Chapter 11: Wartime and Postwar Cinema: Italy and the United States, 1940-1951
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The effect on World War II on the national film industries of Western Europe was
a. complete devastation.
b. widely different from country to country.
c. only negative in Germany and Italy.
d. less serious in France than in the other major film producing countries.
e. negligible in Great Britain.
f. none of the above
2. After World War II, the only national film industry to survive relatively intact was
a. Great Britain. d. France.
b. Germany. e. all of the above
c. Italy. f. none of the above
3. The government department that controlled movie distribution and exhibition in fascist Italy was
a. LUCE. d. Cinecittà.
b. ENIC. e. VGIK.
c. Centro Sperimentale. f. none of the above
4. Cinecittà is
a. the Italian Film School.
b. the leading Italian film journal.
c. the largest movie studio in Europe.
d. the Italian organization that controlled exhibition and distribution practices.
e. an Italian government-financed production company specializing in documentaries.
f. none of the above
5. Which of the following neorealist filmmakers was neither a student nor a faculty member at Centro
Sperimentale?
a. Cesare Zavattini
b. Roberto Rossellini
c. Michelangelo Antonioni
d. Vittorio De Sica
e. Giuseppe De Santis
f. All of the above were students or faculty at Centro Sperimentale.
6. The purpose of the BMPA was to
a. ensure that no Communists worked in the American film industry.
b. develop and enforce a ratings system for movies in the United States.
c. promote the export of American films in European markets.
d. coordinate Hollywood’s contribution to the war effort during World War II.
e. represent Hollywood producers in their struggle with the labor unions.
f. none of the above
7. Which of the following was NOT a film industry policy instituted by Mussolini?
a. government financing of educational documentaries and newsreels
b. a centralized bureaucracy to control the distribution and exhibition of all films in Italy
c. establishing a national film school
d. authorizing the construction of one of the biggest studios in Europe
e. imposing import quotas on foreign films
f. none of the above
8. The fascist cinema of the Mussolini era
a. was not a great popular success with Italian audiences.
b. saw production drop in both number and quality.
c. saw Italy reach all-time highs in the number of feature films produced.
d. only produced propaganda films.
e. celebrated the emergence of neorealism.
f. none of the above
9. Calligraphism was
a. the formalistic, highly decorative film style popular in fascist Italy.
b. the stylistic precursor to neorealism with a similar approach to narrative.
c. the Italian film movement that followed neorealism with a more abstract, intellectual style.
d. a form of Italian documentary that blended fact and fiction.
e. a theoretical approach to film that was never realized.
f. none of the above
10. Francesco De Robertis
a. was the head of the Italian film industry under Mussolini.
b. made several semidocumentary films that anticipated neorealism.
c. directed middle-class comedies of manners.
d. was a teacher at Centro Sperimentale who first theorized neorealism.
e. was a producer who gave Vittorio De Sica his first directing job.
f. none of the above
11. The theoretical founder of neorealism who publicly called for a new kind of cinema to be produced in
Italy was
a. Roberto Rossellini. d. Vittorio De Sica.
b. Luchino Visconti. e. Federico Fellini.
c. Cesare Zavattini. f. none of the above
12. Zavattini’s conception of neorealism involved
a. intricately woven plots.
b. heroic, exceptional characters.
c. more realistic performances from professional actors.
d. capturing contemporary social reality.
e. stories of the Italian past.
f. all of the above
13. Italian neorealism
a. was stylistically related to German Expressionism.
b. looked to Italian history for stories and characters.
c. was popular with audiences during the war.
d. had no underlying political beliefs or agenda.
e. was theorized before any films were made in the style.
f. all of the above
14. Which of the following was NOT an influence on Italian neorealism?
a. Marxism d. critical debate in Italian film journals
b. French poetic realism e. reaction against fascism
c. Eisenstein and Pudovkin f. All of the above are influences.
15. Both Luchino Visconti and Michelangelo Antonioni served their cinematic apprenticeships in
a. France. d. Great Britain.
b. Germany. e. Sweden.
c. the Soviet Union. f. none of the above
16. The first Italian film recognized as being neorealist was
a. Rome, Open City. d. Paisan.
b. Ossessione. e. The White Ship.
c. Shoeshine. f. none of the above
17. Ossessione
a. was one of the only Italian films to achieve international acclaim during the war.
b. was written by Zavattini and directed by De Sica.
c. was based on the American novel The Postman Always Rings Twice without permission.
d. passed the Italian censors without a problem.
e. takes place in Rome, with the city providing dramatic background for the action.
f. none of the above
18. Ossessione reveals all of the following neorealist characteristics EXCEPT
a. real locations.
b. the problems of ordinary people.
c. examination of social issues.
d. leftist political commitment.
e. a working-class setting.
f. All of the above can be seen in the film.
