Discover Italian Neorealism: 11 Classic Movies Explored

We examine Italian Neorealism in all its aspects and cult classics. The term Neorealismo, which literally translates to “new reality” or “new realism,” flourished in Italy following World War II.
Neorealismo typified a movement in art and movies that aimed to hold a mirror up to contemporary Italian society of the 1940s. Movies associated with Italian Neorealism focused on showing Italy moving away from the influence of the fascist regime.

Italian Neorealism, developed between 1943 and 1952, tells the story of human psychologies and a society torn apart by war. As the name of the movement suggests, directors who adopted Italian Neorealism presented the unfiltered reality of post-war Europe with their works; heartbreaking narratives of poverty, oppression, and despair. The Neorealist movie movement emphasized society’s need for realistic and raw images in such difficult times and left a very influential mark on cinema with its naturalistic approach.

In 1937, Benito Mussolini founded Cinecittà, a huge studio operating under the slogan “Il cinema è l’arma più forte,” meaning “Cinema is the most powerful weapon.” The studio’s aim was to produce propaganda movies for the Italian state. Italian Neo-Realism, which came after World War II, broke this periodic function of Italian cinema and produced anti-fascist works. Italian Neo-Realism also emerged as a reaction to World War II and the fascist censorship of the past years.

This movie movement featured a significant portion of its work in stories from Italy’s working class. Its movies were characterized by the use of non-professional actors, location shooting, and improvised dialogue. Due to the devastation that followed the war, filmmakers sought to find new ways to produce cinema, despite the depletion of professional filmmaking opportunities. For this reason, many directors preferred to shoot their movies on the streets, with low budgets, and with amateur actors.

During the years when Italian Neorealism produced its most important works, its followers were divided on certain issues. In the following year, critics, filmmakers, and journalists tried to compile a set of common basic concepts and technical aspects that connected the works of Neorealism. A representative of Italian Neorealism, in an interview focusing on the political aspect of the movement, said that the political reflection of Neorealism in Italy occurred as “an exposure of the existing order and a call for political unity for reforms.” Another analysis of Italian Neorealism argued that Neorealist works were works that contained universality and that these movies emphasized universal moral values.

Italian Neorealism generally focused on social disorders and poverty in its works. Martin Scorsese, who was influenced by Italian Neorealism at a young age, defined the Italian Neorealism movement as “undertaking the task of rehabilitating an entire culture and people through cinema.” The influence of Italian Neorealism on the history of cinema cannot be ignored. The works of Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, and other great Neorealist directors have had a worldwide impact. We will share with you 11 Italian Neorealist movies that we have selected from these works in this article. Enjoy reading!

Movie List Index

1.Gomorrah

Gomorrah, a Matteo Garrone movie that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008, is based on Roberto Saviano’s work of the same name, which is based on true events. There was also a TV series adaptation of the same work that ran for five seasons in 2014. Nominated for the Palme d’Or and winning the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, Gomorrah was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Movie. It also won five awards at local movie festivals such as Munich and Copenhagen, as well as the European Film Awards.

Gomorrah is a contemporary mafia drama that paints a portrait of Italy’s criminal gangs by telling the stories of five different individuals who think they can make their own deal with the region’s mafia, the Camorra. The movie centers on the Casalesi Clan, a traditional criminal organization operating in the Campania region of southern Italy.

Many amateur and non-professional actors from the Campania region starred in Gomorrah. Some of these actors are known to have been actively involved in the Camorra crime syndicate, and many of the movie’s actors have been arrested on various occasions since its release. Another sensational piece of news is that the movie’s director allegedly bribed the Italian mafia to keep the movie going.

Information about Gomorrah (2008):

Director: Matteo Garrone
Cast: Toni Servillo, Salvatore Cantalupo, Simone Sacchettino, Gianfelice Imparato, Maria Nazionale
Release Year: 2008
Duration: 2 hours 17 minutes
Country: Italy
Genre: Crime, Drama
Language: Italian
Age Rating: Not Rated (contains mature content: violence, drug use)
Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, Apple TV
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Awards: Won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival (2008), multiple David di Donatello Awards
Similar Movies: City of God (2002), The Godfather (1972), Suburra (2015)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: Gomorrah on IMDb

2.The Flowers of St. Francis

Premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Francis, the Clown of God is a 1950 Robert Rossellini classic, written by Rossellini and also by the famous director Federico Fellini. Respecting contemporary Christian values, Rossellini introduced the movie as a focus on one aspect of the life of Saint Francis, choosing not to describe it as a biography. Except for one actor, none of the actors in the movie, including the lead actor, were professionals.

Dramatizing a dozen vignettes from the life of St. Francis and his early followers, the movie is divided into nine sections, each covering an event after St. Francis’s career. The disconnected sections are connected by parables, some of which have a moral.

The movie presents viewers with a series of scenes from the life of St. Francis, with no plot or character development. Rossellini received funding from the Vatican to make the movie. While critics were generally negative about the movie, the Vatican included it on its list of the best movies ever made in 1995. The movie was also shown in the Cannes Classics section at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021.

Information about The Flowers of St. Francis (1950):

Director: Roberto Rossellini
Cast: Nazario Gerardi, Aldo Fabrizi, Arabella Lemaitre
Release Year: 1950
Duration: 1 hour 27 minutes
Country: Italy
Genre: Drama, Biography, Religious
Language: Italian
Age Rating: Not Rated
Available Platforms: Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Similar Movies: The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964), Francis of Assisi (1961)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: The Flowers of St. Francis on IMDb

3.Padre Padrone

Padre Padrone, which won the FIPRESCI award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival, is a 1977 autobiographical drama movie directed by brothers Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani. Considered a masterpiece in Italian cinema and the Italian Neorealism movement, the movie is renowned worldwide.

This movie tells the true story of Gavino Ledda, the son of a Sardinian shepherd, and his efforts to escape the harsh and almost barbaric lifestyle by slowly educating himself despite the fierce opposition of his cruel father. His father decides to take Gavino out of school before he is even seven years old. Gavino has no other options; studying is a privilege reserved for the rich, and he must learn to be a shepherd like his peers. After many years, Gavino returns from the army, having earned his high school diploma, and is determined to pursue further education. On this path, he will try to gain control, even at the expense of many things.

Information about Padre Padrone (1977):

Director: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani
Cast: Omero Antonutti, Saverio Marconi, Marcella Michelangeli
Release Year: 1977
Duration: 1 hour 54 minutes
Country: Italy
Genre: Drama, Biography
Language: Italian
Age Rating: Not Rated
Available Platforms: Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Similar Movies: The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978), 1900 (1976)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: Padre Padrone on IMDb

4.The Roof

Presented as an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956 and winning the Prix de l’Office Catholique, The Roof was praised for its clear and sharp reflection of the characteristic features of Italian Neorealism. Directed by Vittorio De Sica, the drama was restored in 1999 and later re-released in some local areas in its restored version.

According to Italian state laws at the time, if a house was built with a roof, even illegally, the residents could not be evicted from the shanty they had constructed. “Il Tetto” also portrays the efforts of a newlywed couple to build a shanty with a roof in just one night in order to secure their own home. According to the rules, if a house has a door and a roof, the owner cannot be evicted. Luisa and Natale, who are trying to build a one-room brick house on unused railway land on the outskirts of Rome, call on their colleagues and relatives to help them construct such a house in one night and roll up their sleeves. They face a number of difficulties along the way. Will they be successful?

Information about The Roof (1956):

Director: Vittorio De Sica
Cast: Gabriella Pallotta, Giorgio Listuzzi, Gastone Renzelli
Release Year: 1956
Duration: 1 hour 37 minutes
Country: Italy
Genre: Drama, Romance
Language: Italian
Age Rating: Not Rated
Available Platforms: Various classic movie streaming platforms
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Similar Movies: Bicycle Thieves (1948), Umberto D. (1952)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: The Roof on IMDb

5.Obsession

Obsession, which is considered the first example of the Italian Neorealism movement by many critics, is an Italian movie from 1943. Luchino Visconti‘s first feature-length work, the movie was adapted from James M. Cain‘s novel “The Postman Always Rings Twice.” The Passion, which demonstrates cinematic and technical mastery far beyond the understanding of 1940s filmmaking, was awarded the Special Citation award by the National Society of Film Critics many years later.

