The Bicycle Thief HD Trailer
ITALIAN REALISM
This genre was born in the dying days of the Second World War. Italian studios had been destroyed, forcing filmmakers to turn to the streets for their settings and stories.
Characterized by rough, raw shots and editing, the genre introduced a grittier, less polished style of filmmaking. Shortages meant that films were often shot on different kinds of stock, but the varying quality of the footage became an integral element of the design. Shooting out of doors forced the cinematographers to work with natural lights rather than the well-developed Hollywood lighting systems.
Using untrained performers and improvising dialogue, the stories were contemporary and "of the moment", a quality complemented by flexible camerawork in the framing of a shot.
For the best of Neorealism, turn to Vittorio De Sica's "The Bicycle Thief" (1948) and "Umberto D" (1952), and early Federico Fellini films such as "La Strada" (1954).
~ Cyber Film School