"The History of Italian Cinema" is the most comprehensive guide to Italian film ever published. Written by the foremost scholar of Italian cinema and presented here for the first time in English, this landmark book traces the complete history of filmmaking in Italy, from its origins in the silent era through its golden age in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, and its subsequent decline to its resurgence today.

Gian Piero Brunetta covers more than 1,500 films, discussing renowned masters including Roberto Rossellini and Federico Fellini, as well as directors lesser known outside Italy like Dino Risi and Ettore Scola. He examines overlooked Italian genre films such as horror movies, comedies, and Westerns, and he also devotes attention to neglected periods like the Fascist era. Brunetta illuminates the epic scope of Italian filmmaking, showing it to be a powerful cultural force in Italy and leaving no doubt about its enduring influence abroad. Encompassing the social, political, and technical aspects of the craft, he recreates the world of Italian cinema, giving readers rare insights into the actors, cinematographers, film critics, and producers that have made Italian cinema unique. Brunetta's passion as a true fan of Italian movies comes across on every page of this panoramic guide.

A delight for film lovers everywhere, "The History of Italian Cinema" reveals the full artistry of Italian film.

The Cinema of Italy, a new addition to the 24 Frames series, looks at the recurring historical, thematic and stylistic features of twenty-four of the most important Italian sound films. Viewing Italian cinema at the intersection of history, politics, art and popular culture, the 24 concise essays of this anthology contextualize each film within both Italian and Western film culture. Alongside the crucial lessons of neorealist masterpieces such as Rossellini's "Paisan" and De Sica's "The Bicycle Thief," this collection looks at how Italian cinema has confronted both the nation's history ( "1860, Senso, The Conformist, Lamerica"), the so-called "Southern question" ( "Salvatore Giuliano, Padre Padrone"), as well as modern configurations of labor and gender relationships through the films of Camerini, De Santis, Olmi, Pasolini, Antonioni, Wertm?ller, and the Taviani Brothers. The Cinema of Italy also considers the very personal works of Fellini, Ferreri and Moretti and gives special attention to those film-makers (Argento and Leone) whose cinema directly addresses such international film genres as horror and the western.

The Cinema of Italy, a new addition to the 24 Frames series, looks at the recurring historical, thematic and stylistic features of twenty-four of the most important Italian sound films. Viewing Italian cinema at the intersection of history, politics, art and popular culture, the 24 concise essays of this anthology contextualize each film within both Italian and Western film culture. Alongside the crucial lessons of neorealist masterpieces such as Rossellini's "Paisan" and De Sica's "The Bicycle Thief," this collection looks at how Italian cinema has confronted both the nation's history ( "1860, Senso, The Conformist, Lamerica"), the so-called "Southern question" ( "Salvatore Giuliano, Padre Padrone"), as well as modern configurations of labor and gender relationships through the films of Camerini, De Santis, Olmi, Pasolini, Antonioni, Wertm?ller, and the Taviani Brothers. The Cinema of Italy also considers the very personal works of Fellini, Ferreri and Moretti and gives special attention to those film-makers (Argento and Leone) whose cinema directly addresses such international film genres as horror and the western.

Originally used for Fascist propaganda, the camera in Italy became a tool for artists to reveal the poverty and oppression of their country and a way to instigate positive social development and create a national identity. The NeoRealismo style became a call for economic justice as well as an artistic movement that influenced the modern world. The achievements of that movement are celebrated in this book with more than 200 illustrations, including exquisitely reproduced photographs and magazine images as well as film stills and posters. Together these images portray the seismic changes that took place throughout Italy during and after the war. The migration from south to north, the rural and urban poverty, and the desire to establish a national identity are all given expression through the photographers' lenses. Accompanying essays discuss the technological changes that transformed the country, trace the evolution of Neorealist cinema, and explore how writers became part of this revolution. Beautiful, raw, and free of artifice, these images and the people who created them ushered a unique and fascinating moment in modern art history.