Magistrali, Silvia M. (2021) Cinematic imagery and the weekly press in post-war Italy : production sites, processes and people, 1950-1965. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the ways in which the Italian illustrated press created and disseminated a visual cinematic knowledge in the period between 1950 and 1965. Through explorations of production sites and processes, and related editorial practices, it offers an in-depth analysis of the role played by major publishers like Arnoldo Mondadori and Angelo Rizzoli. The study focusses mainly on three weeklies that serve as case studies of the modern news magazine in the post-war period: L’Europeo, Oggi and Epoca (in the first years of its existence, 1950–1951). Rizzoli will also be considered in relation to its impact on film production.

After addressing the broad context of the international press (chapter 1), the thesis examines the creation and function of new editorial environments within the expanding publishing industry of the 1950s–1960s. Analysis of photographic prints and illustrated pages of magazines reveals the various forms of storytelling related to cinema that ran through the different spaces of illustrated magazine and which shaped editorial work (chapter 3 and 5). The study is complemented by examinations of specialised units within publishing houses, such as documentation centres and marketing offices (chapter 4 and 5), which had a decisive impact on the circulation of filmic imagery.

Drawing on the publishers’ documentation centres, among other sources, this thesis delves into the complex institutional and inter-personal relationships that shaped the formation and perpetuation of a cinematic imaginary in the Italian press. Combining tradition and innovation, the magazines used cinema to extend the range of visual content that their readers were familiar with. By examining strategies for promoting directorial ‘brands’ that were considered to be consistent with journalistic values, the study highlights the fluid relations that obtained between journalism, advertising and visual documentation.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures T Technology > TR Photography
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Motion pictures, Italian -- Press coverage, Motion pictures -- Italy -- History -- 20th century, Motion pictures, Italian -- History -- 20th century, Journalism, Pictorial -- Italy -- History -- 20th century, Editorials -- Italy -- History -- 20th century
Official Date:	April 2021
Dates:	Date Event April 2021 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Film and Television Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Gundle, Stephen, 1956-
Sponsors:	Wolfson Foundation
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	xii, 242 leaves : illustrations
Language:	eng

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