Confined to a loveless marriage, Giovanna, a dejected housewife, sees a ray of light shine in her miserable life. Gino, a likable drifter, is parked at her rude husband’s truck stop. Unexpectedly, an irresistible and captivating attraction develops between the unhappy woman and the mysterious stranger. This romance, which whips up a sinful hurricane in their minds, soon turns into an all-consuming passion that creates an irresistible desire for escape for Giovanna. But is there a way to escape from the cursed prison of guilt?

Information about Obsession (1943):

Director: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Charles Boyer, Jessica Lange, Robert Montgomery
Release Year: 1943
Duration: 1 hour 24 minutes
Country: United States
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Age Rating: Not Rated
Available Platforms: Various classic movie streaming platforms
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Similar Movies: The Third Man (1949), Laura (1944)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: Obsession on IMDb

6.La Terra Trema

Considered one of the most fundamental works of Italian Neorealism, “La Terra Trema” is an adaptation of a 19th-century novel called “I Malavoglia.” In a survey conducted in 1962 by the famous British film magazine Sight & Sound, it was listed among the “10 Best Movies of All Time.” This feature-length movie, which is nearly 3 hours long, has also been praised for its musicality, combining Sicilian folk music with opera. Winning the International Award at the 9th Venice International Film Festival, La Terra Trema was also nominated for the Golden Lion, the grand prize of the same festival.

Sicilian fishermen are miserable due to exploitation by fish wholesalers. One family tries to escape the yoke of these bloodsucking wholesalers by becoming their own boss and buying their own boat. However, no one helps them; even the weather and fate are against them. How can they win in a wild and merciless world? Ntoni Valastro from the Valastro family, who carries out this rebellion, decides to go fishing during a storm because he has to pay off his debt to the bank. Will the small boat, for which they mortgaged their dilapidated house, bring them hope?

Information about La Terra Trema (1948):

Director: Luchino Visconti
Cast: Giuseppe Ettore, Laura Betti, Antonio Pugliese
Release Year: 1948
Duration: 2 hours 25 minutes
Country: Italy
Genre: Drama
Language: Italian
Age Rating: Not Rated
Available Platforms: Various classic movie streaming platforms
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Similar Movies: Bitter Rice (1949), Umberto D. (1952)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: La Terra Trema on IMDb

7.Germany, Year Zero / UMBERTO D.

“Germany, Year Zero,” an Italian Neorealist movie from 1948, was first screened in Turkey in 1966 at the Cinematheque Association. This work is the last movie of the “War Trilogy” by the famous Neorealist director Roberto Rossellini. In addition, Rossellini stated in a statement about this movie, “Realism is nothing but the artistic form of reality.” This movie earned Rossellini the Best Director award at the Faro Island Film Festival and the Grand Prix award at the Locarno International Film Festival.

In 1947, an ordinary German family struggles to survive in a devastated Berlin after the end of World War II. The father is very ill and unable to work and bring home food; his eldest son Karl-Heinz is a deserter hiding from the police because he fears the consequences of going to war; his daughter Eva waits for her boyfriend Wolf and goes clubbing at night to ensure her family’s survival; and 12-year-old Edmund wanders the city’s devastated streets in search of work or food. When Edmund meets his former wartime teacher Herr Henning, a devoted Nazi, he is filled with hope for the future; but this man’s advice will not lead Edmund to a safer life.

Information about Germany, Year Zero (1948):

Director: Roberto Rossellini
Cast: Edward von Stein, Maria Mauban, Ernst von Klipstein
Release Year: 1948
Duration: 1 hour 17 minutes
Country: Italy
Genre: Drama, War
Language: Italian, German
Age Rating: Not Rated
Available Platforms: Various classic movie streaming platforms
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Similar Movies: Rome, Open City (1945), Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: Germany, Year Zero on IMDb

8.The Sound of Trumpets

The 1961 drama movie “Il Posto (The Sound of Trumpets)”, which won the Critics’ Award at the Venice Film Festival, is a classic of Italian neorealism that made Ermanno Olmi famous for his work as director. Featuring a non-professional cast, the movie is part of the list of “100 Italian Films to Save,” created within the scope of the Venice Film Festival with the encouragement of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage.

Domenico and Antonietta are two suburban teenagers with big dreams who meet while searching for jobs in a large company. After a strange selection process consisting of written exams, physical agility exercises, and interview questions such as “Do you drink to forget your problems?”, they find jobs in the “Technical Department” and “Typing Services,” respectively. Domenico takes on a job as a clerk, doing the company’s odd jobs until the death of an older employee leaves a clerk position vacant. After this process, he takes his place in a room with 12 other clerks, with a manager supervising them from a desk at the head of the room. Domenico, who becomes increasingly detached from his individuality, faces disappointment and pain.

