Cinematography technique · used in 3 films

Urban Crowd Indifference

Filming city crowds as they keep moving around one person's tragedy without noticing. The scale of the city makes private disaster invisible and shows how alienated people have become.

Examples

3 films that use it

  1. Bicycle Thieves (1948) poster

    Bicycle Thieves

    Vittorio De Sica · 1948

    De Sica fills the frame with crowds of people walking through Rome. Antonio searches in and around this crowd, which keeps moving. No one stops and no one helps. With no hostility at all, the crowd simply fails to notice how much 1 stolen bicycle means to 1 man. The city's indifference is the film's point about society.

    Where to see it: Antonio disappearing into the crowd with Bruno at the end. The city swallows them, and it's so big that their tragedy becomes invisible.

  2. Midnight Cowboy (1969) poster

    Midnight Cowboy

    John Schlesinger · 1969

    Schlesinger films New York's crowds as the environment that defines the story. The city is famous for ignoring suffering, and the film treats that as part of how the place is built. Joe thought being anonymous was freedom. It turns out to be what makes it possible to exploit him.

    Where to see it: Joe and Ratso crossing a Manhattan street as a cab nearly hits them and Ratso shouts 'I'm walkin' here!' The traffic and the crowd carry on without a glance. Because nobody cares, the 2 men's attachment to each other is the only warmth in the frame.

  3. Robot Dreams (2023) poster

    Robot Dreams

    Pablo Berger · 2023

    Berger's New York is full of animal New Yorkers going about their day. None of them notice Dog's loneliness or Robot's trouble. Because the city doesn't care, the 2 of them need their friendship, and losing it is devastating.

    Where to see it: Dog walking through the crowded city after losing Robot. The crowd flows around him and nobody pays attention. With all those strangers around, you notice the gap left by the one companion who is missing.

Questions

Quick answers

What is urban crowd indifference in film?
Filming city crowds as they keep moving around one person's tragedy without noticing. The scale of the city makes private disaster invisible and shows how alienated people have become.
Which films use urban crowd indifference?
Bicycle Thieves (1948), Midnight Cowboy (1969), Robot Dreams (2023).
What kind of technique is urban crowd indifference?
It is a cinematography technique. Related cinematography techniques include Neorealist Location Grammar, Handheld Cinema Vérité.

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