A pale mist: Landscape and melancholy in the modern Italian cinema

Abstract

From a conceptual panorama on the landscape in the cinema, which implies the distinction between a scenic and territorialized conception as opposed to a more contemplative and more material function of space, the purpose of this paper is to analyse four Italian fiction films set in the Po Valley – “Il grido” (1957) and “Deserto Rosso” (1964) by Antonioni, “La lunga notte del ́43”(1960) by Vancini and “Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini” (1970) by de Sica. This collection, marked by its adherence to the modern Italian cinema, reveals a pictorial unity. Our initial hypothesis is that this ambiance and the formation of style are simultaneously determined and condensed by characteristics of the landscape in which the films are located. In order to develop this hypothesis and to analyze the films, I adopt the theoretical framework of landscape studies, as well as on specific approaches to modern cinema, and the literature on modern Italian cinema.