Italians in America - Our Contribution

Starring:Italians in America
Studio: White Star
Product Type: DVD

Description

The Italians in America is a captivating and enthralling look at the contributions that Italians have made to American culture and society. This film honors the monumental and historic accomplishments of Italians in America. The history and stories of Italians in America are brought to life through interviews with diverse celebrities such as Pat Cooper, Robert Loggia, Geraldine Ferraro, Jack Scalia, Tommy Lasorda , Joe Paterno and Gay Talese.

Customer Reviews:

A moving tribute to the descendants of Italy.......2005-01-09

"Italians in America - Our Contribution" is a documentary tribute to the descedents of Italy who made their homes in the United States. It contains many interviews with high profile Americans of Italian descent, from Robert Loggia to Geraldine Ferraro to Pat Cooper (whom I had not known was Italian) interspersed with photographs and stock footage of important Italian-Americans from the last hundred years, from Marconi, to Frank Sinatra, to Joe DiMaggio to Madonna. (I was very thankful that Madonna, the singer, was included in the lineup. During my adolescence and teens Madonna was the epitome of Italian to me. Interestingly, Gay Talese suggests that Madonna's occasionally "sacrilegious" performances may have ancestral roots. Apparently, Madonna is descended from a region of Italy known for rebellion against the Catholic Church.) At first, this lineup of Italian-Americans seemed, well, a bit boring. I mean, yeah, so-n-so is of Italian descent - what's that mean to me? But after a while, it starts to kick in: Italians have contributed much more to this society than just pizza and the mafia. In fact, this very country and entire continent is named after an Italian: Amerigo Vespucci. After a while, the parade of Italian, faces, and brief biographies, becomes very moving.

"Italians in America - Our Contribution" ends with the touching reminiscence of an American man's early life with his Italian grandparents. The narrator (sorry, I can't remember his name) details how his early childhood was very Italian due to the influence of his Italian-born grandparents. All the old Italian traditions were there, the cooking, the distinctly Italian way of celebrating the holidays, the Italian way of praying, the overall awareness of themselves as Italians, as different from others in their neighborhood. With the passing of his grandparents, with the passing of several decades, the distinctly Italian way of living has vanished. The narrator notes that while his grandparents were Italian and he is an Italian-American, his grandchildren are now simply American, and his own way of life is now virtually indistinguishable from any other mainstream American. "And yet," notes the narrator, "there is something about me that still feels Italian."

By this point in the documentary I was literally on the verge of tears (have had to hold them back several times just writing this review), because I can relate. And it's very odd that I can relate because I grew up very far outside of any Italian tradition, have never been to Italy, and the only Italian I speak is what I learned from the concert video "Ciao Italia: Madonna Live In Italy" - and yet there's something about me that feels very Italian.

In fact, I have always felt more Italian than anything else, and I had always felt odd about that precisely because I have had such little direct experience with my Italian heritage. "Italians in America - Our Contribution" made me realize that there is nothing odd about the fact that I feel more Italian than anything else - because I AM more Italian than anything else. Half-Italian, to be exact.

Andrew Michael Parodi

Average customer rating:

A moving tribute to the descendants of Italy

Italians in America/Our Contribution
Starring: Pbs
Manufacturer: Red Ball Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009MEEC
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Customer Reviews:

A moving tribute to the descendants of Italy.......2005-01-10

"Italians in America - Our Contribution" is a documentary tribute to the descendants of Italy who made their homes in the United States. It contains many interviews with high profile Americans of Italian descent, from Robert Loggia to Geraldine Ferraro to Pat Cooper (whom I had not known was Italian) interspersed with photographs and stock footage of important Italian-Americans from the last hundred years, from Marconi, to Frank Sinatra, to Joe DiMaggio, to Madonna. (I was very thankful that Madonna, the singer, was included in the lineup. During my adolescence and teens Madonna was the epitome of Italian to me. Interestingly, Gay Talese suggests that Madonna's occasionally "sacrilegious" performances may have ancestral roots. Apparently, Madonna is descended from a region of Italy known for rebellion against the Catholic Church.) At first, this lineup of Italian-Americans seemed, well, a bit boring. I mean, yeah, so-n-so is of Italian descent - what's that mean to me? But after a while, it starts to sink in: Italians have contributed much more to this society than just pizza and the mafia. In fact, this very country and entire continent is named after an Italian: Amerigo Vespucci. After a while, the parade of Italian, faces, and brief biographies, becomes very moving.

"Italians in America - Our Contribution" ends with the touching reminiscence of an American man's early life with his Italian grandparents. The narrator (sorry, I can't remember his name) details how his early childhood was very Italian due to the influence of his Italian-born grandparents. All the old Italian traditions were there, the cooking, the distinctly Italian way of celebrating the holidays, the Italian way of praying, the overall awareness of themselves as Italians, as different from others in their neighborhood. With the passing of his grandparents, with the passing of several decades, the distinctly Italian way of living has vanished. The narrator notes that while his grandparents were Italian and he is an Italian-American, his grandchildren are now simply American, and his own way of life is now virtually indistinguishable from any other mainstream American. "And yet," he notes, "there is something about me that still feels Italian."

By this point in the documentary I was literally on the verge of tears (have had to hold them back several times just writing this review), because I can relate. And it's very odd that I can relate because I grew up very far outside of any Italian tradition, have never been to Italy, and the only Italian I speak is what I learned from the concert video "Ciao Italia: Madonna Live In Italy" - and yet there's something about me that feels very Italian.

In fact, I have always felt more Italian than anything else, and I had always felt odd about that precisely because I have had such little direct experience with my Italian heritage. "Italians in America - Our Contribution" made me realize that there is nothing odd about the fact that I feel more Italian than anything else - because I AM more Italian than anything else. Half Italian, to be exact.

Andrew Michael Parodi

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