Italian Cinema

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Finding books on Italian cinema

Books on any of the course-related topics listed below can be found by entering the appropriate LC Subject Heading in the University of Toronto Library Catalogue (UTCat), then choosing the Subject search option.

Use a Subject search also to find material on individual directors, e.g. Germi, Pietro (last name, first name) and films, e.g. Red Desert (do not use articles preceding the title).

Actors Italy Biography
Art and motion pictures Italy
Cinecittà, s.p.a. History
Coproduction (Motion pictures, television, etc.) Italy
Documentary films Italy
Experimental films Italy History and criticism
Fascism and culture Italy
Fascism and motion pictures Italy History
Italian literature Film and video adaptations
Italy Popular culture History 20th century
Mass media Social aspects Italy
Motion picture actors and actresses Italy
Motion picture industry Italy
Motion picture producers and directors Italy
Motion picture studios Italy Rome History
Motion picture theaters Italy
Motion pictures and literature Italy
Motion pictures and the Resistance
Motion pictures for women Italy
Motion pictures in propaganda Italy History
Motion pictures Italy
Motion pictures Political aspects Italy
Motion pictures Social aspects Italy
Realism in motion pictures
Silent films Italy
World War, 1939-1945 Underground movements Italy
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Bibliography of Print Material in U of T Libraries

The following is a selective bibliography of English-language material published (with a couple of exceptions) between 1980-present, and found in the University of Toronto Libraries. The substantial Italian-language holdings at U of T can be found by performing a subject search in UTCat using any of the headings listed above. I am indebted to Martha Zárate for permission to use material from her Bibliography of Italian Cinema (Casalini libri, 2000); her work provided the basis for many of the annotations used in the following section. The book itself is available at Innis Library (see below).
Reference and background material

Bergan, Ronald and Robyn Karney. Foreign Film Guide. (Alternate title: The Faber Companion to Foreign Films PN 1995.9 .F67B42 1992 INNR)
PN 1995.9 .F67B47 1992 ROBA, INNR
Gives brief synopsis and credits for over 2,000 foreign films. Includes directors' index.
Bibliography of Italian Cinema. Compiled by Martha Zárate.
PN 1993.5 .I88Z27 2000 INNC
A comprehensive - but not exhaustive - annotated bibliography of both English and Italian-language books and journal articles. Includes sections on Reference; History; Themes; Theory & Criticism; Major Directors; and Articles in Journals. In English and Italian.
Cardullo, Bert. What is neorealism?: a critical English-language bibliography of Italian cinematic neorealism.
Z 5784 .M9C35 1991 INNR, ROBA
Selected critical writings on Italian cinematic neorealism in English. This volume attempts to provide a definition of neorealism based on opinions gathered from filmmakers, critics, and historians.
Coppa, Frank J. Dictionary of modern Italian history.
DG 545 .D53 1985 GENR, SMCR, UNIV REF, VUPR
Dombroski, Robert S, special ed. Italy: fiction, theater, poetry, film since 1950. 2000.
PQ 4087 .I82 2000 ROBA
Forgacs, David. Italian culture in the industrial era, 1880-1980: cultural industries, politics, and the public.
DG 441 .F67 1990 ROBA
--- and Robert Lumley, eds. Italian cultural studies: an introduction.
DG 450 .I795 1996 ROBA
Gilbert, Mark and K. Robert Nilsson. Historical dictionary of modern Italy.
DG 555 .G53 1999 GENR
Hayward, Susan. Key Concepts in Cinema Studies.
PN 1993.45 .H36 1996 GENR, INNR, VUPR, SMCR
An in-depth glossary of key theoretical terms, Hayward's work also provides historical overviews of key genres, film theory and film movements. It includes a bibliography, personal name and subject indexes, and an index of films.
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 3rd ed. 4 vols.
PN 1997.8 .I6 1997X GENR
PN 1997.8 .I58 1997 VUPR
Presented in four volumes dedicated (in order) to: Films; Directors; Actors and Actresses; and Writers and Production Artists, this beautifully illustrated work offers encyclopedic and bibliographic information about selected members of the aforementioned professions. International in scope, the Films volume, contains 680 entries with production information; a list of cast and crew; a bibliography on the film, and an essay by a specialist in that area.
Kuhn, Annette, ed. The Women's Companion to International Film.
PN 1993.45 .W6 1994 INNR, VUPR
PN 1993.45 .W66 1990 GENR
"Shaped by feminist pespectives", the "Companion" contains a section on Italian cinema (p. 222-223) and sections on selected Italian women filmmakers past and present. Entries arranged alphabetically.
Landy, Marcia. Italian film.
PN 1993.5 .I88L38 2000 INNC, ROBA
Analyzes its subject within the framework of Italy's historical, social, political, and cultural evolution during the 20th century. In this comprehensive survey, Landy offers fresh readings of key films from the silent era to the present.
Luhr, William, ed. World cinema since 1945.
PN 1993 .5 A1W67 1987 INNC, ROBA
Excellent overview article by Peter Bondanella (p. 347-379), on Italian films from the postwar era and the role of Fascism in fostering the Italian movie industry through Cinecittà (1937) and the Centro Sperimentale Cinematografico (1935). Bondanella further develops his arguments about the cinema and re-evaluates figures from the 1970s such as Liliana Cavani and Lina Wertmüller. Incl. bibliographies and indexes.
Moliterno, Gino, ed. Encyclopedia of contemporary Italian culture.
DG 450 .E53 2000 GENR
Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey. The companion to Italian cinema.
PN 1993.5 .I88N69 1996 ROBA, VUPR
Covers the entire period from 1900 to 1995, with particular emphasis on the "middle cinema, wide in its appeal and offering vehicles for performances by star actors and actresses", from the 1930s onward. The "Companion" contains

