Italian Futurism | Under Lens

Noir genre, in particular, is heavily influenced from German Expressionism. Movies by Welles, Hitchcock and Curtiz are some of the examples cinebuffs can relate to. German Expressionism flourished during post World War I era – in 1920 and 1930s. Hollywood adapted it in ‘40s. Next few decades, in bits and pieces, German Expressionism’s influence was visible in cinema across the globe. But what was in the root of this new wave? Italian Futurism.

Futurism was a concept that was developed during 1920s. As the world was expanding with technology advancements, first phase of Industrial revolution opened the vision of filmmakers. Speed, machines and violence were themes. Architectural advancements also added elements to their vision. It was sort of breaking mold of old school and an emblem of human’s triumph over nature. Most of the experiments in this domain happened in Itally. Germany and Russia were two other nations contributing to this new movement, though their involvement was far lesser.

Vita futurista (Futurist life), Thaïs (Thaïs) and Il re, le torri, gli alfieri (The king, the rook, the bishop) are considered to be the milestones of Italian Futuristic cinema. However, its tragic that only  Thaïs is available. rest two, like many other movies of that era are lost. Human negligence and madness of War deprived humanity of its little innovations. By early 1920’s Italian Futurism was history. It was replaced by a more artistic and widely accepted German Expressionism, which was in fact an offshoot of Italian Futurism.

Even today, European cinema is heavily influenced from Italian Futurism. A tradition and legacy is being carried, though subtly. Today, it might be difficult to identify the emblems of Futurist cinema but nuances are difficult to ignore. While Hollywood and Bollywood has significantly moved on from legacy, European cinema is preserving them. If that’s being purist, I prefer being purist.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh