In TWO SEPARATE paragraphs, BRIEFLY address the following points:
1) Choose one detail in the film that is emblematic of what you consider the most important theme in the film. Don't discuss simply the message, SPECIFY THE SCENE OR DETAIL that to you is most significant (it doesn't need to be a major point, it can be just a tiny detail.)
EX: character development, how Peppino goes from nice guy to a gangster;
the gap between the American dream and the American reality;
the true individualistic personality (the philosophical anarchist) vs. the "land of the free";
Mafia as an inescapable trap for immigrants;
Or, of course, choose the message that resonated the most with you.
2) What did you like OR dislike in this film?
REPLY ONLY TO n. 2, and engage in civilized disagreement. Yes, you must disagree with someone.
A detail that I find emblematic in the film is when Rosita comes back from being on tour and Peppino and her are in the apartment. She sees his gun and is outraged, as he has ‘become one of them’. I find it ironic as Don Nicolone has been her benefactor / handler throughout the years meaning that the same ‘them’ has indirectly supported her. The movie left me feeling that if you didn’t come to America as a wealthy immigrant or with a profession, in order to climb the social ladder you had to either marry rich or do something extraordinary. That “something” did not have to necessarily involve negative, (Peppino’s case) it could also be positive (Pascal D’Angelo’s case).
ReplyDeleteI found the film highly unlikely as well as a bit unsettling. The whole dressing up as a woman and getting away with it was a bit farfetched in my opinion. Was it his mother’s documents that he used? Maybe I missed something over there. (I guess if a passport agent last month stamped a stuffed unicorn’s PAWsport instead of a child’s passport and didn’t even notice, anything could have happened in those days.) I wasn’t sure if Ralph was spiteful toward Peppino only because of his desire for Rosita. He exuded an air of exaggerated arrogance leading me at first to wonder if he himself was once part of the lower class and trying to hide his social climb. I also wondered if his motivation for killing Don Nicolone was out of his desire for Rosita that birthed hatred toward Peppino (in order to get Peppino in trouble) or if it was merely his greed for power. The deus ex machina bothered me particularly when a girl conveniently appeared folding her laundry for Peppino to bring to his friend the anarchist (Lino Toffolo) to fulfill his wish. I found “The Italian” much more intriguing a watch even though it had no dialogue.
I think Ralph always wanted to get rid of Don Nicolone. He tells Rosita in the beginning that Don Nicolone will not last long. I think he wanted the power. He was greedy for it and setup Peppino to do his dirty work by telling him that Don Nicolone had his father murdered. Whether that's true or not, I'm not sure we can know but Don Nicolone did mention that "they" made him do it. "They" I believed referred to the Black Hand. I also think Ralph had enough of Don Nicolone's insults, realizing Peppino didn't do the job, saw the gun and sought the opportunity.
DeleteTo answer the last part of Leora's comment: the woman who kisses Toni is a prostitute. The topos of a lonely prostitute living in a shack on the shore is a reference to Fellini who infused this image with poetry and abandon. She is the female counterpart to Toni the Anarchist. "Individual anarchists" in European culture are romantic characters, bandits with a golden heart, fearless and generous. They love humankind and detest Power, Authority and, most of all, Tyrants. The prostitute is an anarchist at heart without an ideology. They believe that humans are good in principle but become corrupted by greed and thirst for power. In the scene of Toni's death, she is fulfilling his dream, to die kissing a woman. Anarchists love life in all its aspects, are against all conventions and social constraints, and love women as symbols of liberty and selflessness. They will never be able to "possess" one because they hate "possessing" anything, but they long for the love they cannot have. They are similar to the prototypical figure of the drifter, the lone rider who stands for justice and is willing to kill for it (Gary Cooper, John Wayne.) He is a hero, but not the kind of hero you would like your daughter to marry.
DeleteI can understand Rositta's outrage with Peppino for the gun and working with Don Nicolone. As you said he had been her benefactor for most her life therefore she had seen all the evil he had done and didn't want the man she loved to turn into that; and perhaps she was looking for a way out.