19. Rome, Open City
a. is recognized as the first neorealist film ever produced.
b. was the first film of the writing and directing team of Zavattini and De Sica.
c. was shot primarily in the studios at Cinecittà.
d. was shot during the Nazi occupation of Rome.
e. was the first neorealist film seen in the United States.
f. all of the above
20. Which of the following is a reason for the success of Rome, Open City?
a. the honest depiction of Nazi brutality
b. the extraordinary sense of realism that made the film look like a newsreel
c. the technical ingenuity of the film
d. the melodramatic plotline
e. It represented a leap forward for the intellectual integrity of the Italian cinema.
f. all of the above
21. Rome, Open City can be considered a model for later neorealist films because of its use of
a. shooting on real locations.
b. synchronized sound.
c. nonprofessional actors exclusively.
d. highly expressive editing.
e. ancient history as the basis for its narrative.
f. all of the above
22. La Terra Trema
a. was the first neorealist film shown outside of Italy.
b. was written by Zavattini and directed by De Sica.
c. took the camera out of the studio to probe the lives of ordinary people.
d. was the most commercially successful film directed by Rossellini.
e. marked a return to the golden age of Italian studio production.
f. all of the above
23. Which of the following films is NOT part of Rossellini’s “war trilogy”?
a. Rome, Open City
b. Paisan
c. Germany, Year Zero
d. Voyage to Italy
e. neither a nor b
f. None of the above is among the “war trilogy” films.
24. Paisan
a. used only nonprofessional actors.
b. tells the story of one man’s wartime struggles in Naples.
c. was partially scripted and partially improvised.
d. was made on a very small budget.
e. was Rossellini’s last neorealist film.
f. none of the above
25. Germany, Year Zero
a. once again mixed professional and nonprofessional actors.
b. was shot all across Italy, giving a multifaceted view of the German occupation.
c. is like a documentary in that it has no fictional, contrived plot.
d. was the first film directed by Vittorio De Sica.
e. was a critical and commercial failure and the last time that the director worked in the neorealist
style.
f. none of the above
26. Vittorio De Sica began his film career as
a. a theoretician at Centro Sperimentale.
b. a director of silent films from the earliest days of the Italian cinema.
c. a screenwriter for fascist propaganda films.
d. an editor for Roberto Rossellini during the war.
e. a matinee-idol movie star during the “white telephone” era.
f. none of the above
27. The first collaboration between De Sica and Zavattini was on the film
a. Shoeshine. d. Miracle in Milan.
b. The Bicycle Thief. e. Germany, Year Zero.
c. Umberto D. f. none of the above
28. De Sica and Zavattini’s Shoeshine
a. was their first foray into neorealism.
b. was a great success in Italy but not well received in the United States.
c. was a conventional middle-class comedy like so many of De Sica’s early films.
d. was the most expensive Italian film of 1946.
e. was a “white telephone” film that also starred De Sica and Zavattini.
f. none of the above
29. The Bicycle Thief
a. had nonprofessional actors in the leading roles.
b. was not as big an international success as De Sica and Zavattini’s previous films.
c. is about a man who steals bicycles for a living.
d. was shot primarily on the stages of Cinecittà.
e. was about an issue (unemployment) that was in fact no longer a problem in Italy when the film
came out.
f. all of the above
30. The Bicycle Thief can best be described as
a. a powerful social document committed to the reality it portrays.
b. a touching story of a relationship between a father and son.
c. a modern parable of alienated man in a dehumanized environment.
d. among the most important films in the postwar era.
e. both a and d
f. all of the above
31. The De Sica/Zavattini film that comes closest to realizing the neorealist ideal of a pure cinema of
everyday life is
a. Shoeshine. d. Umberto D.
b. The Bicycle Thief. e. Miracle in Milan.
c. Paisan. f. none of the above
32. The primary relationship in Umberto D. is between an old man and
a. his wife. d. his landlady.
b. his dog. e. his employer.
c. his son. f. none of the above
33. The creative partnership between De Sica and Zavattini
a. ended with the demise of neorealism in the 1950s.