An historical overview of Italian cinema
A core section of over 150 alphabetically arranged entries on personnel, critical concepts, and institutions
A section entitled 'Italian cinema in Europe' which includes entries on pan-European issues (e.g. European art cinema, Lesbian and gay cinema in Europe)
Appendices on production and audience statistics in Europe and a select bibliography on European and Italian cinema.

---ed. The Oxford History of World Cinema.
PN 1993.5 .A1O96 1996 ROBA, INNR, VUPR, TRIN
Covers all aspects of the history of film - "its development, stars, studios, and cultural impact...". Chronological coverage of Italian cinema includes sections on 'Italy: Spectacle and Melodrama', 'Italy From Fascism to Neo-Realism', and 'Italy: Auteurs and After'. Essays focus on institutional factors as well as individual films and filmmakers. Includes bibliographies and detailed index.
Overbey, David, ed. Springtime in Italy: a reader on neo-realism.
PN 1995.9 .R3S6 1979 ROBA,
Begins with David Overbey's introductory essay relating Neo-realism with the history of Italy from the beginning of the Fascist period, through the war, to the "restoration of normality" when Italy joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Overbey links neo-realism to the political, cultural, and intellectual life of Italy during the time of Benedetto Croce and Antonio Gramsci. This book includes essays written by Moravia, Vittorini, Zavattini, Antonioni, Visconti, De Sica, Rossellini, Morlion, De Santis, and eight other important figures.
Sorlin, Pierre. Italian national cinema, 1896-1996.
PN 1993.5 .I88S66 1996 INNC, ROBA, VUPT
Sorlin examines Italian cinema within the context of Italian society, exploring the concept of national identity by focussing on the relationship between Italian cinema and its domestic and foreign audiences. Filmography: p. [181]-186. Includes bibliographical references (p. [187]-192) and indexes.
---. European cinemas, European societies, 1939-1990.
PN 1993 .5 E8S67 1991 ROBA, VUPT
Stewart, John. Italian film: a who's who.
PN 1998.2 .S74 1994 GENR
This alphabetical, single-volume guide contains five thousand entries of people's names, movie titles, and references to Italian films over the past one hundred years. Film titles are listed in English and other languages, and include the dates of the films release. Includes index of film titles and of biographical and filmographical information.
Vermilye, Jerry. Great Italian films.
PN 1993.5 .I88V47 1994 ROBA
An excellent tool for finding book reviews on Italian films abroad. Vermilye describes one hundred films and provides a full review of each film highlighted by black and white illustrations. Includes cast lists, and credits for directors, producers, cinematographers, and costume designers.
Vincendeau, Ginette, ed. Encyclopedia of European Cinema.
PN 1993.5 .E8E6 1995 INNR, GENR, VUPR, SMCR
Contains an historical overview of Italian cinema, as well as separate sections on "Italian Horror Film", "Italian Political Cinema (1960-1994)", and "Italian Westerns"; alphabetically arranged entries on personnel, critical concepts, and institutions; and appendices on production and audience statistics in Europe and a select bibliography on European and Italian cinema.
Women filmmakers and their films.
PN 1998.2 .W66 1998 INNR, GENR, VUPR
This first edition "comprises more than 190 entries on women filmmakers, a category that encompasses not only directors but also women in many important behind-the-camera vocations. . . . It is intended to represent a wide range of interests within North American and European film scholarship and criticism." Course-related entries include the directors Liliana Cavani, Elvira Notari, and Lina Wertmuller, and the writer Suso Cecchi d'Amico. Each of these entries consists of a brief biography, a complete filmography, a selected bibliography of works on and by the entrant, and an expository essay by a specialist in the field. Incl. film title and nationality indexes

