The Italian American Movie

6 Pages 1518 Words

tify the family right away. The second theme that is popular is religion; even the most hardcore gangster shows respect for religion. Finally, the portrayal of the culture is also very commonplace. According to Dr. Tamburri, Emigration, assimilation, food, women, identity, stereotypes, ethnic (re)discovery, and sense of self constitute the thematic foundation of little Italy .


The Family

“Your family is the center of your being.” This characterizes many Italian-American films. It is a type of Tribalism. Typically, the women, the mother, daughters, and other women of the family, are in the kitchen talking. The men are usually very comfortable in the living room talking and acting macho.
Code of conduct in every Italian-American movie is treating one’s family right. A common source of conflict emerges when one of the characters does something that the family does not agree with. The respect for family is very important.

Love and Marriage

In a culture that m...