Feminine Identity, Sexuality and Power in Italian Film and Media

Author: bullockk

The Representation of Black Women in Italian Cinema

 

( Photo of actress Zeudi Araya Cristaldi, IMDV)

The Representation of Black Women in Italian Cinema

 

On October 7th, 1938 Fascist regime’s race laws that asserted racial principles that included the superiority of the Italian race on the basis of biological differences between Italians and the black colonial persons and Jewish minorities. Earlier on in the 1800s in media that depicted Italy’s view of Africa included indigenous black women. This indicat[ed] that colonialism had found a powerful instrument for capturing the Italian imagination through depictions of African females as dark, large-breasted black Venuses. Beyond increasing sales and promoting territorial conquers the eroticization of native women as nude or seminude black Venuses emphasized a desire to be subjugated. (Caponetto R.G 25). Sara Baartman ; 1770s – 29 December 1815 was the most well known of at least two South African Khoikhoi women who, due to their large buttocks, were exhibited as freak show attractions in 19th-century Europe under the name Hottentot Venus—”Hottentot” was the name for the Khoi people, now considered an offensive term, and “Venus” referred to the Roman goddess of love (Qureshi 240).  Black Venuses are black women who have enlarged features, thus making them the center of attention on the screen. In the 1980s Italian cinema started to compete with television and the sales began to decline. The 1980s Italian cinema crisis can be compared to the 1800s propaganda mentioned earlier Similar to the propaganda used in the early 1800s; black women were offered roles on screen for low budget, erotic films. Black women were treated merely as figures to be eroticized and racially fetishized while their stories were told through Italy’s depiction of black women as it compares to Africa. Exoticism refers to the quality of being unusual and exciting because of coming (or seeming to come) from far away, especially a tropical country. In Italian Cinema, white men see black women as exotic. Racial fetishism involves fetishizing a person or culture belonging to a race or ethnic group. This can include having strong racial preferences in dating (Bhabha 20). Since the 1970s Italian Cinema crisis, which debuted black women in low budget exotic films, white Italian directors have eroticized their narratives similar to the fascist era, thus making it hard for them to control their own narratives on screen. Time to Kill, La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Lunaand Black and Whiteare examples of films produced by white directors that have eroticized, fetishized and eroticized the beings of black women on the screen.

 

Time to Kill is a drama war film directed by Giuliano Montaldo produced in 1989. Drama war films typically have soldiers, tanks, camp scenery, and action packed scenes.  In Time to KillLieutenant Silvestri suffers a toothache and decides to reach the nearest camp hospital earlier. En route to the camp his vehicle has an accident and stops near a rock.  Silvestri continues to travel by foot but never seems to find a physician. During his adventure, he finds a young man who directs him to an allegedly shorter route to the main camp.  He eventually finds rapes a young Ethiopian woman.

 

La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Lunais a drama romance from 1974 directed by Luigi Scattini. Typical Romance movies include high key lighting, while drama movies use low-key lighting; La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Lunahas both, In dramas sound is used to drive the scene. La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Lunatells the story of Alberto, an engineer, and Helen, a magazine photographer, has been married for a few years, but their marriage is in crisis. Then they decide to take a trip to Seychelles, where they will betray one another. Alberta meets Simona, a black woman in Seychellas.

 

Black and Whiteis a dramedy romance directed by Cristina Comencini tells the story of a computer technician Fabio, who is married to a cultural mediator.  Fabio falls in love with a black woman named Nadine from Senegal.

 

Time to Killand La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Lunaare films from the Italian film crisis era. Black and Whiteis a contemporary film, which gives Nadine, a black woman a lead part, but only to assert the superiority of the Italian race.

 

Time to Kill 

(photo in opening credits of Time to Kill)

19:50– When Lieutenant Silvestri first notices her there is an AB shot sequence with a series of close-ups and medium shots. These shots are used to highlight her features Her body is highlighted, as it is wet and glistening. She is continuously wiping just her arms and breasts. Her face is darker than the rest of her body because her body matters more than what she looks like. The shots are back and forth to put the viewer’s attention to Lieutenant Silvestri’s gaze at the Ethiopian woman, which makes it seem as if she is seducing him. Lieutenant then hands the woman a bar of soap, which suggests that her way of cleaning was wrong. This is a hint at colonialism.

 

20:04– While asking for directions, he begins to remove his clothing, which allows the viewers to assume that he plans to have sex with her. The camera is in a slight Dutch angle, which makes the viewers feel as if they are peeking in on a secret. Lieutenant immediately assumes that the Ethiopian woman is property; therefore, she has no agency.

 

22:40– Here at a straight on full shot the viewers notice that Lieutenant continues to touch the Ethiopian woman, as she shakes her head no. The sun still remains to illuminate only her body and everything else even lieutenant’s face is in the dark.

 

23:54-There is a close up as he rapes her, and she doesn’t have the words to say stop. This is an example of the black Venus and exoticism. She does not have the words because that is Italy’s view of its exploration of Africa.  This is the idea that black bodies serve as figures, something unreal. An example of black women not existing as a part of civilized culture because they are not human beings, they are animals.

 

24:50– Lieutenant begins to feel bad, so he offers her money and when she says no he seemingly understands after he gets what he wants. The angle also changes; they seem to be at the same level.

 

25:20- At a Dutch angle, he hands her a bible and they are framed in the lower thirds, making it awkward for the viewers. After taking away her innocence, it is difficult for the viewers to become comfortable with their interactions. Especially since Lieutenant is offering her goods after abusing her. The POV shots seem to go from slightly tilted down for Lieutenant and slightly tilted up for the Ethiopian woman to be on the same level suggesting that they are equal.