Theory, analysis, criticism

Apra, Adriano and Patrizia Pistagnesi, eds. The Fabulous Thirties: Italian cinema, 1929-1944.
PN 1993.5 .I88F3713 INNC
Armes, Roy. Patterns of realism.
PN 1993.5 .I88A8 1986 ROBA, VUPT
Armes views Realism as a means of reconstructing reality. He draws on examples from Erich Auerbach’s Mimesis, Arnold Hauser’s Social History of Art, Georg Lukács’ Meaning of Contemporary Realism, and Danilo Dolci’s Poverty in Sicily to compare Realism in film and literature. Includes a bibliography and index (p. 216-221).
Baranski, Zygmunt G. and Robert Lumley, eds. Culture and conflict in post-war Italy: essays on mass and popular culture.
DG 451 C86 1990 ROBA
Bondanella, Peter E. Italian cinema: from neorealism to the present. 3rd ed.
PN 1993 .5 .I88B58 2001 ROBA, INNC (Earlier ed. available at ROBA, INNC, VUPT, SMC)
Bosworth, R.J.B. and Patrizia Dogliani, eds. Italian fascism: history, memory and representation.
DG 571.16 .I85 1999X ROBA
Bruno, Giuliana. Streetwalking on a ruined map: cultural theory and the city films of Elvira Notari.
PN 1998.3 .N68B7 1993 INNC, ROBA, SMC
--- and Maria Nodotti, eds. Off screen: women and film in Italy.
PN 1995 .9 W6 O35 1988 ROBA, NEWC
For those with an interest in cinema, women's issues and Italian culture, Off Screen focuses on woman as the subject/object of cinema. The essays, from a seminar held in New York, December 1984, question subjectivity, identity, sexual difference and pleasure. Includes index, bibliography (p. [191]-193), and filmography (p. [164]-190).
Buss, Robin. Italian films.
PN 1993.5 .I88B87 1989 VUPT, ROBA
Provides an overview of Italian cinema and its depiction of Italy and Italian society over the past 80 years.
Costantini, Costanzo. Conversations with Fellini.
PN 1998.3 .F43A5 1996 ROBA, VUPT
Curle, Howard and Stephen Snyder, eds. Vittorio de Sica: contemporary perspectives.
PN 1998.3 .D473V57 2000 INNC
Dalle Vacche, Angela. The body in the mirror: shapes of history in Italian cinema.
PN 1993 .5 .I88D35 1992 ROBA, VUPT
Beginning with Fascism, Dalle Vache proceeds historically, exploring the uniqueness of Italian culture and its portrayal in films, and drawing parallels between the art of the Italian Renaissance and Italian cinema.
Eco, Umberto; edited by Robert Lumley. Apocalypse postponed.
HM 101 .E28 1994 VUPT, TRIN
Fellini, Federico. Cinecittà. English.
PN 1999 .C5F4513 1989 ROBA
Gieri, Manuela. Contemporary Italian filmmaking: strategies of subversion; Pirandello, Fellini, Scola, and the directors of the new generation.
PN 1993.5 .I88G54 1995 INNC, ROBA, VUPT
Hay, James. Popular film culture in Fascist Italy: the passing of the Rex.
PN 1993.5 .I88H39 1987 ROBA
Hay explores Neorealism’s relationship to critical methods of the 1930s. He bases his argument - that Neorealism began with the film production of Rossellini and Visconti - on the premise that films are read as texts, and texts are linked to political, social, aesthetic, and cultural signifying systems. Includes index, and bibliography (p. 271-274).
Hillier, Jim, ed. Cahiers du cinéma, the 1950s : neo-realism, Hollywood, new wave.
PN 1995 .C29 1985 INNC, VUPT, ROBA
Landy, Marcia. Fascism in film: the Italian commercial cinema, 1931-1943.
PN 1993.5 .I88L36 1986 INNC, ROBA