DeleteLeonora, I think you have a great analysis here, but I feel you are a bit misunderstood about the character Ralph. Think about Ralph's first encounter with Peppino, for the first hand man to the Don(second in power/command) to get beat up by a random immigrant is demeaning. Peppino continues to take power away from Ralph when he wins over Rosita's affection. I don't think Ralph always wanted to get rid of the Don, but when the Don puts more trust in Peppino that is the turning point for Ralph. Throughout the film, Ralph is trying to prove himself as more of a man than Peppino, however he mistakes money and power for "manliness." Ralph then attempts a power grab by turning Peppino against the Don, and then trying to murder Peppino. Ralph is the quintessential mobster, greedy and power hungry, which causes him to continuously lose to Peppino and his greater will and emotion.
DeleteThanks for the explanation Michael. I think what was a bit confusing for me was the fact that I didn't know whether to make of it a comedy or a typical mobster movie - at certain points I was feeling anxious myself not knowing whether it was going to end up comical or serious. Maybe I was looking for something that wasn't there and in turn ended up confusing myself!
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ReplyDeleteIn order to have money for his relationship with Rosita, Peppino joins Don Nicolone's gang. Rosita warned him from the beginning to stay away from Don Nicolone and to return the money that he gave him. Going from job to job which wasn't working out for him, Peppino feltlike he had no choice but to join the gang. He promised Rosita that when she comes back from her trip, they would get married and he would have more money than her. When Rosita comes back and finds out Peppino has a gun and is in Nicolone's gang, she tells him that he's a punk now and she wants nothing to do with punks. Peppino even threatens her and was about to hit her but restrained himself and Rosita sees what has become of him and says she thought she would be coming back to the same man. Peppino even tries to make Rosita jealous by showing up with the crazy woman in his car. Then he even threatens to shoot himself unless Rosita marries him. Having lack of money, Peppino feels like he had to join the gang. It may be argued that he went a character change when he joined the gang but I'm not sure if he underwent a change in character again when he didn't shoot Don Nicolone. As he said before he left, they call people like Nicolone "crap pickers" which makes it seem he still had within him the roots of where he came from, what people are like there, and what they think of people like the Don. I don't think it ever left him even though his mind may have been clouded by hardships in America and what he thought he had to do to make it here.
ReplyDeleteI like the humor of the film and also how it captures the desperation of the immigrants and what they would do for money. I also liked how Peppino was able to get out of his situation. He fell into choosing to join the gang but then he able to escape with Rosita. I'm not toosure when, where and how he escaped as everyone thought he was in the bass case but he did his little stint of surprising Rosita from behind again. Also, I thought that crazy woman that kept following and bothering Peppino was ridiculous.
I felt the running joke with the blonde was very amusing and something quite entertaining. Running jokes like that are usually meant to have some comic relief and ensure the audience is able to laugh even during serious moments. When Peppino is getting shot at, but then falls on top of her and completely ignores the men shooting at him, would be a perfect example of a need for the running joke. It completely diffused the situation and kept the audience laughing the whole time, even in serious situations throughout the film.
DeleteWhat resonated the most for me was when Don Nicolone first meets Peppi and warns him to go back to Italy. In this scene, when Peppino mentions his father Don Nicolone looks at Ralph as if they both know something that Peppino doesn’t know, foreshadowing future events. Don Nicolone spares Peppino for beating his men on the ship and ruining the show, and gives Peppino money to go back home. Instead Peppino demands he will stay in America and continue his search for his father. The most important part of this scene is when Don Nicolone responds “Only the stubborn will make it here.” This is pivotal because it describes the type of person one has to be in order to succeed in America. One must be stubborn enough to face the hardships and “despair” in order to have a chance at the American Dream. This theme of a stubborn personality is present throughout the film, in Peppino’s shenanigans in Italy and on the boat, through his courtship of Rosita, and eventually saves his life when he uses his “hard-head” to outsmart Ralph’s attempt to murder him.
