Details

EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Post-War Italian Cinema” 
Presented by Dr. Peter Weller and Jordan Ledy
with Additional Commentary by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

In the wake of the Second World War, a film movement emerged from the wreckage of fascist-partisan Italy that we now call Neorealism, although _Realism _might better encapsulate the films that were produced from 1943-1952. Utilizing real locations over studio sets and often authentic non-actors over trained professionals in addition to some of the most celebrated actors and directors of cinema history, these films sought existential meaning from the confused void of Italy’s post-war ethic and were the first to explore social narratives of self-search within an economic blitz of poverty and pulchritude. While Hollywood continued pushing post-war glitz and glamour, Italy’s liberation from fascist, male-driven narrative freed their cinema to depict the changing social reality of gender roles within their stories. In this course, legendary directors Fellini, Antonioni, Germi, De Sica, Wertmüller sail us further through Italy’s post-war struggles to not only survive but reevaluate the dynamic between men and women jolted by the fall of Fascism, and to ultimately find a national identity through cinema.

On May 25th, Dr. Peter Weller and Jordan Ledy will recap key scenes and themes from four essential post-war Italian films of post-war:

1. Roberto Rossellini’s Roma, Città Aperta
2. Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Avventura
3. Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita
4. Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves.

The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.

Please note:

• Your participation is confirmed once you have purchased your ticket. You will receive the Zoom link to join the presentation circa 30 minutes before the start time.
• VIDEO RECORDING of the webinar will be available for unlimited streaming at your convenience for 7 days after the event.

Lecturer

Weller has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including RoboCop (1987) and its sequel RoboCop 2 (1990) (in which he played the title character), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). He has also appeared in such films as Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite (1995), the Oliver Stone-produced The New Age (1994), and David Cronenberg’s adaptation of William Burroughs’s novel Naked Lunch (1991).

While enrolled at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), he played trumpet in one of the campus bands. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and began his acting career after attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (class of 1972).

In 2004, Weller completed a Master of Arts degree in Roman and Renaissance Art at Syracuse University, and occasionally taught courses in ancient history at the university.

• IMBD
• Wikipedia