1. Goals and Research questions
The primary goal of this study is to determine the major similarities between the Italian neorealism movement and Hollywood movies. The following research questions shall be used in guiding this study.
(a) Are there significant differences between Italian neorealism movement and Hollywood Movies?
(b) What are the most common similarities between Italian neorealism movement and Hollywood Movies?
(c) Are there any particular influences of Hollywood movies on Italian neorealism movement films?
2. Case Studies
The first film that is particularly important in this study is the Body and soul which was directed by Robert Rossen and produced in 1947. The film is an American film that depicts some of the notable features of Italian neorealism movement films. Notably, the Italian movies often highlighted the challenges facing an entire community. In the same way, this movie equally highlights the plight of famous individuals in the community. The life of Charley is engulfed by a myriad of challenges as he becomes more successful in his career as a boxer. Notably, the entire family and his acquaintances become engulfed in these challenges. Secondly, this research will also seek to analyze the similarities between Italian neorealism movement and Hollywood movies as presented by Thieves’ Highway. This movie was directed by Dassin and produced in 1949. The movie is important in this analysis as it uses the on-location shooting technique in some of its scenes which was commonly used in Italian films owing to budget constraints (Pitassio 2018, P. 373). Lastly, “salt of the earth” directed by Herbert Biberman in 1954 borrows largely from Italian movies. It is a perfect illustration of vices in the community. Just like Italian movies that largely underscored the challenges facing an entire society, the film showcases the plight of women in a communist society.
3. Hypothesis
The main argument of this research study is that Hollywood movies largely borrowed from the Italian neorealism movement films. The research seeks to identify the similarities between Hollywood and Italian neorealism movement films. Consequently, this will help in asserting that the Hollywood movies emulated the Italian movies in their production.
4. Rationale
Gaining an understanding of the similarities between the Italian neorealism movement and Hollywood movies will help understand the historical background of American and European movies. This will significantly help in understanding the main objectives of movie writers in their works. Understanding the central messages of the movies would help in giving the right interpretation of these literary arts. Besides, this analysis will broaden the scope of movie reviews and provide an accurate view of the problems facing the society at the particular time of production.
5. Academic context / Literature Review
Writers have delved into determining the similarities and differences between the Italian neorealism movement and Hollywood movies to a greater extent. The first notable similarities between Italian neorealism movement and Hollywood movies are that both of these types of movies highlight the evil vices in the community (Garofalo 2016, p. 319). Many of the Italian neorealism movement films presented the challenges facing different groups in the society. For instance, communism was one subject that was largely illuminated by scores of films in Italy. Secondly, it is also evident that owing to lack of financial might, scores of Italian neorealism movement films often used the on-location shooting style. While this is also used in Hollywood movies, it is not due to a lack of financial resource; rather, it is largely used to showcase the different traits of the movie characters.
The research is an advancement of the currently available research works. As such, this paper goes ahead to present the many simulates that unite the Italian neorealism movement films to Hollywood movies (Teo, 2017). An in-depth understanding of these similarities will add to the wealth of knowledge on the different aspects of movies that make these two categories of movies similar.
6. Research Method
This research will use historical research methodology in analyzing the similarities between the Italian neorealism movement and Hollywood movies. In historical analysis, the movies are analyzed against the backdrop of common challenges affecting the members of the community at the time of production. As such, the methodology will be useful in understanding the historical perceive of Italian neorealism movement films and relate the same to Hollywood movies.
Bibliography
Garofalo, P., 2016. Italian Studies: Film Studies. The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies, 76, pp.319-329
Pitassio, F., 2018. Popular culture, performance, persona: Anna Magnani between Rome, Open City and The Rose Tattoo. Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies, 6(3), pp.373-388
Teo, S., 2017. Eastern Westerns: Film and Genre Outside and Inside Hollywood. Routledge