 

The Ethiopian woman in Time to Killdoes not have the language to protect herself against the rape of Lieutenant Silvestri. Through the use mediums and close-ups to highlight her naked body parts and facial features, it can be concluded that the Ethiopian woman is portrayed as an animal,  simply a body and not as a human being,. She is there to satisfy the fetish of the viewers.

 

La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Luna

 

(Photo from a close-up in La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Luna)

4:03– At a medium AB sequence, Alberto notices Simona and immediately stops listening to the staff in the airport. Simona doesn’t say award she smiles as she has slight lighting on her face to illuminate her facial features and a shirt that highlights her bust. The camera does a dramatic zoom, alluding to his amazement of her “exotic” beauty. In the POV shots, the camera is slightly looking down on her and slightly up in her POV shots. This puts Alberto in power.

 

4:21– When Alberto sees Simona again, in the extreme close-up her hair is blowing and the lens has a slight flare suggesting that Simona is unreal, apart of Alberto’s dream.

 

26:07– At this point, there is extreme close-up to highlight Simona’s features as he is fantasizing them. Alberto’s hands cover her face as if she is an object or a piece of art. He is fetishizing her.  This is an example of Racial Fetishism. This is the idea that the black woman is art, an object to explore instead of being a human being.

 

27:03-Simona’s red nails in this medium close up shot suggest promiscuity. The long unnatural nails with red paint allude to prostitution and darkness.

 

30:26– The camera is at an establishing wide shot, Alberto and Simona are on the beach having sex. Simona is barely clothed. This makes Simona seem exotic and exciting for the viewer’s eye.  This scene accentuates Simona’s breasts and body parts, presenting her as the black Venus.

 

In La Ragazza Dalle Pe Di Luna, Simona is generally wrapped in cloth, which hints at the fascist view of blackness. The fascist era provided the assumption that all black women are from Africa and should be presented this way.

 

 

Black and White

(Screen grab of Nadine and Curt from Bianco e Nero)

12:20- The camera is at a medium full shot while it pans across the room. Nadine is packing the viewer gets a glimpse at Nadine’s wall decorations and bedspread. The bed spread and picture on the wall has African Adinkrah symbols. This suggests that Nadine is exotic and from Africa because she is black,

 

32:17– At a medium shot AB sequence Fabio begins searching through Nadine’s desktop. Her family photos seem normal, until 32:27where her photo is closer than the others, which seems to make the background darker. This suggests that Fabio is falling in love with a black woman, which represents darkness.

 

Black and Whiteis different from La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Lunaand Time to Killbecause Nadine is given a lead role, but her words are not an accurate representation of black culture or women. Her words are used to assert the superiority of the Italian race,

 

In Time to Kill, La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Lunaboth films made during the Italian cinema crisis, the use of medium AB shots, lighting to highlight the skin and body figures, extreme close-ups and dramatic zooms are used to depict black women on screen through the eyes of Italy’s view of Africa. The black women in these two movies have a lack of speaking roles and are seen as objects, therefore black Venuses. In Black and White, although Nadine has a speaking role, it is used to assert the superiority of Italian beauty standards. There are also hints of exoticism as Nadine’s home and shots have objects that suggest African roots. In all three movies, Black women are the center of attention. Black women are being eroticized and racially fetishized by Italian men.

 

Italian Cinema since the crisis in the 1970s has made the fetishizing, eroticizing and of Black women normal in films. Black women actresses in Italy are limited to specific roles and standards thus limiting their work in the field. In the movies, Black and White(Romantic Comedy), La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Luna(Drama) and Time to Kill(Drama) there are running themes of eroticism and fetishization through the use of close-ups and medium angles, dramatic zooms, water hitting the body, and rolling around on the beach, highlights of the facial features and body types of black women, most of the women are not clothed, and lastly the lack of character development. In Time to Killand La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Luna, movies made in the 70s, the women are there as sex objects as they are silent almost the entire time. The idea that blackness is not apart of society,  In Black and White, made in the 2000s, there is progress as Aissa has speaking parts, she uses them to prove that Italian beauty standards are superior to her own. There are also hints of exoticism in her bedding, and objects in her home. Lastly, Fabio sees her as a fantasy, something unreal. Italian Cinema has not made much progression in its depiction of black women.

 

Bibliography

 

 

  • Bianco e Nero. Dir. Cristina Comencini. Rai Cinema, 2008. Film

 

  • Bhabha, Homi K. (June 1983). “The Other Question: Difference, Discrimination and the Discourses of Colonialism”. Screen. 24(6): 18–36. doi:1093/screen/24.6.18.]

 

  • Caponetto R.G. (2015) Art of Darkness: The Aestheticization of Black People in Fascist Colonial Novels. In: Fascist Hybridities. Italian and Italian American Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, New York

 

  • “EXOTICISM | Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” EXOTICISM | Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/exoticism.

 

  • La Ragazza Dalla Pelle Di Luna. Dir. Luigi Scattini. Aquilla Cinematografica, 1974. Film

 

  • Philip Morgan (10 November 2003). Italian Fascism, 1915-1945. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 202. ISBN978-0-230-80267-4.

 

  • Time to Kill.Dir. Guiliano Montaldo.Republic Pictures, 1989. Film

 

  • Qureshi, Sadiah (June 2004). “Displaying Sara Baartman, the ‘Venus Hottentot'”. History of Science42(136): 233–257

 

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