Using family movies and actual footage, Scorsese begins by explaining how important movies were during his childhood in New York’s Little Italy. Because he suffered from asthma, he could not play outside often, so he spent much of his time watching films with his family. Italian cinema became a way for him to connect with his heritage and understand the lives, emotions, and struggles of not only Italian people but also his close relatives. He notes that these films were different from Hollywood movies because they felt more realistic and emotional.
A large part of the documentary focuses on the Italian Neorealism film movement that emerged in the wake of World War II. The films made during that period by directors like Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica, among others, showed ordinary people dealing with poverty, unemployment, and hardship. Directors took their crews to the streets, often using real locations and nonprofessional actors. Scorsese says these films changed cinema forever because they showed life honestly and emotionally.
One of the directors Scorsese admires most is Roberto Rossellini, and much of the first part of the three-part documentary is dedicated to Rossellini’s work. Scorsese discusses the 1946 film, “Paisà (“Paisan”), in detail, emphasizing the strong impact the film made on him and his Sicilian immigrant relatives. The film comprises six episodes shot on location throughout war-torn Italy, with each showing the brutality of war and the suffering and loss people of every age group are forced to endure. Scorsese takes the viewer through several episodes but focuses more on those filmed in Naples and Sicily because they had the greatest impact on his family. His relatives could relate to the poverty portrayed in the episodes and understood the Sicilian dialect spoken in the first. Scorsese also discusses Rossellini’s 1945 “Roma città aperta” (“Rome, Open City”) and 1948 “Germania anno zero” (“Germany Year Zero”), explaining how Rossellini captured the pain and confusion of postwar Europe in a sincere, authentic way. Scorsese admires Rossellini’s honesty and believes Rossellini showed that cinema could explore moral and emotional truths and not just exist for the sole purpose of entertainment. These neorealist films by Rossellini have stood the test of time and are still celebrated today. In June, “Rome, Open City” was featured in Film at Lincoln Center’s series, “History Italian Style,” which featured directors who explored Italy’s transformation from the Risorgimento through Mussolini’s rise and World War II on film.
READ MORE: Lincoln Center takes cinematic tour of Italian history
Scorsese also talks about Rossellini’s 1954 film “Viaggio in Italia” (“Journey to Italy"), starring Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders. He describes it as one of the first truly modern films because it focuses on the emotional distance between two people rather than on traditional plot events. The film influenced many later directors, especially those of the French New Wave, and arguably, Michelangelo Antonioni’s trilogy, which starred Monica Vitti and included “L'Avventura” (1960), “La Notte” (1961), and “L'Eclisse” (1962).
Scorsese praises several of De Sica's films, including the 1948 “Ladri di biciclette” (“Bicycle Thieves”) and 1952 “Umberto D.," which show the struggles of poor and working-class people. He explains how these movies create deep sympathy for ordinary characters. Scorsese says that “Bicycle Thieves” especially affected him because it showed the emotional bond between a father and son.
WATCH: Christian De Sica talks about his father's films..
The documentary later moves beyond Neorealism and examines more visually artistic directors such as Luchino Visconti, whose films combined realism with beauty and operatic emotion. He talks about Visconti’s 1954 film “Senso,” starring Alida Valli and the director’s rich, dramatic visual style.
Scorsese also explores the work of Federico Fellini, who began his career working with directors like Rossellini in the Neorealist tradition but later created his own dreamlike films such as “La Dolce Vita” (1960) “8½” (1963) and “Giulietta degli spiriti” (“Juliet of the Spirits”) (1965). Scorsese explains that Fellini’s mixed fantasy, memory, religion, and autobiography in his films, and sees Fellini as a filmmaker who turned personal experiences into poetic cinema. Another important figure in the documentary is Antonioni. Scorsese explains that Antonioni’s films focused on loneliness, alienation, and emotional emptiness in modern life. Unlike traditional films, Antonioni’s movies often lack clear endings and instead concentrate on mood and psychology.
Throughout the documentary, Scorsese uses film clips, narration, and personal memories to explain why these films mattered to him and speaks from the heart about how cinema shaped his identity, his values, and his career. Through these films and his articulate presentation, he shows how the great Italian directors influenced generations of filmmakers around the world, including himself.
Click here to watch “My Voyage to Italy” on Archive.org. You can find the DVD for sale on eBay and Amazon.
- Written by Jeannine Guilyard for Fra Noi Magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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