RMST355

Neorealism in Italian Cinema from Rossellini to Fellini and Beyond: Neorealist Masters and Their Legacy

Pina (played by Anna Magnani) in Roberto Rossellini’s 1945 Roma CIttà aperta/Rome Open City

Does reality matter? Is it subjective – yes … no … to what extent? How do we construe it? Does how we construe reality not depend, to a large extent, on how we represent / (motion)-picture it? (And vice-versa?). Tough, inescapable questions for our tough times.

In the rubble-strewn world of the immediate post-Second World War period, the answers given by masterly films by Rossellini, Visconti, De Santis and De Sica (and the scripts by Zavattini) amounted to landmark events and established Italian Neorealism as a worldwide cause célèbre.

This artistic movement, exemplary both in aesthetic achievements and ethical commitment, proved to reverberate durably in time: it influenced successive waves of younger Italian filmmakers — such as Lattuada, Fellini, Antonioni, Rosi, Scola and Pasolini — who became great auteurs in their own right, all the way the cinema politico of the 1970s and to the more recent nuovo cinema italiano from Moretti to Benigni.

Italian Neorealism also travelled widely in space, and it had an enormous impact on filmmakers the world over: from young Kurosawa’s Japan, to the United States, to countries (Brazil, India, Eastern Europe, Mexico and Hispanic America in general) previously known as “third world” who reached artistic maturity by absorbing and re-elaborating the great Italian Neorealist masters’ legacy. Even Netflix seems, very recently, to have taken note, in belated tribute (Alfonso Cuarón, Roma, Mexico 2018).

All films are subtitled in English. The viewings are introduced and/or followed by presentations and discussion.

Learning Outcomes:

In successfully completing this course on great Italian neorealist masters, students become keenly aware of how, by using committed filmmaking for ethical illustration of major social, economic, or political issues, it has been possible in the past to contribute to fostering a better informed, more humane humanity. Neorealism’s combination of cinematic accomplishment with box-office success for cultures across the world continues to be artistically and ethically exemplary to this day.

Language of instruction: English

Instructor: Dr. Carlo Testa 

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ITAL _V 385, ITST _V 385, or RMST _V 355. Equivalency: ITAL _V 385 or ITST _V 385

Types and Archetypes of Fascism in the Age of the Crisis of Liberal Democracy

Cross-listed with RMST345

Fascism parade (parata rischiarata)

This course aims at offering students with diverse backgrounds some foundational knowledge about the phenomenon of “Fascism” as, in successive incarnations, it arose and ran its course in the context of neo-Latin societes and cultures. Since these tragic events were centred in Italy, our primary focus will be the Italian peninsula, and we will digress from there as needed.

We discuss at length Neville and make references to Bosworth, Mack Smith, Martin Clark, Procacci, as well as to contemporary sociologists (Umberto Eco). We analyze works of theory, politics, fiction and memoirs from that age (by Marinetti, Moravia, Pirandello, Ungaretti, Carlo Levi); examine the philosophy (Giovanni Gentile), architecture and fine arts of Mussolini’s regime, from the EUR to Mario Sironi, or during it (Giorgio Morandi); and watch clips from films belonging to the genres of telefoni bianchi comedy (Camerini’s Mr. Max), war propaganda (Balbo’s transatlantic flights, Rossellini’s The White Ship), as well as historical “peplum” kolossals (Gallone’s Scipio the African).

The last 3 weeks in the course are devoted to the study of F’s legacy after 1945.

Learning Outcomes:

The goal of this Italy-based extended case study is to provide students with the analytical tools indispensable not only to condemn, in facile, dogmatic (and thus ultimately misplaced) self-assurance, the F(s) of yesteryear, but, more importantly, to condemn and — so it is hoped — oppose effectively the many forms of F facing us today.

Language of instruction: English

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ITST 345 or ITAL 345 or RMST 345

How Games Tell Stories: Fiction and Narrative in French Game Culture

Games have never been a bigger part of mainstream culture: the video games industry is a behemoth that dwarfs most other fields of entertainment; the last decade has a seen a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) renaissance with the rise of Actual Play shows like Critical Role or Dimension 20; board games have never been more numerous and diverse; and game culture has entered our daily lives in the guise of “gamification”. Why are games so successful? Are they just a new way for the entertainment industry to monetize our attention spans and free time, or do games fulfill a deep human need that has become more pressing in our current circumstances?