ReplyDeleteI especially liked the fact that there was a lot of humor in this movie. I expected to be watching another silent film, or at least black and white. I was pleased to see that this film had both sound and color. I think the actors were great, and at times I couldn’t stop from laughing at the situations Peppino would get himself into. I really disliked the blonde woman who would continue running into Peppino and causing him trouble. I felt she had no purpose in the film besides standing as an example of how rich Americans treat poor immigrants, both literally and figuratively. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this film, especially the balance between humor and depth of plot.
I felt like the blonde added some much needed comic relief (even though it is a comedy movie!) to very serious scenes of the movie such as when Peppino is on the dunking tank as an amusement exhibit or when the audience fears that he might get shot by a group of gangsters in the alleyway. In each of these scenes, the blond woman interrupts and helps dispel any fears the audience has. I agree that she was over the top though and very whiny, but that was also a representation of the American people.
DeleteThe one detail that stood out for me was during the scene where the Black Hand bombs the pizzeria. After the bomb goes off, the couple who own the pizzeria explains everything to Peppino. Their explanation ends with the phrase, “This is America.” Peppino then walks out. This one line to me is emblematic of the gap between the American dream and the American reality. It is really at this moment in the film where Peppino first realizes that America might not be the best alternative to Naples. He eventually has to become one of these gangsters to make a life for himself in America. He even begins to fraternize with Toni (who keeps making bombs). Eventually, his criminal world comes crashing down, and much like this scene suggested, the only way that Peppino could escape the gangster lifestyle, but also have a life to live, was by leaving America and returning to Italy.
ReplyDeleteI felt that this was a very good film, and I enjoyed it a lot. The screenplay was very well written and it had an excellent narrative structure. I won’t go into detail, but the rising action is complete with peripeteias, there is a very well thought out and well written midpoint shift, and the falling action is complete with multiple catastrophes. The denouement and catharsis in this film, along with the rest of the narrative structure gives me the sense that it can hold water as a drama. This is where my only criticism of the film comes in. The film would have made a fine drama. Both Claudia Mori and Adriano Celentano can hold their weight as dramatic actors. I feel that some of the comedy in the film made it more of a joke and less of a serious work. Specifically the character of Pamela: she was terribly annoying, she was out of place, she was overplayed. Her presence really turned the movie into more of a joke than it needed to be. There’s always room for comedy in serious films – The Godfather (1972), Goodfellas (1990), and My Cousin Vinny (1992) have many a comedic element, yet they are all taken seriously as dramas. I feel that L’Emigrante (1973) was a fine film and if it had been slightly less of a joke (its American title was Little Funny Guy), it would have been an Italian classic.
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DeleteWhile I completely agree with your review and in fact have a more developed appreciation for the movie thanks to some of the points you mentioned, I feel that Pamela's character as an annoying nuisance was a necessity in the film. It specifically illustrates how the immigrants felt the Americans acted. This is similar to the affluent women with the fur who passed by Pascal, Federico and Saverio in "Son of Italy". The exception here is that the woman in question interacted with Peppino. It shows the complete naiveté of American society for the plight of the immigrant and demonstrates the way women were viewed back then - as a brainless distraction. It reminded me of Nancy's Pelosi's "Can Women Think?' Pamela was painted as a woman who "can not" think. I feel however that all of this could have been done without a comedic element. Had this story stuck to a dramatic genre, even with some funny incidents sprinkled here and there the film would have been much more memorable for me.
DeleteGreat exchange. Pamela is a caricature, but a comedy needs such characters. She is the epitome of the dumb blonde, rich, promiscuous and a thrill-seeking hare brain. The film takes place in the Roaring Twenties, when, paradoxically, women had achieved a remarkable degree of freedom. With the Great Depression it was all taken away from them and it took 40 years (1970's) before they could regain the lost ground.
DeletePamela is the very nasty and sarcastic/demeaning representation of America by a film maker with a very strong ideological perspective. The political agenda is hidden under the wry veneer of humor and slapstick comedy (see Charlie Chaplin "The Gold Rush", "The Great Dictator", "Modern Times.)
