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Professor C. Testa ITST 234 - 201

UBC Intro to Italian Cinema
Winter 2011 RMST 234 - 201
T Th 2-3.20 Intro to RMST Cinema

Ridendo dicere verum To affirm the truth in laughter and by laughter is one of the
great educational tenets of the Classical and Medieval world that, however different its
historical context, contemporary Italian cinema has inherited from a thousand-year-old
tradition. In this course we will explore the ways in which Italian cinema for the
entertainment of the masses commedia, that is has been able to develop a whole
genre aimed at sustaining an educational role. Hence the title of this course:
THE HUMANE COMEDY :
Educational Laughter in Contemporary Italian Cinema
By harnessing laughter to the illustration of major social, economic, or political issues of its
day, the commedia allitaliana has contributed to fostering a better informed, more humane
humanity, and in the process has set an example that ought to be held up as a mirror of
ethical commitment (not to mention artistic accomplishment and box-office success) for
cultures across the world.

Week plan
Week 1 - T Jan 4 Intro to the course. Comic engagement: Chaplin, Modern Times
Th Jan 6 Tragedy vs. Comedy: Aristotle (!"#$s / %$&$s), Dante, Balzac
Week 2 - T Jan 11 Intro to Italy after WWII. Neo-realism and its politics (Marcus)
Th Jan 13 Clips: V. De Sica: Bicycle Thieves (1948) (56-62; 85-89) [1a]
F. Fellini: The Loafers / I vitelloni (1953) (124-30; 143-46) [1b]
M. Monicelli: Big Deal (1958) (145-46; 181-82) [1c]
Week 3 - T Jan 18 P. Germi: Divorce, Italian Style (1961) [2]
Th Jan 20 Divorce, end and discussion (150-53; 188-90)
Week 4 - T Jan 25 E. Petri: The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971) [3]
Th Jan 27 Working Class , end and discussion (336-37; 244-45)
Week 5 - T Feb 1st F. Brusati: Bread and Chocolate (1973) [4]
Th Feb 3rd Bread and Chocolate, end and discussion (329-32; 202-04)
Week 6 - T Feb 8 Review session for Midterm
Th Feb 10 MIDTERM EXAM (30%) (On films 1-4)
Week 7 - T Feb 15 < Winter Break >
Th Feb 17 < Winter Break >
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Week 8 - T Feb 22 E. Scola: We All Loved Each Other (1974) [5]
Th Feb 24 We All Loved , end and discussion (370-73; 206-08)
Week 9 - T Ma 1st L. Wertmller: Seven Beauties (1975) [6]
Th Ma 3rd Seven Beauties, end and discussion (361-65; 198-200)
Week 10 - T Ma 8 M. Nichetti: Icicle Thieves (1989) [7]
Th Ma 10 Icicle Thieves, end and discussion (439-41; 527-28)
Week 11 - T Ma 15 R. Benigni: Life is Beautiful (1998) [8]
Th Ma 17 Life is Beautiful, end and discussion (447-51; 533-36)
Week 12 - T Ma 22 G. Muccino: Remember Me, My Love (2003) [9]
Th Ma 24 Remember Me, end and discussion (; 565)
Week 13 - T Ma 29 P. Virz: Caterina Goes to the Big City (2003) [10]
Th Ma 31 Caterina , end and discussion (; 564)
Week 14 - T Apr 5 First Review session for Final
Th Apr 7 Second Review session for Final
FINAL EXAM: TBA (55%) (On films 5-10)
The first page numbers refer to Bondanellas ICNP (latest copyright year 2003); the second, to
his latest edition as HIC, History of Italian Cinema (copyright 2009) (see biblio details below)

Other important dates: M 17 Jan, last day to drop w/o a W; F 11 Feb, last day to drop with a W;
M 11 - Th 28 Apr, Final exams.

