Hollywood S Italians

"Avoiding the sometimes sterile and by now often futile debate concerning stereotypes, Hollywood's Italians is instead an act of loving archeology: digging in the past and assembling a colorful kaleidoscopic mosaic of tesserae. It is a pointillist portrait of a collective community. Each chapter is devoted to a theme, be it Italians who made their way to Hollywood, the transition from stage to screen, the symbiotic interaction between television and film, music on the screen, food and family, and peopled with dozens of mini-biographies that reveal often surprising bits of information. The appendix, listing all Italian American Academy Award winners and nominations, is invaluable as a historical document. Readers will bask in the wonderful nostalgia while being simultaneously entertained and enlightened." - - Stanislao G. Pugliese, Queensboro Unico Distinguished Professor of Italian and Italian American Studies, Hofstra University

"This book is a celebration of nearly a century of images of Italians in American motion pictures and their contribution to popular culture." "Hollywood Italians covers the careers of dozens of stars including Rudolph Valentino, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, James Gandolfini, and many others. In addition, the book reviews the work of such Italian American directors as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese." "In all, Hollywood Italians discusses scores of films with a concentration on the most important, including their literary and European-cinematic roots. The book is capped by a comprehensive examination of The Godfather and its two sequels, as well as the international television phenomenon The Sopranos."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Napoli/New York/Hollywood is an absorbing investigation of the significant impact that Italian immigrant actors, musicians, and directors—and the southern Italian stage traditions they embodied—have had on the history of Hollywood cinema and American media, from 1895 to the present day. In a unique exploration of the transnational communication between American and Italian film industries, media or performing arts as practiced in Naples, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, this groundbreaking book looks at the historical context and institutional film history from the illuminating perspective of the performers themselves—the workers who lend their bodies and their performance culture to screen representations. In doing so, the author brings to light the cultural work of families and generations of artists that have contributed not only to American film culture, but also to the cultural construction and evolution of “Italian-ness” over the past century. Napoli/New York/Hollywood offers a major contribution to our understanding of the role of southern Italian culture in American cinema, from the silent era to contemporary film. Using a provocative interdisciplinary approach, the author associates southern Italian culture with modernity and the immigrants’ preservation of cultural traditions with innovations in the mode of production and in the use of media technologies (theatrical venues, music records, radio, ethnic films). Each chapter synthesizes a wealth of previously under-studied material and displays the author’s exceptional ability to cover transnational cinematic issues within an historical context. For example, her analysis of the period from the end of World War I until the beginning of sound in film production in the end of the 1920s, delivers a meaningful revision of the relationship between Fascism and American cinema, and Italian emigration. Napoli/New York/Hollywood examines the careers of those Italian performers who were Italian not only because of their origins but because their theatrical culture was Italian, a culture that embraced high and low, tragedy and comedy, music, dance and even acrobatics, naturalism, and improvisation. Their previously unexplored story—that of the Italian diaspora’s influence on American cinema—is here meticulously reconstructed through rich primary sources, deep archival research, extensive film analysis, and an enlightening series of interviews with heirs to these traditions, including Francis Coppola and his sister Talia Shire, John Turturro, Nancy Savoca, James Gandolfini, David Chase, Joe Dante, and Annabella Sciorra.

The story told in this book, which analyzes the presence of Italians in California in the early decades of the twentieth century and the influence they exerted in various sectors (from architecture to art, from crafts to the burgeoning film industry), began in 1915, the year Salvatore Ferragamo arrived in the United States and soon after moved to the sunny West Coast. That same year the Panama-Pacific International Exposition opened in San Francisco, where Marcello Piacentini's Italian Citadel made waves and marked the beginning of the powerful and lasting influence of the Renaissance style on the local architectural language. Against the backdrop of Italian emigration to the States - the fil rouge running through the entire book - and of a Hollywood on its way to becoming the world capital of the young film industry, the volume tells of personalities who were already myths in their day, such as Enrico Caruso, Rudolph Valentino, Lina Cavalieri, and Tina Modotti; cinematic milestones like Cabiria , Ben-Hur , and Romola ; the star system and iconic directors; the important part played by Italian musicians in the birth of jazz; and the thousands of Italians who worked "behind the scenes," making a vital contribution to the creation of the Hollywood myth. This complex story, told both in words and in images, paints a varied and multifaceted picture of the "set" on which the Shoemaker of Dreams began his thrilling creative adventure in America.