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ReplyDeletePeppino came to America with high hopes as did many other emigrants during that time. When He arrive it wasn't as he expected. He journey to find his father became a journey of self discovery. In the beginning he having difficulty finding work as did so many other during this time. However, many others who were out to make a honest living I believe he took the easy way out. Peppino fell in love with a wealthy women and wanted to provide for her. Instead of working hard to build himself up, he turned to a life of crime. Peppino's love Rosita was not impressed, in the scene when she arrives home from Chicago and see his gun she tells him to leave and wants nothing to do with him. She asks what happened to the man I fell in love with and how many he had killed. She didn't want that life all she wanted was the man she loved. Throughout the story even when Peppino started working with Don I believe he pretty much remained true to himself. The biggest changes I noticed in him was that he became less naïve on how the world worked. I believe he remained true to himself,especially when he came face to face with his father's killer and had the opportunity to shoot him, Peppino was the bigger man. He told the Don that he was basically scum and couldn't die like a man. I though that was the best part of the movie.
ReplyDeleteOverall I enjoyed the film. The story was easy to follow and had much needed comedic relief. I was really glad there were subtitles through out the film. One thing I would have liked to see is more subtitles throughout the songs.
I was trying to follow Peppino's character arc as well, and I didn't see much change in him either although one scene in particular showed it. When he physically threatened his girl that was way out of character and I'm glad she called him out on it right away. Even though he didn't smack her back after he promised he would if she hit him one more time, the threat was enough to show how much he changed, besides his physical appearance.
DeleteRachel, I must disagree with you when you say that Peppino stayed true to himself. By saying this, it is as if you’re somewhat implying that Peppino didn't have any character development throughout the film. Yes, most of us can agree that Peppino was the bigger man by deciding not to shoot Don Nicolone, however, the fact that he even considered it shows his true character. The Peppino that we were introduced to at the very start of the movie would not even have considered seeking revenge on Don. If he really remained true to himself as you say, Peppino wouldn’t have done other things such as threaten to hit Rosita, run away from the police, escape from prison, and then sneak on to the ship. It’s only at this scene that we can say Peppino was the bigger person, however, to say he was true to himself is quite a stretch, considering every other major scene proves otherwise.
DeleteThe theme that really stuck out for me was the myth of the American Dream, and how far off reality was. The scene that epitomized this theme was following the arrival of the new immigrants for the first time in America. The new immigrants joyfully left the ship, full of optimism but were soon after herded into the "disinfestation" ward like cattle and were given inspections bare naked in front of everyone else. It felt, besides being stripped of their clothes, they were stripped of everything else, pride, dignity. But to really drive the emotions, "Lacreme Napelutane" plays, creating an even more somber mood, forcing me to empathize for my paisans. But when the shower head released the steam, to me, it felt like a prison camp. The whole scene was very powerfully and makes a loud statement of the conditions of the immigrant.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was hysterical at times, I found Toni to be a riot, there were times throughout the film where the drama really picked and the humor disappeared which I was fine with. For instance, when Peppino gets jumped by Ralph and his mugs, or when the restaurant gets blown up. Although it's very difficult to pair comedy and drama, I felt it worked. The comedy really helped emphasize Peppino's character, where as the drama represented the mafia or America as a person.
I am in agreement with your response to the inspection scene, i learned at some point prior to this class that this was what immigrants went through in the past. I would of never expected that the inspection would be done inhumanely.
DeleteThe "shower scene" is disturbing and manipulative. Obviously the reference is Auschwitz and similar places of horror. I took the liberty to edit out a few photograms at the end of the sequence that show "steam" come out of the shower heads. Sorry, but I don't think it was appropriate. I also believe that, historically speaking, that scene was completely wrong. I researched the topic and I found no evidence of 'de-licing' at Ellis Island or anywhere else.
