Italian National Cinema 1896-1996 (Electronic book text)

Sorlin discusses the work of major filmakers such as De Sica, Visconti, Fellini, Antonioni and Moretti in the context of national film output, considering both films which became internationally acclaimed and those which, though popular with the domestic audience, were never released outside Italy. Beginning with the evolution of the cinema audience and the development of domestic production, Sorlin examines Italian cinema from the dark years of fascism through to postwar Neorealism and big budget commercial films. In the final section he discusses the place of cinema in the context of the rise of television, contemporary political crises in Italy, and Berlusconi's attempts to dominate the media landscape. Italian National Cinema provides a challenging vision of national cinema, not just as a reflection of Italian culture but as it played a crucial part in the transformation of contemporary Italy. It includes a comprehensive filmography and bibliography of Italian cinema.