"[This book] explores the different ways in which Italian American directors from the 1920s to the present have responded to their ethnicity. While some directors have used film to declare their ethnic roots and create an Italian American 'imagined community,' others have ignored or even denied their background . . . Cavallero's exploration of the films of Capra, Scorsese, Savoca, Coppola,and Tarantino demonstrates how immigrant Italians fought prejudice, how later generations positioned themselves in relation to their predecessors, and how the American cinema, usually seen as a cultural instituion that works to assimlate, has also served as a forum where assimilation was resisted." -- Book cover.

Leave it to Hollywood to translate passion into a man named Valentino, or Novarro, Romero, Quinn, Jourdan, Boyer, Pacino, Banderas - the antithesis of the All-American blonde and square-jawed hero. In detailed biographies and glorious photographs gathered from the archives around the world, journalist Victoria Thomas tells the dramatic stories of 20 of the screen's Latin Lovers.

🎬✨ Dive into the Riveting Story of Sophia Loren, a True Italian Masterpiece in Hollywood! ✨🎬 Discover the extraordinary journey of Sophia Loren in "From Naples to Hollywood: The Inspiring Journey of Sophia Loren's Rise to Stardom and Enduring Legacy". This meticulously crafted ebook takes you on an unparalleled adventure from the cobblestone streets of Pozzuoli to the glamorous avenues of Hollywood, unveiling the captivating story of an actress who redefined the boundaries of cinema. 🌟 Inside this Journey, You'll Discover: Sophia's Humble Beginnings: Explore her early years and the resilience that propelled her from war-torn Italy to global stardom. Hollywood Breakthrough: Relive the pivotal moments that marked Sophia's transition to Hollywood, breaking cultural and industry barriers. Iconic Roles and Performances: Delve into the roles that made Sophia Loren a household name, showcasing her versatility and depth as an actress. Beyond the Screen: Get an intimate look at Sophia's life outside of acting, including her style icon status, personal relationships, and philanthropic efforts. Enduring Legacy: Understand the impact of Sophia Loren's career on the film industry and her influence on generations of actors and filmmakers. 📖 Whether you're a lifelong fan of Sophia Loren, a classic film aficionado, or someone who appreciates the stories of inspirational figures overcoming the odds, this book is a must-read. It's not just a biography; it's a celebration of a woman who lived with passion, determination, and grace. 💖 Download your copy today and be inspired by the timeless story of Sophia Loren, an Italian icon whose legacy continues to shine in Hollywood and beyond. 💖

It is almost impossible to imagine the United States without making reference to Italy. There is scarcely any aspect of American culture untouched by Italy—its history, art, architecture, fashion, film, music, the mafia, or even more viscerally its food. Italy occupies a space of near mythical proportion in the American imagination. When many Americans think of, or dream about and imagine, the good life, how and where they would like to live, they think most often of Italy; the beauty, the life-style, the romance, the excitement and sense of adventure that Italy offers. By looking at the fluid and multi-dimensional imaginative interactions Americans have with Italian culture and society, this comprehensive and robust volume offers a new and novel way of exploring the influence of Italy upon the United States. University of New South Wales historian Ian James Bickerton argues that if we wish to understand the United States, and how Americans define themselves and their nation, it is vital to examine how they imagine themselves, and he demonstrates that throughout U.S. history one of the most powerful stimulants shaping the imaginary world of Americans has been Italy.