The Film Society of Lincoln Center, in association with Cinecittà Luce, and the Fondazione Centro
Sperimentale di Cinematografia-Cineteca Nazionale in Rome, will present the
most complete series on Italian Neorealism ever screened in New York: "Life
Lessons: Italian Neorealism and the Birth of Modern Cinema", a
month-long, 40-film series on the film movement from postwar Italy. The series
screens at the Walter Reade Theater from Friday, October 30 through Wednesday,
November 25.
This promises to be a landmark survey of a crucial period of cinema
history and New York-area film-goers of any persuasion should try to see at
least one in the series. Rossellini’s Open
City is often cited as the first milestone in this movement, so it might be
the go-to mother lode if you have to see just one film. Born from the war-torn landscapes of 1940s Italy, Neorealist films were
both unique stylistically and thematically, according to the festival
programmers. Shot on location, using available light, casting non-professional
actors, these films were revolutionary also for their candid depictions of the
working class. Not only would the movement elevate the art form from simple
entertainment, but it opened a dialogue about the future of Italy as well as
creating films of extraordinary power and humanity.
The effect Italian Neorealism had on other countries’ postwar film
movements is unmistakable, namely the “Free Cinema†movement in Britain and the
New Wave in France. American directors who emerged in the Sixties and Seventies
also have cited Neorealism as a major influence on their style and subject
matter, perhaps none more so than Scorsese, who frequently cites these films as
being central to his sensibility as a filmmaker.
The lineup is too long to cite here but it includes such iconic films as
the aforementioned Open City; De Sica’s  TheBicycle Thief, Alberto Lattuada’sThe Bandit;
Renato Castellani’s Two Cents Worth of Hope; Pasonlini’s Accatone; Giuseppe De Santis’ Bitter
Rice; Antonioni’s Il Grido; Fellini’s I Vitelloni, among others. Life
Lessons also presents a unique ticketing method. For the
first time for a series of this size, The Film Society is presenting a special
ticket offer: "The Italian Neorealism All Access Pass."With
it, one can see every film in the series for $79 member/student/child; $89
senior; $99 public. Single screening tickets ($7 member/student/child; $8
senior; $11 public) are also available.
For more information, including schedule and film descriptions click here