Italian Neo-Realism

Italian Neo-realism originated by the outbreak of WWII, and Italy was under Mussolini. Movies in the 1930s took place in big hotels, tony nightclubs and ocean liners. The protagonists always found a resolution to their insipid dilemmas. American movies tended to show a "paradise" in America. Since Italians rarely saw those images in their lives, directors started to "go into the streets".

Some American influences were the noir writing and films. Directors interplayed between characters and surroundings, the bleak, unforgiving interiors and street shots reflective of the lousy hand.