FLM 143 — A Journey Through Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to 1960
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Ericka Knudson
Date(s): Apr 1—May 6
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—7:50 pm (PT)
Tuition: $340
Refund Deadline: Apr 3
Unit(s): 1
Status: Registration opens Feb 24, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Spring
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 6 weeks
Time: 6:00—7:50 pm (PT)
Date(s): Apr 1—May 6
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $340
Refund Deadline: Apr 3
Instructor(s): Ericka Knudson
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Feb 24, 8:30 am (PT)
As in Rossellini’s Journey to Italy (1954), this course travels through Italy at one of the most influential moments in cinematic history. From the beginnings of neorealism to the rise of Italian art house cinema of the 1960s, we will explore iconic films by renowned directors, including De Sica, Visconti, Rossellini, Fellini, and Antonioni. We will discuss how social, historical, and technological shifts, along with the directors’ moral convictions, inspired innovation and aesthetics that changed cinema worldwide.
Taking their cameras into the streets, the directors associated with the neorealist movement documented postwar Italy while telling stories of the working class using nonprofessional actors. This course will trace this cinematic evolution through films such as Visconti's Ossessione; De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves; Rossellini’s Open City, Paisan, and Stromboli; and Fellini’s La Strada. By the 1960s, a “modern” cinema was emerging, reflected in the aesthetics of Antonioni in L'Avventura, the first film in his "Trilogy of Decadence." In class discussions, we will examine the interplay of nonprofessional actors with Italian and foreign stars and explore questions of class, sex, and identity.
Taking their cameras into the streets, the directors associated with the neorealist movement documented postwar Italy while telling stories of the working class using nonprofessional actors. This course will trace this cinematic evolution through films such as Visconti's Ossessione; De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves; Rossellini’s Open City, Paisan, and Stromboli; and Fellini’s La Strada. By the 1960s, a “modern” cinema was emerging, reflected in the aesthetics of Antonioni in L'Avventura, the first film in his "Trilogy of Decadence." In class discussions, we will examine the interplay of nonprofessional actors with Italian and foreign stars and explore questions of class, sex, and identity.
All films can be rented or streamed through the Criterion Channel, Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play Movies, or other online platforms.
ERICKA KNUDSON
Independent Scholar
Ericka Knudson has taught courses on French film, media, and New Wave cinema at Harvard; published articles on cinema and literature; and co-authored Cultivating Creativity through World Films. Her new book, Nouvelles Femmes: Modern Women of the French New Wave and their Enduring Contribution to Cinema, is set for release in June 2025. She received the Certificate of Distinction and Excellence from Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning multiple times. Knudson received a PhD in film studies from the University of Paris. Textbooks for this course:
(Recommended) Peter Bondanella, Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present (ISBN 978-0826412478)