The Italian mafia has been a prominent them in the mass media for centuries. The portrayal of mobsters and the mafia in the U. S. 's film industry has created a stereotype for Italians that is perfectly accepted in the American culture. In this particular paper I am going to discuss various films and TV that address the topic of the Italian mafia and how these shows depict individuals of Italian source. More specifically I'll make an effort to show how films like the Goodfather, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and more recent works such as HBO's hit The Sopranos create a negative stereotype for Italian American man and women, glorifying them by their flashy life styles and relations to organized criminal activities. Films of such kind have reached such popular success because they charm to the general public and, regrettably, many Italian American citizens accept these accusations and consider them part with their history, thus reinforcing the stereotype created by the movie industry in the eyes of people with different ethnical backgrounds.
Since the very start, the Italian mafia, in the sight of Americans has been a very endemic cultural phenomena. The origin of the mafia is very difficult to investigate and record, many experts have dated its origins back to a time of instability for the Italian country. The reason for this disruption was the instable romance between the north and southern regions of Italy. Southern Italy was often insulted and considered rural and uncivilized by the wealthier businessman of the North. This unjust treatment triggered the southern citizens, especially the Sicilians, to vacation resort to violent "gangs" for safeguard of the little land and prosperity they held. As time progressed, and the demand for these rings increased, these rebel categories united into greater, and much more organized, communities that lead to the creation of the mafia. The most famous of these teams, and perhaps the first, started in Sicily and later became known as "Cosa Nosta" which many often use the word improperly referring it to the Italian mafia overall and not just as one of it's sects. These categories prospered and grew on to the Italian people, infiltrating the unstable government following the unification of Italy in 1861. The mafia made its first appearance in america between the 19th and 20th century, as this ethnical phenomenon grew in America, the mafia's portrayal in the press grew with it. The press created a name for the mafia in the us. The people cherished "gangster" videos, and the film industry capitalized upon this assumption. In order to give their work a more sensible feel, directors, would often cast Italians as mobster individuals thus creating a stereotype of Italian Us citizens. As time evolved however, the simple stereotype morphed past the simple "gangster" image; in newer works, Italian women were also effect; being viewed as old housewives or young bimbos. Men became viewed as lazy and uneducated like in the 1995 movie To Expire For. In this example from the Italic Institute of America's website, Nicole Kidman's character tricks three young adults into getting rid of her lowbrow Italian partner. The development between the Italian mafia and its presence in popular American culture could have not been possible with no five million Italians who remaining their house country for expectation in a fresh life and the opportunity at a new beginning, (Wikipedia).
Prior to the surge of the fascist plan to ability, America was a excellent destination for many Italians through the overdue 19th century. This expatriation grew exponentially in the first 20th century when it was noted that over 800, 000 Sicilians immigrated to the United States. During this time period however, the Italian mafia was under harm by their own federal, especially thanks to the works of Cesare Mori who made life impossible for many Mafiosi. Due to the anti mafia conflict imposed Mussolini's regime in the southern provinces of Italy, lots of the customers of Cosa Nostra and similar organizations fled to America. The American press immediately attacked this movement posting headlines such as: "The boot unloads its criminals upon america. " Several Sicilians in truth had relationships to the mafia but, in the most part, these were regular people just looking for a better life. Italian Mafiosi and regular individuals traveled to America to escape fascism, to escape persecution from criminal charges, and also to start over. Many where tossed into a modern culture already filed with criminal gangs. Purchasing hearth weapons in america in those days was simple. Add both of these together and its simple to know how the Italian mafia been successful in the us.
