Introduction
Milano was the only cultural way to Europe. In those time the ideology was based on moral values, need modenization, attention to the popular culture and also interest for technique and science.
The activities of the "Piccolo teatro" and "Corriere della sera" were very important for the new climate in Milano's culture. After second war were emerged the figures of Elio Vittorini and Antonio Banfi, who became the intellectual reference for Milano in 1940/45.
Music
Domenico Modugno
Popular Music was produced and sold to a broad audience. Types of popular music include jazz, music from motion pictures and musical comedies, country-and-western, rhythm-and-blues (R&B), rock, and rap (or hip-hop). Influenced by social, economic and technological forces, popular music is linked to the people's social identity. It involve economy, culture, uses and costumes. "Sanremo", the most famous italian music festival was born in 1950. The role of the music in the afterwar was to encourage the country. Italian music remains isolated and don't follow the lines of the renewal between 1940 and 1950; that comes from the incubation of american rock or from the contribution of the existentialism's poets of french music that comes the rhythms of latin american music. The innovation comes in 1955 from the Neapolitan song that resumes the north American's melodies found in the Mediterranean glares. Fred Buscaglione introduces a comic/demential song inspired on the french style. A new innovation comes from "Night", a confidential song composed only with voice and piano. An "economic boom" happens in 1959, followed by the introduction of american melodies and rock&roll. All the musical history of the post-war period it's remained in the memories of all the Italians and often comes handed on to young who know well all these songs.
Neorealism
The term:
It's used for the first time in 1942 to speak about the film "Ossession" of Visconti; this caused a rapid diffusion of this word on cinematographic ambit. After the 1943 the term extended also in literary ambit with different interpretations and superimpositions and with other terms: realism in general, social realism, socialist realism. Two expressions are used for neorealism in literature: a neorealism spontaneous following 1943 and the neorealism awareness political-ideological next ages at the end of the war.
The cinema:
Germania Anno Zero
Miracolo a Milano
The neorealism was born in Italy in 40s for reprove one connection between image, narration and reality. Althrough the differences between the peculiar styles in every author, it is possible to take some similar elements, for example the abandon of the narrative structure, the shots were in open spaces, the presence of not professional actors. The filmograpy faced, for example, the problem of misery. The novels by Moravia were inspired from films like "Sciusci", "Ladri di bicilette", "Miracolo a milano", "L'oro di napoli", "La ciociara" by De Sica. A big importance has the film "Germania anno 0" of Rossellini because it presents the problems of the rebuilding in germany, but also because for the first time the difficulties in immediate post-war period were analyzed and represented also from the Germans point of view, in general considered of by public opinion, not only Italian ,responsible of for the drama of the second world war. The filmograpy of neorealism has take also the problem of occupation germany and the resistance with opera of big artistic value, like "Roma città aperta" and "Pais" of Rossellini, and other taker from literary operas like "Angnese va a morire" of Montaldo.
Politecnico
Il Politecnico
Vittorini
After the war a lot of magazines were born and, on them, some writers expressed their vision of culture. The most important magazine was "Il Politecnico", founded on 29 sept 1945 in Milan, published by "Enaudi" and directed by Elio Vittorini: pubblications ended on the dec of 1947. It speaks about politics, history, economy, art, philosophy, and other various themes about Italy. Vittorini and Cesare Pavese were two of the most influent helpers of the Torino's "Enaudi". Vittorini was also the director of "I gettoni", which published many neo-realistic texts and transaltions of novels and short stories.
Debate between Vittorini and Togliatti
Palmiro Togliatti, Italian Minister of Justice
Palmiro Togliatti, Italian Minister of Justice
The journal "Il Politecnico", financed by PCI and directed by Elio Vittorini, spur at an operative and liberator culture, that can prevent the bad but that isn't deployed in the politic plane. Indeed, Vittorini was an admirer of culture and american literature, and he had propose numerous translactions. Between "Il Politecnico" and the cultural journals loyal at the politic line of PCI, was born numerous contrast for the rapport between culture and policy; in fact, in this period, the USA and the URSS was in a state of crescent opposition. The secretary of PCI Palmiro Togliatti, had criticize the indipendence of "Il Politecnico", particularly because the journal must uniform itself at the political line of PCI, and subordinate at this the cultural and literaly aspect. But Vittorini, even though was registered at PCI, don't concord and sustain that "the policy make chronicle, but only the culture make history", and that the policy and the culture must be independent. Togliatti, in his "Lettera a Vittorini" contravenes this idea, but Vittorini, nonetheless accept the some critics, beat again that if people of culture subortinate themselves at politic lines, they become only sheep that follow the flock; Vittorini said can't forbid the revolutionary writer to write idea dissimilar from the lines of his politician party. Whereas Vittorini and Togliatti haven't find an agreement, the publishing of "Il Politecnico" was suspended and Vittorini have left the PCI.
Literature
Literature talks about the conditions of post-World War II Italy. These book are usefull to realize how to transform italy in a new democratic and antifascist country.
- I.Calvino, Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno
- C.Cassola, La ragazza di Bube
- B.Fenoglio, Una questione privata e Il partigiano Jhonny
- F.Jovine, Le terre del Sacramento
- A.Moravia, La ciociara
- P.P.Pasolini, Una vita violenta e Ragazzi di vita
- C.Pavese, Il compagno e La luna e i falò
- V.Pratolini, Il quartiere, Metello e Cronache di poveri amanti
- I.Silone, Fontamara e Vino e pane
- R.Viganò, L'Agnese va a morire
- E.Vittorini, Uomini e no
The poetry was influenced by the Neorealist style. The main theme was the Italian resistance movement.
Poetry
Franco Fortini
Canto degli ultimi partigiani
Sulla spalletta del ponte
le teste degli impiccati
nell’acqua della fonte
la bava degli impiccati.
Canto degli ultimi partigiani
Sul lastrico del mercato
le unghie dei fucilati
sull’erba secca del prato
i denti dei fucilati.
Mordere l’aria mordere i sassi
la nostra carne non è più d’uomini
mordere l’aria mordere i sassi
il nostro cuore
non è più d’uomini.
Ma noi s’è letta negli occhi dei morti
e sulla terra faremo libertà
ma l’hanno stretta i pugni dei morti
la giustizia che si farà.
Poetry
Salvatore Quasimodo
Alle fronde dei salici
E come potevamo noi cantare
con il piede straniero sopra il cuore,
fra i morti abbandonati nelle piazze
sull’erba dura di ghiaccio al lamento
d’agnello dei fanciulli, all’urlo nero
della madre che andava incontro al figlio
crocifisso sul palo del telegrafo?
Alle fronde dei salici, per voto,
anche le nostre cetre erano appese,
oscillavano lievi al triste vento
