This module is not currently running in 2024 to 2025.
This course complicates the notion that there is a unifying concept of an Italian national cinema. Specifically, it will examine particular instances of filmic production operating outside of the national and cinematic capital of Rome, examining both the factors determining and constraining the emergence of such filmmaking practices, and the ways in which the films they produce may differ from those produced in the capital and associated with an Italian national cinema.
To achieve this, the module will focus on a number of case studies, such as:
• The cinema of Naples, analysed in relation to the question of Neapolitan identity and cultural difference.
• The cinema of Turin, as a product of deliberate regional funding and cultural heritage strategies.
• The cinema of Sicily, seen in relation to the problematising of cultural stereotypes.
• How certain 'national' film productions have dealt with the problematic notion of Italian national/regional identity.
Total Contact Hours: 20
Private Study Hours: 130
Total Study Hours: 150
Main assessment methods
• Essay 1 (1,500 words) – 50%
• Essay 2 (1,500 words) – 50%
Reassessment methods
• Reassessment Instrument: 100% Coursework
Indicative Reading List:
Bertellini, G. (2013) 'Southern (and Southernist) Italian Cinema', Italian Silent Cinema: A Reader, John Libbey Publishing, pp. 123-134.
Bonaria Urban, M. (2013) Sardinia on Screen: The Construction of the Sardinian Character in Italian Cinema. Amsterdam/ New York: Rodopi.
Cucco, M. (2013) 'The State to the Regions: The Devolution of Italian Cinema', Journal of Italian Cinema and Media Studies, 1:3, pp. 253-277.
Ferrero-Regis, T. (2009) Recent Italian Cinema: Spaces, Contexts, Experiences. Leicester: Troubador.
Marlow-Mann, A. (2011) The New Neapolitan Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Sorlin, P. (1996) Italian National Cinema. London/ New York: Routledge.
Vitali, V. and Willemen, P. (2006) Theorising National Cinema. London: BFI.
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Demonstrate critical understanding that the idea of a 'national cinema' is an artificial construct, determined by industrial, cultural and economic factors;
2 Demonstrate critical understanding that regional differences have had a significant impact on Italian identities and on Italian cinematic and cultural production;
3 Demonstrate in depth knowledge of film production outside of Rome (e.g. Turin and Naples);
4 Analyse in depth the differences between several different regional cinemas, both in terms of their mode of production and of style or content;
5 Critically engage with a number of films and critical texts in their original language.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Deploy systematic knowledge and understanding of the subject matter in cogently argued written essays;
2 Undertake advanced, independent and specialised research in the Library and on the Web, engaging critically with relevant scholarship;
3 Take responsibility for personal and professional learning and development.
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