Information about The Sound of Trumpets (1961):

Director: Arne Sucksdorff
Cast: Birger Malmsten, Ingrid Thulin, Sif Ruud
Release Year: 1961
Duration: 1 hour 32 minutes
Country: Sweden
Genre: Drama
Language: Swedish
Age Rating: Not Rated
Available Platforms: Various classic movie streaming platforms
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Similar Movies: The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: The Sound of Trumpets on IMDb

9.La Strada

Written and directed by master director Federico Fellini, one of the leading representatives of the Italian Neorealism movement, “La Strada” is a Neorealist drama movie made in 1954. The production phase of this movie was full of difficulties, and Fellini suffered from nervous breakdowns during the production phase. The movie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, won the US Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was ranked fourth on the “10 Greatest Motion Pictures of All Time” list compiled by the British Film Institute in 1992.

The movie tells the sad story of poor Gelsomina, who is sold to Zampano by her mother for 10,000 lira and a few kilos of food. Zampano is a traveling showman who performs feats of strength by breaking a chain wrapped around his chest. Performing in village squares and collecting money from the crowd afterward, Zampano teaches Gelsomina to play a type of drum as part of his act. Zampano, who does not treat her well and beats her every time she tries to escape, has intimidated Gelsomina. When they finally join a small traveling circus, someone appears who convinces Gelsomina to question her choices in life and her own honor.

Information about La Strada (1954):

Director: Federico Fellini
Cast: Giulietta Masina, Anthony Quinn, Richard Basehart
Release Year: 1954
Duration: 1 hour 48 minutes
Country: Italy
Genre: Drama
Language: Italian
Age Rating: Not Rated
Available Platforms: Various classic movie streaming platforms
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Similar Movies: The Nights of Cabiria (1957), 8½ (1963)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: La Strada on IMDb

10.Umberto D

Vittorio De Sica‘s masterpiece, Umberto D., is a work of Italian neorealism made in 1952. This movie, which was included in TIME magazine’s “100 Best Movies of All Time” list, was nominated for the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival. Umberto D., which was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay at the 1957 Academy Awards, was adapted into a new movie called A Man and His Dog in 2008.

Umberto Domenico Ferrari, a respected civil servant who is dependent on a meager pension and barely able to feed himself and his bright-eyed dog Flike, is at risk of being evicted from his tenanted home by the end of the month. Under these circumstances, desperate and in need of money, Umberto embarks on a battle for survival in the busy streets of Rome, trying to maintain his dignity and sense of shame, hoping to add fifteen thousand lire to his pocket to pay off his debt to his greedy and cruel landlady. Umberto’s mind is clouded by terribly unpleasant thoughts, but will these thoughts solve his problems?

Information about Umberto D. (1952):

Director: Vittorio De Sica
Cast: Carlo Battisti, Maria Pia Casilio, Dina Sassoli
Release Year: 1952
Duration: 1 hour 32 minutes
Country: Italy
Genre: Drama
Language: Italian
Age Rating: Not Rated
Available Platforms: Various classic movie streaming platforms
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Similar Movies: The Bicycle Thief (1948), Shoeshine (1946)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: Umberto D. on IMDb

11.Bicycle Thieves

In 1962, Ladri di biciclette was chosen as the “Best Movie of All Time” in a survey conducted by the famous British movie magazine Sight & Sound; it is an iconic example of the Italian Neorealism movement. Master director Vittorio De Sica’s most famous movie, Ladri di biciclette, won an Honorary Award at the US Academy Awards and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay. The work, which also won the Best Movie award from BAFTA, has been adapted for theatrical release and has been shown in many theaters.

In Italy’s post-World War II depression, Antonio Ricci, an unemployed man, finally finds a job hanging posters, and his only guarantee of getting the job is his bicycle. When his bike is stolen, he and his son tear the streets of Rome upside down to find the thief and get their bike back. Antonio eventually finds the thief, but his case is dropped because they can’t produce any evidence, especially the missing bicycle, that the theft took place. But both Antonio and his son know full well that without a bicycle, he can’t continue his work. Will Antonio ever get his job back?