DeleteIt's one thing to be treated roughly (as immigrants were) and another thing being targeted for extermination. Let's not forget that America needed as many people as it could get in order to grow and prosper. This is not what the Auschwitz "showers" were about. Not even close.
Peppino hopping from job to job and realizing that America is not as they say- all dreamy. But maybe it was his fault that he couldnt hold any job as he wasnt taking it serious. He did show that he was willing to struggle to get what he wanted, he showed persistence towards Rosita, and the comedy aspect of the movie made it more enjoyable to watch. Besides, I grew up on Adriano Celentano movies. I felt happy when I saw him in the movie.
ReplyDeleteI loved Pepino's confidence in anything he would do, well, his persistence also. The fact that he came up with idea to dress as woman to get to America is pretty amazing and funny as the same time.
Also you would expect Rosita to be happy that Pepino got a job where he would make enough money for them, she does look like she needs a guy with money to satisfy her needs. But she gets a different reaction.
ReplyDeleteI see what you’re saying about her lifestyle, but I think she has good reason to be upset over Peppino’s choice. One of the reasons that she wasn’t interested in Ralph was because he was a mobster. I just think that she hated the mafia lifestyle, which is understandable.
DeleteFor me, the most important aspect of the film was learning about Peppino's father and what happened to him. We learn that Peppino's father was murdered by Don Nicolone because he was hindering the progress of the Mafia, was against the Black Hand, and was an honest worker. Peppino's labor path in America was the opposite of his father's wishes as he became involved with the criminal underworld to support himself. It is when Peppino learns of his father's true fate and his beliefs that he changes his mind of supporting the Don and goes against him. The truth of Peppino's father's death signifies that America is a cruel world for immigrants and the honest laborer. Peppino also realizes this when he is framed for the murder of the Don and loses his best friend in the process.
ReplyDeleteOne of the aspects of the film that I really liked was the character of Toni who was an anarchist. One of his lines really showed the desperation of laborers in America and that was when he referred to all the immigrant workers as "slaves" while saying that Uncle Sam was taking advantage of them. I liked this aspect of the movie because these sentiments are still echoed today in labor union movements and cultural revolutions (such as Occupy Wall Street). I felt that Toni's character was way ahead of his time with his ideas of anarchy and rejecting the imbalance of capitalism and I really enjoyed the addition of his character.
A scene that I found to be emblematic and most important was when Don Nicolone tells Peppino that his father died on a ship that sank on its way to Japan. I believe that this scene became the turning point for Peppino’s behavior and that his “bad boy” persona developed much more here. Prior to this scene, the Peppino we knew was a desperate Italian man who just wanted to find his father, while also trying to survive in America. However, once Peppino found out that his father was dead, his personality made a 360-degree turn. After this scene, a new Peppino emerges. His violent behavior is much evident when he threatens to hit Rosita, he’s seen as spiteful and arrogant when he buys out the whole arena at Rosita’s show and then threatens to kill himself if she doesn’t marry him, and we also see him act out revenge as he almost kills Don Nicolone. Before, he was so preoccupied with finding his father. However, since knowing the fate of his father, Peppino’s true character emerges as a “cool gangster,” that everyone begins to know and respect more.
ReplyDeleteI actually found the film to be quite interesting. There was a good amount of humor involved, but not so much to the point that it made the movie corny. I also liked how there were so many twist and turns to the movie, that the ending seemed almost unpredictable. For example, when Ralph tells Peppino how his father really died, one would think that Ralph was actually trying to help him. However, we see that he was just framing Peppino for Don Nicolone’s death. Personally, this was shocking to me because I thought Ralph also had a change in character development like Peppino, but obviously this was not the case. I like how we see Ralph as always being the evil character, but we see Peppino grow into one. One thing I didn't like was the unexplainable ending. How did Peppino put a sack of potatoes in the guitar case and how did he successfully make it on the ship? The ending just seemed kind of rushed to me. It was such a happy and cliché ending, without really explaining major points that would lead up to it.
