Bicycle Thieves

Formalists in filmmaking emphasized the formal properties of cinema that shaped the way films were made, as well as our responses to them. For the formalists, the challenge was to establish film as an independent art form. In contrast to the Formalists, Realist theorists stressed the importance of cinema’s ability to record or capture reality. This realist approach was exemplified in the period of filmmaking which has come to be known as Italian Neorealism.

Italian Neorealism is a film movement that lasted from 1942 to 1952 (Hayward. S, 2013). Cesare Zavattini created neo-realism, suggesting a new form of Italian Cinema that abolishes contrived and planned plots, use real people and locations so that direct contact is established with contemporary social reality. The major feature of Neorealist filmmaking is a concentration on the lives of ordinary people struggling against adversity in the devastation of the aftermath of World War II.  They tend to focus on poor, working class people and their everyday lives, the socio-economic conditions of the time, and the desperation and moral ambiguity which results. Neorealist mise-en-scene relied on actual location shooting, and its photographic work tended towards the rawness of documentaries.  Shooting on the streets and in private buildings made Italian camera operators incredibly adept at cinematography. In addition, the dialogue was dubbed through post-synchronization due to the lack of sound equipment. This more complex mise-en-scene and more adept camerawork such as long shots, deep focus, long takes, allows for a multiplicity in the details. Another major feature of Neorealism is the use of nonprofessional actors, even in leading roles. Some of the elements can be found through watching Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948).

This film is about an unemployed father, Antonio Ricci, is overjoyed when he finally gets a work of hanging posters around the street of Rome. His wife, Maria, sells the family's bed linens to retrieve his bicycle from pawnshop so that he can take the job. In the first day, his bicycle is stolen when he is on work, which causes he losses his job unless he can find the bicycle. He then brings his son, Bruno along with him to search for the bicycle.

The film shows the effect of the war brought to the citizens in Italy. Antonio and his family is living in poverty in the post war period. In the beginning of the film, all the citizens gathered around to fight for a job. When Antonio gets a job that requires a bicycle, Maria have to bring all the bed linens from their home to the pawnshop to retrieve the Antonio's bicycle for him to take the job. The pawnshop is full of people who are queuing behind her to wait for their turn. This clearly shows how harsh is the Italian's life during the post war period.

Moreover, the film uses actual location to shoot. For example, the scene where Antonio goes to the water collect station to find Maria after he got his job. Along the way when they are walking home, the uneven dusty street and falling off paint of the building shows the aftermath of the war, which created the feeling of realistic.

Furthermore, non professional actor is used in the film. The director chose Lamberto Maggiorani, who was a factory worker to take the leading role instead of professional. The long takes in the scene where Antonio is pasting poster on the street, shows 3 suspicious men looks at his bicycle when walk by. This allows the audience to observe the environment and notice the 3 suspicious men to understand their intentions, instead of just focusing on the main actor.

In conclusion, Italian neorealist films mainly focus on the hardship of the lower and working class in difficult socio-political condition. Bicycle Thieves perfectly portrayed the struggles of the lower and working class in difficult condition after World War II in Italy.

The Maltese Falcon

Film Noir is a term coined by French film critic in 1946 to designate a particular type of American thriller film. After World War II, France lifted the ban on the importation of American films, French cinema was flooded with Hollywood films, including a new type of thriller (Hayward. S, 2013). These films often featured an investigator who encounters and malice during his investigation of a case.

Film noir emerged in the period of political instability between 1941 and 1958, the time of World War II and Cold War in United States. This was a time of repressed insecurity, paranoia as American questions their national identity. During the war, the man went to fight and the women started to join into workforce. Women became independent and expended their worldview beyond their domestic spheres, men became suspicious and paranoid of women's role in workforce when they returned from war. This caused men questioned themselves on masculine identity and national identity. Hence, film noir was an expression of male concern at women's sexual independence that threaten masculinity. It features a world of criminals with characters' central motives are usually greed, lust and ambition, drench in fear. Film noir has a style of cinematography that emphasizes the impression of night-time photography with high-contrast lighting, occasional low-key lighting, deep shadows and oblique angles to create a sense of dread and anxiety. It is inspired by German Expressionism, using oblique vertical and horizontal lines in shots, creates distortion to enhance the criminalistic world. Thematically, characters in film noir are corrupted, which is no pure good. It also consists of fatalistic theme, hopeless tone, blurred morals and intellect. It is always about male protagonist vs femme fatale. The femme fatale is a strong, active, sexually expressive female who use sexuality to accomplish her goals. Film noir will usually punish this type of women and the punishment is intricate to the reassertion to male identity. All the characters in film noir are with flaws, which the audience are not able to blame anyone in the end of the film because everyone is bad. The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941) is one of the best film noir in the history and i will be discussed further.

This film is about a private detective, Sam Spade who gets an offer more than he bargained for he takes a case from a beautiful and secretive woman, Ms Wonderly. As soon as she shows up, troubles follow as Sam's partner is murdered and Sam is accosted by a man, Mr Cairo, demanding he locate a valuable statuette. He then entangles in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue and realizes he must find one thing they all seem to want, the bejeweled Maltese Falcon.

In this film, chiaroscuro can be discovered with high contrast and low key lighting that bring a sense of pessimism and suspicion. The high contrast lighting in the scene of Sam tries to get away from the mystery guy who follows him at the main entrance of the apartment, it creates a hard shadow of Sam, which reflects duality of the character, the evil side of him.

The film also uses a lot of lines to create distortion and enhance the criminalistic world of the film, which can be found in the setting in Ms Wonderly's apartment. The curtains, windows, walls and the pattern of the couch created multiple horizontal and vertical lines.

Ms Wonderly is the classic femme fatale representation in this film. She is an expert at taking full advantage of her beauty and sex appeal to get men to do whatever she wants. She is also an experienced liar, skilled at manipulating the truth and everyone around her. She tells lies and pretends to be weak and innocent to accomplish her goals and intentions. For example, the scene where she claims that she feels dizzy and Sam holds her back to the apartment. Another scene is where she calls Sam and screams in the phone to tell him she is in trouble, then Sam rushes to the location given to help her.

In the end of the film, Sam gives her a punishment by turning her to the police after discovered her hiding secret and lies. This clearly shows one of the characteristics of film noir, which is the protagonist will punish the femme fatale in the end. The scene where Ms Wonderly are brought into the elevator and the shadow of the elevator's gate projected on her face reflects that she is going to be sent into jail.