The author uses primary sources from scholars who study the Fascist period - among them Nicos Pulantzas, Gaetano Salvemini, Ernesto Laclau - to discuss commercial films produced in Italy under Fascism. Based on the study of more than one-hundred films, Landy argues that the attitudes and values of Fascism prevailed beyond that era.
---. Film, politics, and Gramsci.
HX 289.7 .G73L36 1994 INNC, ROBA
Landy’s reassessment of Antonio Gramsci’s ideology regarding social transformation takes into account the historical changes that have occurred since Gramsci wrote his works in 1926 (published posthumously in 1947). The author analyzes Gramsci’s ideas about common sense and folklore to shed light on her interpretation of films. Includes bibliographical references (p. [265]-270) and index.
---. The folklore of consensus: theatricality in the Italian cinema, 1930-1943.
PN 1993.5 .I88L37 1998 INNC, ROBA
Landy uses the concept of "theatricality" to explore the incorporation of aspects of everyday life into film performances. She argues that cinema as a medium lacks a real identity and suggests "folklore" as a term that embraces popular forms of representation. Landy considers that Antonio Gramsci’s writings on a popular culture comprised of literature, theater, and opera, are equally applicable to cinema. Includes bibliographical references (p. 321-331) and index.
---. Italian film. PN 1993.5 .I88L38 2000 INNC, SMC, VUPT
Liehm, Mira. Passion and defiance: film in Italy from 1942 to the present.
PN 1993 .5 .I88L44 1984 R0BA, VUPT
The author examines the impact of philosophical leaders such as Benedetto Croce and Antonio Gramsci and their role in Italian cultural activity from Mussolini’s regime to the early 1980’s. Film artists such as Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio de Sica, Cesare Zavattini, and Luchino Visconti are considered as creators of a social context for a new artistic movement, each having dealt with Italy's postwar situation.
Lucanio, Patrick. With fire and sword: Italian spectacles on American screens, 1958-1968.
PN 1995.9 .M97L83 1994 ROBA
Lucanio provides an annotated filmography of 381 peplum features ('peplum' refers to the garment worn in ancient times and the standard costume worn by characters such as 'Hercules' and 'Atlas' in the films). The five appendices detail the relationship of this genre to foreign films. Includes bibliographical references (p. 482-489) and index.
Mancini, Elaine. Struggles of the Italian film industry during fascism, 1930-1935.
PN 1993.5 .I88M277 1985 ROBA
Argues that films made during the Fascist period (1930-1935) did not solely mirror governmental policies but were, in and of themselves, works of artistic merit. This volume has five chapters, beginning with the film practices of the 1930s, the Futurist movement, and ending with the discussion of LUCE, a state-controlled company in charge of promoting didactic films. Includes index, bibliography (p. [281]-287), and filmography (p. [207]-237).
Marcus, Millicent (Joy). After Fellini: national cinema in the post-modern age.
PN 1993.5 .I88M283 2002 INNC, VUPT, ROBA,SCAR
---. Filmmaking by the book: Italian cinema and literary adaptation.
PN 1993.5 .I88M278 1993 INNC, ROBA, SMC
Focusing on five filmmakers from the Postwar period (Visconti, De Sica, Pasolini, Taviani, and Fellini), Marcus discusses the relationship between literature and film and the differences in adaptation practices among the directors. Each director is represented by two films.