1. All films are subtitled in English. The class will meet on Tuesdays - Thursdays 2.00 -
3.30 for lecture, discussion and film viewings in Buch B 208.
2. Classes generally start with a discussion of the previous weeks film, then continue with a
brief presentation of the days oeuvre and the actual viewing.
3. The overall grade will be based on: the midterm exam (30%); the final exam (55%); and
participation (15%, which covers attendance as well).
4. Attendance is mandatory. If for any reason you cannot attend or cannot stay until the end,
it is your responsibility to find alternate ways to view the film on your own and in general
stay abreast of the work done (get notes from a classmate).
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5. Textbooks
CINEMA (REQUIRED). Either one or the other edition of Bondanella:
Bondanella, Peter. Italian Cinema From Neorealism to the Present. New York:
Continuum, 2003 [1991, 1983]. Pages: first numbers in week plan above.
OR
Bondanella, Peter. A History of Italian Cinema. New York: Continuum, 2009. Pages:
second numbers in week plan above.
HIST AND CIV (recommended):
Ginsborg, Paul. A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics 1943-1988.
London: Penguin, 1990.
Same: Italy and Its Discontents: Family, Civil Society, State 1980-2001. London: Penguin,
2001.
6. Class notes, if well taken and well studied, will take you most of the way to getting a
decent grade. However, for outstanding performance you might wish to:
A) peruse Bondanella (and Ginsborg!) far beyond the minimum necessary, AND
B) consult one or more depending on the film of the following reference works:
Gieri, Manuela. Contemporary Italian Filmmaking: Strategies of Subversion. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press, 1995.
Landy, Marcia. Italian Film. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Liehm, Mira. Passion and Defiance: Film in Italy from 1942 to the Present. Berkeley, Ca.:
University of California Press, 1984.
Marcus, Millicent. Italian Film in the Light of Neorealism. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton
University Press, 1986.
. After Fellini: National Cinema in the Postmodern Age. Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins U Press, 2002.
Sorlin, Pierre. Italian National Cinema 1896-1996. London and N.Y.: Routledge, 1996.
Testa, Carlo. Italian Cinema and Modern European Literatures. Westport, CT: Greenwood
Praeger, 2002 [for the historical part on Italian society.]
7. All films to be studied in this class are also A) available for on-campus use at the Video
Resource Centre in Lasserre 206, and B) rentable for home use from Videomatica (on W
4
th
), as well as (according to various rumors) Limelight Video (on Alma) and Black Dog
Video (on Cambie).
Make sure you are well acquainted with the material before you come to class, so you can
make the most of your class time.
Keep up the good work! Buon lavoro!
Office hours: by appointment Phone: 822-4025
Office: BuTo 726 e-mail: ctesta@interchange.ubc.ca
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Guidelines of FHIS Department for content-based
(i.e., non-language) courses
Grading criteria are: 1 Mastery of content; 2 Organization; 3 Clarity and precision of discourse;
4 Originality of ideas; 5 Ability to analyze, 6 synthesize, 7 evaluate; 8 spelling and handwriting.

A bracket 80% to 100%
90-99 A+ outstanding
85-89 A excellent
80-84 A- very good
For FofA Exceptional performance. Strong evidence of original thinking; good organization; capacity to
analyze and synthesize; superior grasp of subject matter with sound critical evaluation; evidence of extensive
knowledge base.

B bracket 68% to 79%
76-79 B+ good
72-75 B competent
68-71 B- satisfactory
For FofA Competent performance. Evidence of grasp of subject matter; some evidence of critical capacity and
analytic ability; reasonable understanding of relevant issues; evidence of familiarity with the literature.

C bracket 55% to 67%
64-67 C+ adequate
60-63 C barely adequate
55-59 C- poor
For FofA Adequate intellectual performance. Understanding of the subject matter and ability to develop
solutions to simple problems in the material; acceptable but uninspired work, not seriously faulty but lacking
style and vigor.

D bracket 50% to 54%
50-54 D very poor
For FofA Same as C above.

F bracket 00% to 49%
00-49 F fail
For FofA Inadequate performance. Little or no evidence of understanding of the subject matter; weakness in
critical and analytic skills; limited or irrelevant use of the literature.

Results in an average class of reasonable size will normally fall within the following broad limits:
Grade A between 5% and 35% of the class
Grades A+B combined not over 75% of the class
Grade F not over 20% of the class