One of the most notable innovations that games bring to the table (no pun intended) is a new way to tell stories – a way that emphasizes interactivity, choice, immersion and possibility. Whereas literary and cinematic storytelling tend to favour linear narratives with clear bounds between storyworld and reader/viewer’s world, game narratives blur the lines between storyteller, audience, and characters; they raise fundamental questions of agency, free will, intent and consequence in new and surprising ways.

French game culture presents a unique perspective on these issues. Since the early 1980s, French game developers have sought to balance commercial imperatives with creative experimentation. The video game industry in France was famous in the late twentieth century for the “French Touch”, an approach that emphasized cinematic storytelling and artistic flair. Against the domination of American TTRPG blockbusters like Dungeons & Dragons, French TTRPGs embrace weird concepts, dreamlike universes and gonzo aesthetics. Board game developers such as Bruno Faidutti or Serge Laget blend theme and mechanics in order to create emergent, freeform storytelling.

With its focus on fostering unique and weird experiences, French game culture embraces the possibilities of interactive story-building in ways that are both unexpected and thought-provoking. Through the study of famous French games from of the past four decades, this course will explore the theoretical underpinnings of game fiction as well as the sociological and practical implications of a gamified world. Our corpus will include video games such as Dishonored (Arkane Studios) and Life is Strange (Don’t Nod), board games like Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde (Days of Wonder) and Mascarade (Repos Production), TTRPGs like Maléfices (Jeux Descartes) and Nephilim (Multisim), as well as less widespread forms such as gamebooks – a.k.a. choose-your-own adventure books – and Live-Action RPGs (LARPs).

Language of instruction: French

Instructor: Dr. Patrick Moran

Prerequisite: Either (a) all of FREN 311, FREN 321 or (b) all of FREN 328, FREN 329 and one of FREN 225, FREN 402.

Peoples and Nations: Topics in Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century Spanish-American Culture

The Hispanic Caribbean is the most populous region in the Caribbean and the one with the greatest diversity in political and social terms. In this course, and through a careful reading of short stories from Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and their diasporas, we will analyze and discuss various aspects of Caribbean life in the 20th and 21st centuries, amongst them: migration, urbanism, rurality, gender, sexuality, the Cuban Revolution, its impact and aftermath.

Required readings: Readings will be provided by the instructor.

Prerequisites: SPAN 221; and SPAN 301 or equivalent expertise in written and spoken Spanish.

Language of instruction: Spanish

La France et l’identité postcoloniale : crise ou chance ?

Au fil de l’héritage de l’impérialisme français, notamment au Maghreb, on a vu émerger, dans la société française depuis les années 1980, des crises autour de questions aussi diverses que celles liées à l’immigration, la laïcité, la citoyenneté, l’amnésie coloniale, l’éducation nationale, le féminisme, voire le discours des médias. Reste à se demander comment la condition postcoloniale remodèle la société française, pour le meilleur et pour le pire. Quel rôle idéologique jouent les formes d’expression artistique, le roman, le cinéma et la chanson Hip-Hop ? Qu’est-ce qui constitue la singularité postcoloniale française par rapport à celle de ses voisins européens ? Notre cours propose un cheminement critique en s’appuyant sur les théories postcoloniales/décoloniales, sur des romans, un film, et accessoirement des chansons.

Contrôle continu : un travail collaboratif en ligne, un devoir, un travail de recherche.

Romans :

• Comme nous existons (2021), Kaoutar Harchi
• Le cœur des enfants léopards (2007), Wilfried N’Sondé
• Tous les mots qu’on ne s’est pas dits (2022), Mabrouck Rachedi

Film :

• Les Misérables (2019), Ladj Ly

Lectures critiques :

• Pierre Bourdieu, Achille Mbembe, Frantz Fanon, Anibal Quijano, Patrick Weill

Prerequisites: One of FREN 321, FREN 328, FREN 329 and one of FREN 225, FREN 402.

Language of instruction: French