b. continued into the 1960s, working almost solely in the neorealist style.
c. was lengthy and productive, lasting until the ends of both their careers.
d. produced no new films after Umberto D.
e. never produced internationally successful films.
f. none of the above
34. The decline of neorealism was primarily the result of
a. its lack of popularity in Europe and the United States.
b. a downward spiral in the Italian economy.
c. the Andreotti Law.
d. its lack of popularity in Italy.
e. directors losing interest in the subject matter.
f. all of the above
35. The Andreotti Law was passed in order to
a. privatize the formerly state-owned Italian film industry.
b. encourage the importing of European and American films.
c. regulate the content of imported films.
d. aid in the export of neorealist films.
e. require Italian theaters to show Italian films at least 20 percent of the time.
f. all of the above
36. The Andreotti Law
a. placed the Italian film industry under state control.
b. had provisions for banning from exhibition films that were not in Italy’s “best interests.”
c. taxed imported films.
d. subsidized domestic film production.
e. tripled Italian domestic distribution.
f. all of the above
37. Federico Fellini began his career as the screenwriting collaborator of neorealist director
a. Luchino Visconti. d. Pietro Germi.
b. Roberto Rossellini. e. Michelangelo Antonioni.
c. Vittorio De Sica. f. none of the above
38. In the end, neorealism
a. completely revitalized the Italian cinema.
b. had a greater influence abroad than domestically.
c. had little impact on the international status of the Italian cinema.
d. was a short-lived movement with little lasting influence domestically or abroad.
e. failed to produce a large number of great films or great filmmakers.
f. none of the above
39. Fellini and Antonioni
a. were both neorealist directors beginning in the 1940s.
b. were both writers during the neorealist period.
c. were both film critics for the journal Cinema before becoming directors.
d. completely abandoned neorealism when they became directors.
e. worked together throughout their careers.
f. none of the above
40. Neorealism
a. was extremely popular both in Italy and in international markets.
b. was the first postwar cinema to liberate filmmaking from the artificial confines of the studio.
c. created many stars who went on to have long distinguished careers in the Italian cinema.
d. was almost never improvised, relying on carefully prepared scenarios.
e. had little lasting influence on Italian or world cinema.
f. none of the above
41. The influence of neorealism
a. was negligible on the American cinema.
b. was primarily on filmmakers from countries that did not have strong cinema traditions.
c. was particularly strong on the French New Wave.
d. was not widely seen until many years after the movement’s decline.
e. has often been overstated in light of its actual limited importance.
f. none of the above
42. All of the following are thematic categories of films suggested to Hollywood by the U.S. government
during World War II EXCEPT
a. the nature of the enemy.
b. the issues of war.
c. the home front.
d. the “United Nations.”
e. the entertainment of the civilian population.
f. All of the above were suggested categories.
43. All of the following organizations were devoted to the production of propaganda films during World
War II EXCEPT
a. the Army Pictorial Services. d. the War Department.
b. the Army Educational Program. e. the U.S. Navy Signal Corps.
c. the overseas branch of the OWI. f. all of the above
44. The Why We Fight series was produced by
a. Frank Capra. d. John Huston.
b. John Ford. e. George Stevens.
c. William Wyler. f. none of the above
45. Capra’s Meet John Doe, Lang’s Ministry of Fear, and Hitchcock’s Lifeboat are all examples of
a. early film noir.
b. films that accurately portrayed the dangers of Fascism.
c. films in which the Fascist characters are cowardly buffoons.
d. combat documentaries.
e. realistic war films.
f. none of the above
46. Which of the following films is NOT about the attempt to show the growing relationship between the
United States and its new ally, the Soviet Union?
a. The North Star
b. Song of Russia
c. Mission to Moscow
d. Days of Glory
e. Ministry of Fear
f. All of the above are about the Soviet/American alliance.
