Italian 454 (Italian Cinema) taught by Dr. Enrico Vettore
I have a collection of over 150 Italian films. I use them to study Italian culture and to improve my Italian. I buy these DVDs in Italy, each trip I make. I have an international region DVD player.
After Leo's death in September 2011, I felt I needed to do something positive. I had been so involved with Leo and his university students. I wanted to remain in a learning environment. I spoke with an acquantance of Leo's at CSULB. She suggested I audit her Italian evening class, which I did during the Fall 2011 session, for 6 weeks. It helped me deal with my grief and loss.
After Leo's death in September 2011, I felt I needed to do something positive. I had been so involved with Leo and his university students. I wanted to remain in a learning environment. I spoke with an acquantance of Leo's at CSULB. She suggested I audit her Italian evening class, which I did during the Fall 2011 session, for 6 weeks. It helped me deal with my grief and loss.
In the Spring of 2012, I attended as a paying, for credit student, under CSULB's Open University program, each Monday evening, after my work day. Class consisted of two sessions, from 5-6:30 and 6:30-9 pm. The most stress was caused as I struggled to find metered parking. Cost: $10 a night for parking. Class cost about $900.
The class was a surprise to me. The surprise was that I have missed so so much in watching film. Italian films have hidden and not so hidden meanings. I am grateful to Enrico for opening my eyes. I did not aways like the film I was watching, but during the class discussion, I always learned something positive.
It was also an inspiration to be present in a class of young, future film makers. I now have positive hope for our future after being exposed to these contemporary intelligent students. I hope to continue taking more University classes. I encourage everyone to go back to school!
Neorealistic films document the Italian world as it was during the period 1944-1952. Some of the current films deal with the heart-breaking issue of immigration. I now have an greater appreciation for Rossellini, De Sica, Fellini, Antonioni and current Italian directors. They haven't just been making films, they have been making statements.
The class was presented in English. Dr. Vettore speaks perfect English. I prefer classes which are taught by native Italians. The cultural perspective just cannot be taught by a non-Italian.
We discussed Italian neorealism: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_neorealism)
"Italian Neorealism (Italian: Neorealismo) is a national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class, filmed on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors. Italian Neorealist films mostly contend with the difficult economic and moral conditions of post-World War II Italy, reflecting the changes in the Italian psyche and the conditions of everyday life: poverty and desperation."
These are the films we viewed in class and then discussed. We had both a mid-term and final exam. Both tests were a series of questions, which required analytical answers. Three written papers, class participation and on-line discussions also were included in our final grade.
We viewed, in this order:
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Cinema Paradiso) Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988
My Voyage to Italy, Martin Scorsese, 1999
Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City), R. Rossellini, 1946
Mediterraneo, Gabriele Salvatores, 1991
Il conformista (The Conformist), Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970
Ladri di biciclette (Bicycles’ Thieves) Vittorio de Sica, 1946
I vitelloni, Federico Fellini, 1953
Viaggio in Italia (Voyage in Italy) Roberto Rossellini, 1954
Lamerica, Gianni Amelio, 1994.
Quando sei nato non puoi più nasconderti, (Once You’re Born You Can No Longer Hide) Marco Tullio, 2005
La notte (The Night) Michelangelo Antonioni, 1961
Fellini 8-1/2, Federico Fellini, 1963
Professione: Reporter (The Passenger) Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975
Il postino (The Postman) Michael Radford, 1994
Pane e tulipani (Bread and Tulips) Silvio Soldini, 2000
Giorni e nuvole (Days and Clouds), Silvio Soldini 2007
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