The class screened the film Wild Strawberries. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to class, however I found a copy on YouTube. It was very grainy, blurry and made reading the subtitles very difficult. However, I was able to get the gist of it all. Of course, the first scene with the nightmare of the coffin falling and the empty streets. The clock is the item that stood out to me. The clock nor the watch had any hands on them, therefore he was unable to tell what time it was. The cynical me says that was the way to know he was done..he was out of time. The rest of the nightmare didn’t resonant with me as much as that damn clock with no hands. I was speaking to someone else about the scene and they stated they thought that meant time was of no consequence. I like that thought but cynical old me still thinks it means time is gone and done.
Italian Neorealism didn’t last very long but made a large impact on the motion picture industry and the Italian society. Change both in culture and society was changing within Italy. I think the video essay that the Professor placed on Canvas, What is Neorealism, helps demonstrate a lot of the differences between American and Italian film making. I liked the fact that it showed how the Italian director felt that the extra long shots showing the background people was important. Almost more important then the lead actors and actresses. Neorealism is just like it’s name..real. These films show life without the happy ending. The daily grind for the average man, no glitz, no glamour, no making it out to fantasy land. People being people. In some ways I’m surprised that it took off at all. After the war the people wanted to be entertained and forget about their wows. The Italian neorealism films showed the people just opposite, but that is why they were made. What they could not put in print they put in film.
History of the Motion Picture 