---. Italian film in the light of neorealism.
PN 1993.5 .I88M28 1986 INNC, ROBA, VUPT
The author provides close readings of seventeen films that tell the story of neorealism's evolving influence on Italian postwar cinematic expression. Marcus also considers how Italian cinema has fulfilled, or disappointed, the promise of neorealism.
Michalczyk, John J. The Italian political filmmakers.
PN 1993.5 .I88M48 1986 ROBA
Analyzes the work of seven filmmakers whose work manifests socio-political themes: Pier Paolo Pasolini, Francesco Rosi, Marco Bellocchio, Bernardo Bertoluci, Elio Petri, Gillo Pontecorvo, and Lina Wertmüller. All claim that their films are indebted to the works of the earlier neorealists: Rossellini, Visconti, De Sica, and Fellini.
Restivo, Angelo. The cinema of economic miracles: visuality and modernization in the Italian art film.
PN 1998.3 .P367R47 2002 INNC, ROBA
Re-viewing fascism: Italian cinema, 1922-1943. Edited by Jacqueline Reich and Piero Garofalo.
PN 1993.5 .I88R45 2002X ROBA, ERIN
Rocchio, Vincent F. Cinema of anxiety: a psychoanalysis of Italian neorealism.
PN 1993.5 .I88R59 1999 INNC, ROBA
Rossellini, Roberto. My method: writings and interviews.
PN 1998.3 .R68A25 1992 ROBA
PN 1998.3 .R67A25 1992 INNC, VUPT
Sitney, P. Adams. Vital crises in Italian cinema: iconography, stylistics, politics.
PN 1993.5 .I88S57 1995 INNC, VUPT, ROBA
Using Pier Paolo Pasolini’s phrase defining Neo-realism as a movement born from the "vital crisis" of the postwar era, Sitney argues that post-World War II Italian films reflected Italy's national life during moments of vital self-definition.
Tannenbaum, Edward R. The Fascist experience; Italian society and culture, 1922-1945. 1973. (Alternate title: Fascism in Italy: society and culture, 1922-1945. DG 571 .T24 SMC)
DG 571 .T22 SMC
DG 450 .T36 ROBA, VUPT
Testa, Carlo. Italian cinema and modern European literatures, 1945-2000.
PN 1993.5 .I88T44 2002 VUPT, ROBA
---. Masters of two arts: re-creation of European literatures in Italian cinema.
PN 1993.5 .I88T47 2002 INNC, ROBA
Vitti, Antonio. Giuseppe De Santis and postwar Italian Cinema.
PN 1998.3 .D46V58 1996 INNC, ROBA, VUPT
Witcombe, R. T. The new Italian cinema: studies in dance and despair.
PN 1993.5 .I88W58 ROBA, VUPT, SMC
Women in Italian cinema. [La donna nel cinema italiano]. Edited by Tonia Caterina Riviello.
PN 1995.9 .W6W664 2001 ROBA
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Other Resources

Bibliographies of books and journal articles. Check UTCat for local availability:

Italian Cinema: A Bibliography of Books and Articles in the UC Berkeley Libraries Includes a comprehensive list of general works in both English and Italian as well as a bibliography of books and journal articles on major directors incl. Antonioni, Bertolucci, De Sica, Leone, Pasolini, Rossellini, Taviani Bros., and Visconti. The vast majority of the material listed here will be available at UofT. Check availability in UTCat.
Italian Americans in the Movies: A Bibliography of Materials in the UC Berkeley Library

Libero: La rivista del documentario (in Italian)

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Last updated: September 14, 2009.