Commedia all'italiana

Prehistory(1940s-1957)

Since much of Italian Comedy Style is an extension of Neorealist styles, the unique struggles of the characters, inarguably the focuses of the film, are uniquely a result of a post World War II Italy and thus to attribute it to any predecessor would be a flawed connection. However, much of the unique filmmaking that would go into creating Commedia all’italiana, would be remiss without mentioning Commedia dell’arte. Notably, the use of the mask to provide a more stereotyped character, and thus a broader commentary on the type of person it represents. Not to mention the comedic factor that can arrive from these exaggerated stereotypes.

An important step into the realization of Comedy Italian Style can be found in the advent of Rosy Neorealism in the early 1950s. This style is looked upon as the first glimpse of an Italy that was ready to be optimistic and light-hearted again after the tragedy of the war. However, much of the films satire or poignancy was lessened in favor of bumping up the optimistic aspect of the stories. In this sense a large portion of what makes Comedy Italian Style so significant is lost, and to call Rosy Neorealism a true predecessor would also be misguided, no matter the similarities they may share as derived from Neorealism. While some films, such as "Pane, Amore, e fantasia" maintain a vision of the hardships in the Italian Countryside, according to Spinazzola, they remain sympathetic to a degree which upholds the three basic pillars of Italian life; the church, the state, and the family.

The style of Rosy Neorealism would still continue to grow, eventually producing Poveri ma belli, directed by a man who would become an essential Commedia all’Italiana director Dino Risi. This movie would be a landmark in and of itself, showing more of the traditional Italian Style in the sense that the young characters modernity would show the disconnect between changes in society due to modernization and the ‘family’ pillar.

In the above clip, as the younger generation dances on to the American swing music and embraces modernity, the camera pans over to an alienated older generation who has yet to accept the new influences, as they look almost displeased at the dancing in front of them.

The economic miracle of the majority of the 1950s would have it’s side effects to the common man, mostly as a result to the uneven growth of the support that the middle class needs to remain stable, along with industrialization inflaming the differences between Northern and Southern Italy as southerners moved North for work. This general strife that would affect the middle class would become prime material for the beginnings of the satirical commedia all’italiana.