What is ITALIAN NEO-REALIST CINEMA?

The context of, aesthetics belonging to and best example films/directors for Italy’s crucial film movement.

A still from Neo-realism’s most famous film, BICYCLE THIEVES, via Produzioni De Sica.

Following my recent post introducing and explaining the more contemporary Slow Cinema trend within film (if the name slow cinema didn’t make that apparent…), I thought it would be a great short project to give a variety of film ‘waves’ or trends — so, expect introductions to a range of cinematic trends over the coming month or two!

For those who missed it, the Slow Cinema post is readable here:

What is SLOW CINEMA?

Setting the Stage: The Context of Neo-Realism

Italy, Post World War II. Devastation. Following the end of the war, Italy faced a great deal of problems — mass unemployment, extreme economic hardships, declining trade, a divided government and more meant that the hardships of the war were far from over after the death of Hitler.

Of course, Italy had also been under fascist rule for some time before the war. Mussolini sided a…