The Question of Cinema in Italian Aesthetics Between the Early and Late 20th Century

Theoretical-Historical Outcomes and Research Perspectives

Abstract

This text examines and compares the philosophical approaches to cinema developed in Italy during the early and late 20th Century. By casting light on the deficiency of a systematic philosophical frame and by highlighting the unsuitability of intellectualistic interpretative schemes, these reflections attempt to confront and renovate the traditional neo–idealistic aesthetics. Yet, the theoretical debate on cinema in Italy shows many deficiencies, since these philosophical reflections are only partially philosophical, and compromise themselves with the pragmatic plan of poetics.