Italian Americans in Film

This book examines how Italian Americans have been represented in cinema, from the depiction of Italian migration in New Orleans in the 1890s (Vendetta) to the transition from first to second-generation immigrants (Ask the Dust), from the establishment of the stereotype of the Italian American gangster (Little Caesar, Scarface) to the re-definition of said stereotype (Mean Streets) and of a certain depiction of Italian American masculinity (Marty, Raging Bull). For many years, Italian migration studies in the United States have reflected on the way cinema contributed to the creation of Italian American identity. More recently, scholars have become aware of the existence of a plurality of Italian American identities, taking into account social and historical elements, class backgrounds, and the relationship with other ethnic minorities. The second part of the book challenges the most common tropes of Italian Americanness: food (Big Night) and Mafia, deconstructing the criminal tropes that have contributed to shaping the latter in The Funeral, Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco, and the first two chapters of the Godfather trilogy. Intersecting the fields of Italian Culture, Italian American Culture, Film Studies, and Migration Studies, this book is written not only for undergraduate and graduate students but also for scholars who teach courses on Italian American Cinema and Visual Culture.