Just as the mafia began to take ability in America, the movie industry found an opportunity to make some earnings as well. Americans became obsessed with the mafian lifestyle; the risk associated with the mafia and their disrespect for the law were able to frighten and keep Americans glued to their TV screen at the same time. Films like Little Cesar(1931), Consumer Enemy(1931), and Scarface(1932) were the beginning to a whole new genre of motion pictures. As publisher George De Stefano points out in his book An Offer We Can't Refuse, ". . . the Italian mobster seemed to bring some other image to the mobster lifestyle. . . , [however], . . . which image of a more powerful, organized unlawful system caught the general public eyes and has stuck every since. ", (De Stefano 70-94). A number of the early movies of the genre were produced during the silent film time period. Suppliers however, didn't have a hard time searching for a plot that could capture their audience; they just used no matter the print provided them. The initial account of a gangster film that is out there is the film The Black color Hand (1906). The Dark Palm was a silent movie which report collection pictured Italian Americans using kidnapping and extortion to get money, known as "il pizzo", from a butcher these were "protecting". The movie shows the Italian protagonists were not only shown as violent, but the Italian Us citizens in the film are shown to speak little to no British and drinking wine as if it were water. It was not before 1930's with the release of Little Cesar and Scarface that the stereotype was made and linked Italian People in america with the gangster image. With all the introduction of the films one can clearly see that with the changing image of the gangster, the American ______ towards Italian People in the usa was changing as well. These "new" people were no longer drunk illiterates, these Italians dressed in extravagant suits, spoke better British; in a sense, they were following a American wish. Still violent and reckless.
Organizations favoring the destruction of the stereotype took the subject to heart and soul and were able to abolish violence and criminal offenses in movies. However in 1968, the Development Code was decreased and changed by the same MPAA system still out there today. Only four years following this change, arrived the first of a trilogy that could change the image of Italian People in america forever. The Godfather (1972), predicated on Mario Puzo's novel was the reach success of the great American director Ford Francis Coppola. His work was such a success for the public that it gained three Oscar nominations from the ten categories it was voted for. The American people were literally obsessed with the violent, vulgar and classic gangster films. Francis Ford Coppola in an interview with publisher Peter Bondonella described his clear reasons for going after this movie:
I always wished to use the Mafia as a metaphor for America. In the event that you loo at the film, the thing is that that it's focused like that. The first line is "I believe in the us. " Personally i think that the mafia can be an incredible metaphor for this country. Both are totally capitalistic phenomena and quite simply have a profit motive, (Bondonella 239).
Many critics claim, with merit, how the Godfather was the first film that basically began the stereotype of Italian Us citizens. The film founded a permanent connection in the brains of Americans between the mafia and Italian Us citizens. De Stefano represents his own experience after the release of the film: ". . . strangers would ask me easily understood the godfather whenever they red my last name. " "It was this film that basically. . . cemented the stereotype into American culture. ", (De Stefano 105-106). Predictably enough, following the tremendous success in the Godfather, a lot more films, as long as commercial products, relating to it's theme adopted. Today The Godfather, both the videos and the novel, continue to sell as though these were new releases, and the motion pictures can be seen, by popular demand, on normal television.
Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990), exhibited the mafia in NY within an extremely sensible way. Predicated on the life of real mobster Henry Hill, it shows the procedure of heading from a nonentity to a success in the mafia corporation. The film depicts brutal murder displays, vulgar terminology, and vile treatment of women. However, a particularly different element is the fact that it also shows the results of being too wrapped up in the mafia life and what it is similar to to become "the rat. " This film exhibited a significantly less glorified portrayal of the mafia, and yet, it appealed greatly to modern culture. The most recent of Hollywood's prize winning creation evoking the mafia is HBO's struck series The Sopranos first airing in 1999. The show takes great motivation from Scorsese's work and Coppola's masterpiece, heroes in the show are often viewed idolizing Mafiosi from these directors respective videos, reciting lines, duplicating stunts, and even assessing themselves. This idolization proved that Italian Americans not only identify themselves with these gangsters but also research to them. Tony Soprano, the protagonist of the show, is of Italian American descent and part of the mafia. Besides his connection to the gangster life, he lives in a typical residential community for the common white American male, he is a family man just like everyone else. In the publication Tony Soprano's America, David Simon, says that "the audience is actually reminded that the thing that stands Tony Soprano apart from the rest of contemporary society is that he is mobster. The [Tv set] series efficiently helped bring the mafia to the 21st Century, renewed the use of "mafia" as a household word, and took one step further in fusing the image of Italians and Italian People in the usa. " The multimedia has led to this stereotypical image of Italian immigrants as gangsters. This stereotype continues to be quite definitely alive today. However, it is obvious that there will not seem to be to be just as much controversial propaganda to the utilization of the negative connotation against Italian People in the usa as stereotypical use against other ethnic groups.
