natural light; use of non-actors; post-dubbing (all dialogue & sound)” (Hedges 4). The same features can be found in the postwar movies directed by the brightest representatives of the French New Wave movement, suchlike Jean-Luc Godard.
Comparison of Two Movies
The most appropriate for comparison are two movies; the representative of the Italian neorealism is the Thief (1948) directed by Vittorio De Sica and the second one is the work of the French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard, Breathless (1960). “The New Wave was first and foremost a cultural phenomenon, resulting from economic, political, aesthetic, and social trends that developed in the 1950s” (Neupert 3) Though the changes have touched upon every sphere of life including cinematography, this area produced a specific way to show the changes and its attitude towards the events in the world.
Bicycle Thief (1948) directed by Vittorio De Sica seems to possess all distinctive features of Italian neorealism, while the Breathless (1960) by Jean-Luc Godard differs from neorealism in its Italian perspective. The latter movie can be characterized only with some features of Italian neorealism because a decade separates these two films and affects changes in the movement. The audience could see the life of the ordinary worker and his position in the society; “the choice of a bicycle as the key object in the drama is characteristic both of Italian urban life and of a period when mechanical means of transportation were still rare and expensive.” (Hedges 28) The French movie does not seem to be as simple as the Italian one; its plot contains bright adventures of a man and can be easily called a fiction film because it is not likely that ordinary people experienced such events in the everyday life.
Conclusion
The movies of different decades can be added to the range of works of cinematography characterized by the same movement and its peculiar techniques. Italian neorealism is claimed to be one of the most influential characteristics of the French New Wave movies. The brightest features of Italian neorealism are non-actors, post-dubbing, and location shooting. The French New Wave lacks neorealistic themes, suchlike poverty, and does not reject the aesthetics of Hollywood.
Annotated Bibliography
The first literary source that appeared to be useful while analyzing the Italian neorealism and the French New Wave is the study guide by Gareth Hedges which present the main features of Italian neorealism as a movement in the cinematography and brief analysis of the Bicycle Thief (1948) directed by Vittorio De Sica. The author of the study guide introduces information in the form of slides that are very easy to analyze and understand. The presentation of materials is properly organized and leaves no space for doubts. It contains shots from the movies which help to characterize the movement and its brightest and most distinctive features.
The second literary source is André Bazin and Hugh Gray’s What is cinema? This book can be used for the analysis of the film of Italian neorealism; this book presents a detailed analysis of themes and techniques used in the movie. The author explains the importance of the films and the basic characteristics of the Bicycle Thief (1948) directed by Vittorio De Sica. André Bazin can be considered one of the major and most authoritative critics in the sphere of cinematographic history and techniques. It is natural to take this book as a source of objective criticism presented by André Bazin.
The third source is the book A History of the French New Wave Cinema written by Richard John Neupert. This book contains a history of French cinematography from the period of the postwar years including reasons for the development of the New Wave trend in French cinematography. The author argues about different techniques used while shooting the movies of the same decade and trends, films by different directors of the New Wave period in France.
Works Cited
Bazin, André, and Hugh Gray. What is cinema? University of California Press, 2004.
Hedges, Gareth. FMST 200/3 AA: Intro to Film Studies. Concordia University, 2010.
Neupert, Richard John. A History of the French New Wave Cinema. University of Wisconsin Press, 2007.