Monday’s class consisted of a lecture reiterating the content we have covered thus far this semester, as well as a snippet of the Italian Neorealist film movement.
We briefly spoke about Edison, Lumière, Méliès and Porter, and how they all shaped cinema as we know it today, from Kinetosope Parlors, to A Trip to The Moon. The characteristics of Edison Films such as the absence of editing and plot, and Méliès’s Tableau style shots. We then went on to go over Germany and The Weimar Era of film, notably German Expressionism, how the movement was fascinated with the sombre themes of horror, death, disease, illness, etc, and the iconic films that surfaced from this movement, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Then, The Hollywood Studio System, with the vertically integrated major five studios (MGM, Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, and RKO), the major minors (Universal, Columbia, and United Artists), and the poverty row (Republic Pictures, Monogram Pictures, Grand National PRC). Europe in the 30s and the Hollywood Production Code followed. We discussed how producers, directors, and stars fled Germany for Hollywood, as well as Hitchcock’s influence from German Expressionism, and the censorship that plagued cinema. We covered World War II and the major trends in 1940s Hollywood, such as Hollywood’s involvement in the war, and the Service Comedies that emerged. We concluded Monday’s class with Italian Neorealism.
Italian Neorealism, also referred to as the “Golden Age”, was a film movement which came about post-World War II in Italy. The “Golden Age” was prominent from 1945 to 1954. Italian Neorealism had a documentary visual style and was filmed on location, set among the working class. Many actors in Italian Neorealist films were non-professional actors, and the movement really helped to capture and immortalize post-war Italy, documenting everyday life, poverty, and social struggles. Stylistically, Italian Neorealism was raw—there was no buffer. No excessive editing, camerawork, or artificial lighting. What you see in Italian Neorealist films is what you get.
Wednesday’s class consisted of a screening of Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries (1957). Wild Strawberries follows 78-year-old Professor Isak Borg’s journey from Stockholm to Lund to be awarded the degree of Doctor Jubilaris, accompanied by his daughter-in-law. Throughout the film, Professor Isak Borg reflects on his life, reminiscing about his childhood, his first love, and his first heartbreak. The reminiscing is prompted by dreams and old age, and the transitions between Professor Isak Borg’s current life and his past are fluid like water and smooth like honey. For example, the beginning of Wild Strawberries is a dream of Borg’s, and a handless clock is shown, which later reappears in his reality. These smooth transitions and reoccurring symbols further intensify the dream-like mood of the film. The film oozes of nostalgia and revolves around a sorrowful frame of mind that is somewhat relatable. Wild Strawberries was my first Bergman film, and I was not disappointed. I am still daydreaming about those beautiful summer shots and wild-strawberry patches.
History of the Motion Picture 
It’s crazy that the actors used in the Golden Age were non-professional but you can see all that you need to and understand what was going on in the war days. Also, the fact that there was no editing, you are watching exactly what was happening with no cover-ups or anything. With the 1957 film, Wild Strawberries, I thought that it was so sad. It started off with a nightmare with a handless clock with no sound and the professor was all alone and seemed invisible, and later on, in the film, his mom showed him a watch with no hands as a gift to someone.
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