The Humanist Vision in Neorealist Films: The Circularity of Influences in World Cinema

When we observe the influence of neorealism, in the first instance we need to consider its humanist vision which implies that we cannot rely on elements and aspects of the narrative but we have to rely on extratextual information - i.e., information which surpasses the narrative text. I will discuss examples of world cinema that have appropriated the humanist vision of neorealism and the ways in which this vision affects the structuring of the fabula. This can be seen most prominently in Chinese, Iranian, Indian, African, Mexican and Taiwanese films (especially the films of Hou Hsiao Hsien). The point of departure (and I am following Mieke Bal here) is that the fabula, even more generally than the syuzhet makes describable a segment of reality that is broader than that of narrative texts only. Fabulas always make describable segments of reality that are broader than that of narrative texts only, but in the case of neorealist films this is more pronounced. The specificity of the fabula in neorealist films is its reliance on extratextual information as well as its reliance on the focalized world view. The relation between the subject that perceives and that which is perceived invests the story with subjectivity. By the same token focalization cannot take place without the act of narrating. Considering that the narrational process presupposes a text, or rather a medium such as film through which the story is narrated, it is impossible that the viewers perceive the narrated content directly. That content is subjectivized, represented, framed, filtered through a specific vision. In this concrete text we can speak of the humanist vision.