47. The war films produced by Hollywood in 1943 and 1944 became increasingly
a. pessimistic about the outcome of the war.
b. rare, as the public began to tire of war films.
c. clichéd and unrealistic in their depiction of the war.
d. realistic and sophisticated in their depiction of the war.
e. isolationist, ignoring the problems of our allies.
f. none of the above
48. During World War II
a. Hollywood suffered through the most difficult box-office period in its history.
b. war films consistently represented about half of the top twenty box-office performers.
c. only about 10 percent of Hollywood’s films were directly concerned with Fascism and the war.
d. there were very few musicals or comedies produced.
e. Hollywood refused to cooperate with government requests to reduce the length of A-films.
f. none of the above
49. The relationship between Hollywood and the U.S. armed forces has historically been
a. very tense due to Hollywood’s negative portrayal of the military.
b. extremely cooperative, with the military providing equipment, cast, and locations at no charge.
c. cooperative during World War II but tenuous ever since.
d. strained during World War II but much more cooperative since, as the military has realized the
public relations benefits offered by Hollywood exposure.
e. only significant during times of war.
f. none of the above
50. All of the following are reasons for Hollywood’s success during World War II EXCEPT
a. lower ticket prices.
b. full employment and economic prosperity.
c. the therapeutic function of film in times of social stress.
d. going to the movies was seen as a patriotic act due to a special war tax.
e. the production of war and combat films produced with assistance of the armed forces saved up to
50 percent on production costs.
f. None of the above; Hollywood was financially unsuccessful during World War II.
51. Immediately after World War II, Hollywood
a. discovered that it had lost a large percentage of its domestic audience.
b. began cutting the salaries of its studio employees.
c. resumed its economic domination of international film markets.
d. attempted to change its production practices in order to keep up with changing markets.
e. experienced a period of unprecedented harmony in labor relations.
f. none of the above
52. Which of the following is NOT a problem experienced by Hollywood in the immediate postwar
period?
a. studio labor strikes
b. spiraling inflation driving up production costs
c. declining attendance and box-office revenues
d. tariffs and import quotas from Europe
e. rising costs of film stock
f. all of the above
53. The Paramount decrees of 1948 forced the major movie studios to
a. practice block booking.
b. give up their long-term contracts with their stars.
c. limit their exports to foreign markets.
d. sell their theater chains.
e. get out of the distribution business.
f. all of the above
54. The financial condition of Hollywood in 1948 can best be described as
a. the strongest it had ever been with enormous attendance both at home and abroad.
b. on the rise after several economically difficult years.
c. holding steady from its performance during the years of the war.
d. showing early signs of decline, which went largely unnoticed at the time.
e. terrible, with production budgets cut by 50 percent and widespread unemployment.
f. none of the above
55. The economic problems experienced by Hollywood in 1947–1948 led to
a. a new concern for high quality scripts.
b. films that could be shot on location with smaller casts and crews.
c. greater social and psychological realism.
d. films that dealt with prejudice, corruption, and social inequality.
e. greater freedom for writers and directors.
f. all of the above
56. In 1947 nearly one-third of all American films could be classified as
a. social-problem films. d. musicals.
b. film noir. e. westerns.
c. war films. f. none of the above
57. Home of the Brave, Intruder in the Dust, and Lost Boundaries belong to a group of films called
a. film noir. d. the semidocumentary crime film.
b. the antiwar film. e. the social justice cycle.
c. the Negro cycle. f. none of the above
58. Both Body and Soul and The Set-Up are social-problem films dealing with the subject of
a. race relations. d. boxing.
b. juvenile delinquency. e. corrupt journalism.
c. mental illness. f. none of the above
59. Louis De Rochemont became known for his
a. comedies. d. boxing films.
b. musicals. e. semidocumentary crime films.
c. war dramas. f. none of the above
60. Jules Dassin’s The Naked City
a. was shot in a cinéma vérité style.
b. was shot on location.
c. utilized hidden cameras.
d. is a semidocumentary crime film.
e. uses many nonprofessional performers.
f. all of the above
61. Thematically, film noir is characterized by
a. cynicism, darkness, and despair.
b. optimism, perseverance, and hope.
c. transcendence through suffering.
d. heroism overcoming adversity.
e. the possibility of fulfillment through romance.
f. none of the above
62. Double Indemnity is a prototypical film of which style or cycle?
a. the social-problem film d. the anticommunist film
b. film noir e. the postwar western
c. the semidocumentary crime film f. none of the above
63. All of the following are characteristic of film noir EXCEPT
a. the featuring of often unsympathetic antiheroes.
b. women portrayed as double-crossing femmes fatales.
c. generally rural settings.
d. the depiction of a corrupt social order and human depravity.
e. a “cinema of moral anxiety.”
f. all of the above
64. Film noir cinematography is characterized by
a. use of wide-angle lenses.
b. low-key lighting.
c. shadows and darkness dominating the frame.
d. expressive distortion in close-ups.
e. night-for-night shooting.
f. all of the above
65. All of the following are technical innovations that made film noir possible EXCEPT
a. smaller camera dollies. d. higher speed lenses.
b. portable power packs. e. more powerful lighting instruments.
c. fine-grain film stocks. f. all of the above
66. All of the following are significant influences on film noir EXCEPT
a. German Expressionism. d. postwar optimism.
b. the work of Sigmund Freud. e. the American gangster film.
c. French poetic realism. f. All of the above were influences.
