Abstract

The main purpose of this thesis is to provide a theoretical investigation into how Pier Paolo Pasolini's representations of Rome in Accattone, Mamma Roma , and La ricotta reveal a multi-dimensional relationship between Italian cinema, the national landscape, and urban space. Pasolini's approach to the city in these three films is contextualized here within the aesthetic and ideological evolution of post-World War II Italian cinema, from the years of neorealism (1945-50) to the time of Italy's "economic miracle" (1958-63). Inquiries are also made into the theoretical matrix of Pasolini's literary work (his novels, poetry, and personal writings) as a framework to better understand his artistic approach to Rome and its borgate . This study aims to illustrate how images of the city in his early films reflect key political, cultural, and ideological issues within the changing social context of Italy in the 1950s and 1960s. Some key topics of study include: Rome as a cognitive map revealing the relations/tensions of postwar Italian cultural and intellectual life, namely Gramscian politics vs. consumerism, rural vs. urban; the role of mythology (Christian and Pagan) in Pasolini's vision of the center-periphery dichotomy; Rome's resonance as an ideal urban center through which Pasolini could alter iconic imagery (either religious, painterly, or filmic) to provide a critical perspective on modern Italian society; and the influence of Dante Alighieri's lyrical vision of spiritual salvation in La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) upon Pasolini's depiction of the poverty-stricken borgate of Rome.