Italian National Cinema 1896-1996

by Pierre Sorlin

From such films as La Dolce Vita and Bicycle Thieves to Cinema Paradiso and Dear Diary , Italian cinema has provided striking images of Italy as a nation and a people. In the first comprehensive study of Italian cinema from 1886-1996, Pierre Sorlin explores the changing relationship of Italian cinema and Italian society and asks whether the national cinema really does represent Italian interests and culture.

Genres: Nonfiction, Italy

212 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 1996

Reviews

[Mesut Bostan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Italian National Cinema, sociologist Pierre Sorlin offers a fascinating exploration of Italy's history over the last century through the lens of its cinematic transformations. Rather than viewing cinema merely as a reflection of society, Sorlin argues that it was a crucial cultural practice intertwined with the very formation of the Italian nation. He suggests that the transition of fragmented, pre-modern communities into a unified nation within today's Italian borders was largely facilitated by films, particularly with the advent of sound cinema. For Sorlin, the process of nation-building—a fundamental issue in sociology—was realized significantly through the medium of cinema.

Two distinct elements set Sorlin’s work apart from traditional studies on Italian cinema. First, he challenges the global tendency to define Italian cinema solely through Neorealism, emphasizing the importance of pre-Neorealist trends. Second, and related to this, he revises the common understanding of the pre-Neorealist era as being defined purely by Fascism. Sorlin evaluates the journey of Italian cinema from the late 1800s onwards in relation to social transformations. He critically deconstructs the myth that Fascism used cinema effectively for direct propaganda. Instead, he demonstrates that even during the Fascist era, cinema flowed in its own channel as a popular narrative, fostering the idea of an Italian nation and creating indirect social legitimacy rather than serving as a blunt propaganda tool.

The book posits that cinema acted as a bridge between different ethnic and cultural groups, allowing them to organize around a single national idea. In a society undergoing intense rural-to-urban migration, cinema played a pivotal role in constructing an urban lifestyle. Sorlin explains this with the concept of "Filmopoli"—cities were first imagined and tolerated in cinema before gaining real existence by being integrated into society. This creates an interesting parallel to how the image of Istanbul developed through Yeşilçam in Turkey; cinema allowed for a concrete, detailed commitment to urban everyday life, helping society cope with the challenges of migration.

Identifying Catholicism and Communalism as the two key elements associated with "Italian-ness," Sorlin provides a compelling argument that cinema was the primary vehicle for Italy's cultural and national unification. A must-read for those interested in the sociological impact of film beyond the screen.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally had to read excerpts from this for an Italian Cinema class I was taking. I found myself enjoying the writing style enough that I ended up reading the whole book. Though it is slightly repetitive in some parts, the overall structure of the text was very informative and easy to read. It gave an excellent overview of the history of Italian Cinema, and also gave many jumping off points if you wished to research certain topics separately. Sorlin definitely shows his ability to weave together these different phases into a well informed, historical narrative that brings readers (no matter your background) in with ease.