Thursday, March 15, 2012
The Post-War World
Two films we have screened, Bicycle Thieves and Tokyo Story, are set in the years immediately after World War II, in countries defeated by the United States and its allies. What can we learn about the nature of the war from its aftermath? What do these films tell us about the costs of the war? Do we have any clues about the ascent of America and its culture in the post-war world?
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Tokyo Story and Bicycle thieves both give us a sense of the depressing effects World War II had on Italy and Japan. Italy is both economically depressed as well as emotionally depressed. As we can see from the film, Italy is a place of great poverty, and societal corruption and instability. It is clearly not a place you would like to be during this time period. There are not many jobs available as we see at the beginning and the opportunity Antonio receives seems to be a miracle for the time. There is a lot political tension and debate as we see from the meeting in the club that they go to. People also seek spiritual guidance from the lady that claims she speaks to god. The ending and the waning of hope for Antonio throughout the film represents the vanishing hope for the country as a whole during this time period with nothing very good going for them.
ReplyDeleteTokyo story shows us mostly just the depressed emotional state of Japan after the war. This theme about the war is not as prevalent in Tokyo Story as it is in Bicycle thieves but it is kind of part of the backdrop of the story. The fact that a depressing film like this was made was most likely influenced by the depressed state of the country, however I did not notice anything directly correlated to the war in the plot itself. Bicycle thieves, although not completely centered around the war, definitely displayed the post war time effects to a much greater degree through the setting and background of the story.
Both Tokyo story and Bicycle Thieves give a sense of depression which can be expanded throughout Japan and Italy. First in Japan we can see how people lead simple lives, in which they sort of just drag their feet through life. While I did not catch any actual reference to WWII or America in the movie, I can infer that as a whole the country of japan was unaffected rurally. In Bicycle Thieves however, a lot can be said about post WWII Italy. For example the country was in a state of poverty, and jobs were very hard to come by. Moreover the country was highly inflated because bed sheets were valued at roughly 7000. This being such a hard time for italy many people sought out religious comfort. One way they did this was by seeing the oracle who would tell them their future would be fine, this reassured them that they would get out of this depressive state of Italy.
ReplyDeletePost World War II left a lot of defeated countries in disarray, Japan and Italy were the living examples of this kind of brutal aftermath of the war. The remnant of buildings and life struggles that we see in the films, Bicycle thieves and Tokyo Story explain the brutal and non-selective distractive nastier of the war. Instead of being fought on open fields, this war was fought in places where people resided. When it was done they were left with nothing much to relieve themselves of the damage that was already done. The United States and its allies had won and all the economic and political instance new As we have seen in Bicycle Thieves, the buildings are in total disarray and the people are poor with no jobs. These conditions are somewhat the motives that created the mass immigration of foreigners that emigrated to the United States for better conditions. Their influx into to the US lead to the cultural influence the we see today and potentially contributed to the rich film culture that the country boast today.
ReplyDeleteIn film class, we have watched a few movies that were shot right after the devastating World War II. Typically, we can see the effects that war has on a nation through its art, especially its film industry. Tokyo Story presented the difference between the new and the old generations; after the war, there was a serious rupture in the typical Japanese family. This was evident from the differences between the parents and their grown children, especially since the parents were still living in the less densely populated part of Japan, while the children moved to Tokyo to look for new opportunities in life.
ReplyDeleteThe direct effects on the general population were easily seen in the Italian film Bicycle Thieves. In the beginning, the viewer can really see the struggle of the Roman community when it came to finances. It seemed like everyone was at the employment office looking for a job, with only limited, minimal success. The entire Italian family had to work together in order to stay afloat in the tough post-war economy. Even seven-year-old Bruno had to work at the gas station in order to provide some extra money for his parents. Many children had to grow up much faster than normal. The viewer could also see the large, ever growing divide between the rich and the poor in Rome when Antonio and Bruno went to the restaurant after a long day of looking for Antonio's bicycle. It seemed like a constant struggle to stay alive in post-war Italy.
Tokyo Story and The Bicicyle Thieves showed two different effects that World War II caused on each respective country. In the Bicycle Thieves World War II led to increased poverty within Italy. The entire movie is about one poor man's struggling to survive when there are few jobs to be had and skyrocketing inflation. The opening scene show kind of workers clamoring for any job that they can get. throughout the movie Antonio desperation is shown as he tries to get his bicycle back. Other character embody poverty as well. The man who likely stole the bicycle lives in a one room apartment with his mother and few possessions. Even though the movie never reveals if he is actually the thief, there is a clear motive for him to turn to crime. The old man who also seems to be participating in the conspiracy attends a church to receive meals. An extrapolation from these scenarios would suggest that Italy struggled with poverty at the time due to a weakened post war economy.
ReplyDeleteIn Tokyo Story, the effect is completely different. It is shown suggested that the American occupation introduced some American culture into Japanese society. Some of the children of the elders wear more western dress. The grandchildren wear baseball caps and westernized school uniforms. The country is also completely transformed into one that's focused on industry and success instead of following tradition and honor. Tokyo Story shows the breakdown of traditional Japanese family structure and traditions through the way that the children treat their parents no longer is there a emphasis on treating elders with respect. Instead the emphasis is on excelling in one's job. The son-in-law who is a doctor decides not to stay with his wife's parents because there are important medical matters that he must attend to. There is also an increased emphasis on materialism. In one scene, the daughters refuse to serve their parents sashimi because it is too expensive. In another scene, the daughters argue over who gets their mother's possessions after her death. All of these signs point to a cultural breakdown instead of an economic one as seen in the bicycle thieves. Japan's economy in Tokyo Story appears to be booming due to American technology and aid.
At the conclusion of World War II, many countries on both sides of the war were left in a depressed state, with little money left that was not spent on the war and bombed out infrastructure that destroyed homes and businesses. Both Tokyo Story and Bicycle Thieves show the average life for a person after the war in two different defeated countries. Bicycle Thieves is a film in the style of Italian Neo-Realism which came directly out of the post war life in this country. Since there was no money for anyone, let alone the film industry, this style of film was shot on the street with unprofessional actors. The story in the film shows the hopelessness and desperation felt by many Italians as well as others around the world after the war. This movie starts on a high note for the main character but slowly changes into a film where a man is driven to theft and then complete hopelessness. This film also hints at the rise of communism with the references to political rallies that the police must put down and the only people who help Antonio try to find his bike are communists.
ReplyDeleteTokyo Story also depicts the life in post-war Japan. Post-war Japan can be seen through the differences between the older and younger generations. The parents in this film lead the traditional Japanese life built up on honor and respect for elders whereas their children, who were arguably more impacted by the war because of their younger age were more focused on the western ideals of hard work and success. This film focuses on the fracture between these two generations that would probably not exist if the world wars had not happened.