Lecture Notes - Italian Vernacular Cinema

Italian Cinema was very much separated by class around the 1960's and 70s. 

'Film is not the art of scholars, but of illiterates'

There is the prima and seconda visione - which were cinemas that attracted a sophisticated, middle class audience, and these cinemas were usually found in major cinemas.
Then there is terza visione - cinema shown in less populated areas, selling cheaper tickets. The audience this attracted went to the cinema out of habit, rather than selection of a particular film. The films shown in these locations were more formulaic and popular, instead of being critically acclaimed. It was also aimed at a more typically working class audience.

In Italian cinema, Fellini is one of the most well known auteurs, who was taken very seriously as a director. He commented on the superficiality of middle class existence, and his films are associated with style and sophistication.

One of his most famous films is La Dolce Vita (1960). Many of his films have a common theme or narrative, with a foreigner entering Italy. The foreigner usually leads a very cosmopolitan 'jet set' lifestyle, which is then questioned or explored throughout the film. In La Dolce Vita, we follow a week in the life of Marcello, who is torn between a life of frivolity or a meaningful existence. These 2 opposing lives are represented by the elitist Roman social scene, which is devoid of any moral or ethical values, and his devoted girlfriend Emma.





Terza Visione - the working classes
For the working classes, the cinema was something sociable, and was a place for them to meet up with friends, eat and drink. Unconventionally, they would arrive at any point of the film, and simply rewatch it from the beginning to catch up on anything they missed.
Terza Visione films were more popular, which meant there was a greater amount of them being produced. Genre's associated with terza visione are Giallo (detective novels), Spaghetti westerns, Mondo (cannibal), and Poliziottesco (Police Procedural).
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a good example of a terza vision film.
Directed by Sergio Leone, there are key features which make it identifiable as italian vernacular cinema, which include

• Use of sound and music, as opposed to heavy use of dialogue
• Use of eye line and cutting
• Differences in scale
• Use of camera to tell the story
• Fragmentation of body
• Catholic references (the cross)

Giallo is another well known genre of Italian Vernacular cinema, and is based on detective novels, which is where the name is derived from (giallo translates as yellow, the trademark colour of paperback crime novels). 

Notable directors include Mario Bara, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. 

The genre treads a fine line between style and bad taste. 

Defining characteristics of Giallo films include a foreign protagonist, who witnesses something terrible and then they become private detectives. The protagonist usually works in the creative industry, and is there to provide a fantasy figure that the working class audience can aspire to. 

Generally set within an italian city scape, evoking a stylish and cosmopolitan atmosphere that showcases Italian architecture, and provides a sense of escapism and glamour. 

'The Girl Who Knew Too Much' (Mario Bara, 1963) is one of the first Giallo films with these defining characteristics.