Neorealism
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THE WIDE BLUE ROAD (Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo, 1957, Italy)
* * * Pontecorvo’s career hinges on the very influential The Battle of Algiers which he made in the 1960s. I often thought his career was far more extensive, but he only made a handful of films. His earliest film, The Wide Blue Road, is a provocative blend of neorealism and political melodrama. In essence, Continue reading
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NEEM ANNAPURNA / BITTER MORSEL (Dir. Buddhadev Dasgupta, 1979, India)
Before Buddhadev Dasgupta became a filmmaker he was a university teacher, lecturing on economics. His association with the Calcutta Film Society in the 1960s led to Dasgupta recognising the function cinema could play as an agent of wider social agitation and potential change. Neem Annapurna was one of first films he directed. In fact, it Continue reading
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DO BIGHA ZAMIN / TWO ACRES OF LAND (Dir. Bimal Roy, 1953, India)
INTRODUCTION The influence and enduring character of some films are unquestionable and Bimal Roy’s 1953 masterpiece ‘Do Bigha Zamin’ was one of the first mainstream Indian films to receive international acclaim; it was awarded the Prix Internationale at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival. Though it clearly was intended as a melodrama aimed at a mainstream Continue reading
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