67. In the postwar American cinema, the film noir style
a. enjoyed a very brief period of popularity.
b. was only seen in films about crime and the underworld.
c. could be seen in many genres including the romance and the western.
d. was never popular with American audiences.
e. did not accurately reflect the buoyant mood of postwar America.
f. none of the above
68. The HUAC was interested in
a. promoting the export of American cinema.
b. ridding Hollywood of labor problems.
c. coordinating the wartime efforts of Hollywood and the U.S. government.
d. ensuring that a multiplicity of viewpoints would be presented in the American cinema.
e. producing semidocumentary crime films.
f. none of the above
69. Ronald Reagan, Gary Cooper, and Walt Disney
a. were “friendly witnesses” who identified Communists in Hollywood to the HUAC.
b. were all involved in the production of combat documentaries during World War II.
c. led the Office of War Information’s activities in Hollywood.
d. were all decorated soldiers who fought in World War II.
e. together started the Committee for the First Amendment.
f. none of the above
70. The Hollywood Ten
a. was an organization of the major movie studios devoted to fighting Communism.
b. was a set of ten regulations by which the major studios conducted their business.
c. were the ten biggest stars in Hollywood.
d. was a group of filmmakers who were jailed for refusing to testify before the HUAC.
e. comprised mostly actors and directors.
f. none of the above
71. The Committee for the First Amendment was a group dedicated to
a. ridding Hollywood of Communism.
b. protecting the rights of the HUAC’s “accused witnesses.”
c. ending the Production Code.
d. unionizing Hollywood’s creative workers.
e. lobbying the government on behalf of the movie industry.
f. none of the above
72. The Waldorf Statement declared the studios’
a. support for the Hollywood Ten.
b. support for the American war effort after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
c. intentions to purge the industry of Communists.
d. decision to abandon the Production Code.
e. decision to abandon the blacklist.
f. none of the above
73. The blacklist resulted in
a. one of the most creative periods in Hollywood’s history.
b. the liberalization of the Screen Actors Guild.
c. a sense of security in Hollywood since it was now rid of Communists.
d. little more than the loss of a handful of jobs.
e. over three hundred people being fired by the studios.
f. none of the above
74. Which of the following directors did NOT see his American film career destroyed by the blacklist?
a. Elia Kazan
b. Abraham Polonsky
c. Joseph Losey
d. Jules Dassin
e. Herbert Biberman
f. All of the above were victims of the blacklist.
75. The blacklist
a. only lasted a few years.
b. ended in the mid-1950s with a series of lawsuits.
c. continued to have an impact on the industry until the 1960s.
d. had the least effect on screenwriters, who were less publicly visible than actors or directors.
e. completely prevented top screenwriters like Dalton Trumbo from working in Hollywood.
f. none of the above
76. Vladimir Zworykin is best known for
a. directing film noir.
b. inventing the portable, lightweight cameras used in combat.
c. chairing the HUAC.
d. his semidocumentary crime films.
e. organizing the Waldorf Statement.
f. none of the above
77. The major Hollywood studios’ first response to television was to
a. ignore it as a passing fad.
b. try to destroy it through their greater wealth and power.
c. begin producing material for broadcast on the new medium.
d. underestimate its future economic value to the entertainment industry.
e. attempt to apply for station licenses in major markets.
f. none of the above
78. In 1949, the number of television sets in the United States was
a. only a few hundred, mostly in experimental settings.
b. only a few thousand, almost entirely in New York City.
c. nearly a hundred thousand, as the medium was just beginning to take off.
d. around a million, demonstrating that the medium had arrived.
e. none; television didn’t arrive until the early 1950s.
f. none of the above
79. By 1949, the effects of television on the American film industry were
a. negligible.
b. only starting to be noticed by Hollywood.
c. a 25 percent drop in attendance and a 50 percent decline in production.
d. beginning to look positive as production expanded to fill television’s demand for programming.
e. a very slight dip in both attendance and production.
f. none of the above