Going back to the stereotype against Italian American women, these movies depicted the mafia wives as enabling and looking the other way in their husband's business affair. The mother within the Godfather takes on the role of the housewife. Carmela Corleone never reacts to the activities of her spouse and sons, always turning a blind eyes. She actually is shown looking after her grandchildren and providing the family with a normal Italian meal. She is fundamentally the stereotypical enabling Italian mom and wife in the mafia family. On the other hand, the type Kay in The Godfather is a complete juxtaposition to the type of Carmela. For a while, she acts exactly like Carmela, enabling her hubby activities, but eventually she can't accept her hubby as a "cold blooded killer, " as Michael Corleone's sister, Connie, telephone calls him after he murders her own hubby. Kay signifies the American wife who marries into an Italian family not knowing what she is about to face. She actually is victimized. This way, the audience, feels bad for her, torn between her love on her behalf man and her morals that can't tolerate the legal activities of the family. The third major feminine persona, Connie Corleone, is a completely different character. She is the stereotypical Italian relative that cannot avoid the horrors of her own family. She begins as a princess to her daddy, the godfather himself. After her brother, Michael, kills her man she undergoes a brief grieving period distancing her family from her family and then realize that she cannot break free her future. She eventually becomes an enabler of the action of all of those other family and assumes the role of the matriarch.
Just like her, Karen Hill, also plays the enabler who places up with her man, Henry Hill's pursuit as a Mafioso in Goodfellas. One field in particular comes to mind that depicts her as the typical mob wife. In a very world she narrates herself, Karen attends a party with the other mob wives throughout a drug picture, she instructs the audience that the women look beat up; in fact, they are doing: all wear too much makeup and overdone hair. Throughout the get together, these mistreated wives, discuss the awful tribulations of being committed to a mobster as though it were typical housewife gossip. Most of the women in these movies are unemployed house producers who take the occasions as part of the package of marrying a mob. The show The Sopranos isn't the one exemplory case of the stereotype of Italian American being represented in more recent TV production. Individuals like Arthur "the Fonz" Fonzarelli from Happy Times, Tony the taxi cab driver of Taxi, and Joey the all around dimwit of Friends all represent demeaning images of Italian People in america. All appear to be uneducated womanizers, and yet most may not even realize they are simply stereotypes of the Italian American man. These samples show that, unfortunately, our culture still confirms laughter in stereotyping ethnical organizations.
In 2002, The Italic institute of America conducted a study to investigate the movie industry and its regards to Italian-American based movies and the post Godfather movie industry. Their studies exhibited that out of the 1233 movies made about Italian People in america, 69% of them present Italian-American characters under a negative light, against 31% that show Italian-Americans as good human beings. In addition, out of the movies made because the sound period that offer with mob character types, 88% were revolved around fictional characters, 293 which came out after the Godfather. The Godfather is and will always remain the most crucial tie between Hollywood and the Italian-American stereotype. There is a lot research out there that show that the Italian immigration to the US didn't only bring so called "Mafiosi" but also great people who beneficially influenced the United States politically and financially. This research, however, does not eliminate the simple fact the entertainment industry will continue steadily to pursue the stereotype. For the mafia, which means that it will only continue being an integral part of America's favorite entertainment so long as the culture of violence persists.
