"The Sinking": Is it really the pioneering work of Italian neorealism?

In 1941, Visconti shot "The Sinking", and the film was released after the war. After that, it was basically known as "the pioneering work of Italian neorealist film".

But after watching the film for more than two hours, I found that the influence of this film on later generations is not limited to the "new realism" that emerged later.

This is indeed a heart-wrenching story: the hero and heroine fell in love at first sight, and committed the crime of murdering their husband because of erotic impulses. But the impulse was followed by endless anxiety and inner torment. The two moved from alienation to suspicion. The love they once believed in has finally disappeared, and they embarked on the fateful road of destruction.

"Sinking" was originally called Obsession, which means "indulge". This is actually a story about indulgence and destruction in love and lust, reflecting Visconti's extremely gloomy and pessimistic view of human nature and fatalism.

And this kind of story is by no means a special product of that time and place. In any society, in any era, there will be such obsessions with murder and self-destruction.

And the film does not pay attention to the social background of the story. The filming was during World War II, but we did not see the slightest shadow of the war. Tragedy in movies comes from human nature, not society.

But looking at Desica's "The Undefended City of Rome" and "The Bicycle Thief", as well as Fellini and Rossellini's early films, you will find that a true neorealist film must be deeply and fundamentally Sexual social factors are at work.

So The Sinking is not so typical of a "new reality."

Of course, the influence of "The Sinking" on Neorealism should also be huge. It captures the state of ordinary people in ordinary life, and tells a fictional story in a certain documentary style. The texture of the real world and characters, and the clumsiness that is not exaggerated, naturally influenced many works of later generations.

Of course, we don't have to get too caught up in these academic issues. By the most direct and simple standard, "The Sinking" is also a great work. Thinking back to a movie in the early 1940s, the technique is so skilled, the characters are portrayed so deeply, and the plot is so twisted and smooth. To be honest, it can be said to be a legendary work. Seventy years later, seeing such a work, you and I can only be amazed.