We had similar views on the movie Alethia. I also though the ending was extremely odd and unresolved. I remember trying to figure it out in my head and I didn't like that but I still really enjoyed the movie. The twist and turns kept the story alive.
DeleteAlethia, I feel that there was a bit too much unnecessary humor. All of the unnecessary humor made the movie more of a joke than it should be. Also, I don't feel that Peppino grows into an evil character. He might become a gangster, but he never really turns out to be evil.
DeleteI do understand your thoughts on the last parts of the movie, but i feel that the ending was predictable. It mirrored certain part, of when Rosita thought Peppino was in a full body cast and Since they met on a both it made sense that they would reunited on a boat.
DeleteI noticed that those that chose mafia route, including Peppino were able to "better" themselves, live "the dream" and lead an extravagant lifestyle. That was immediately the change I notice in Peppino, who now had more money than he can spend. He was able to afford private tailors, nice clothing and even rent out the entire theater just because he can and wanted to impress Rosita. Those that chose to live an honest lifestyle never go beyond the regular underpaid jobs and will never improve their living conditions. Those that were able to start a business and didn't want to partake in the mafia paid the consequences. So for Italian immigrants the only way to succeed was to be in the mafia.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the film, I thought it was hilarious and entertaining. Peppino's character was very charismatic and the story line was a little bit cheesy but interesting non the less. I though that the death of his father was an interesting turn.
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ReplyDeleteThe past of the movies that is emblematic is that scene when Peppino comes out of the Barber shop, walks over to get his shoes shined with his clean hat and fashionable suit. This scene showed that Peppino is no longer getting by on jobs that pay less, instead he now has more money to be comfortable and generous( When he gives the Shoe Shiner boss additional money). How he is getting this money is to be discussed at a different time. This really stuck out to me cause for one of the first times in America Peppino seemed genuinely happy, He now has a money and a girlfriend.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was good, i was expecting for it be more funny or have more funnier scenes, I did find myself laughing however not as much as i would like. Enjoy that it was in color. The Blonde woman who seemed to be conditionally infatuated was just annoying, i am not so sure if she was added to introduce more laughter or to simply be annoying. I enjoyed that fact that Peppino was consistently after Rosita no matter where he stood with money, He was interested in her from when he had nothing. He is seen as willing person to do what he should in order to survive and see things in a positive light, just as most immigrants have been perceived.
I disagree Melissa. Any funnier, and the film would've been borderline corny. I think that the right amount of humor was included to keep our attention, but also enough to get the storyline across. If jokes were being thrown every other scene, I think that the movie would come off as trying too hard.
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ReplyDeleteThe detail that struck me was that Peppino spoke to the man's corpse while he was styling it, thinking himself to be a barber. The (albeit morbid) situational irony of the viewer knowing the man is deceased and Peppino believing him to be very serious shows that Peppino is not knowingly ignorant of American culture. Like the necessity of the neck scarf to get into Rosita's show, he is just unaware of the cultural nuances and traditions that (Italian-)Americans follow. I think that the discrepancy between what he anticipates and what he actually finds are what ultimately lead to his working for Don Nicolone.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this film. I thought that it was very interesting to see the Italian "aristocracy," from Rosita's performance on the ship to the blonde flapper that was infatuated with Peppino. Presuming that this film was set in the 1920s, it was very insightful to see how the flapper culture and the Italian-American culture intersected. I do wish that the songs Rosita sings had been translated into English, though. I'm curious to see how the songs she is seen singing reflect her relationship with Peppino (if they do at all, but I doubt that they're completely irrelevant).
The detail i found most intriguing about the film is when Peppino and and Rosita are arguing about getting married and Rosita says "Love is one thing, life is all another thing". I feel this line really touched on something most films refuse to acknowledge, that love does not conquer all. Love is grand, but life does get in the way of the happily ever after. People may feel when infatuated or in love that living penniless forever is OK with them, until five or ten years down the line the resentment build and divorce follows. To put it in terms of the film, love is grand but your beloved may turn into a mobster to support you and you can not live with that. I think that was a really important detail in the film that i haven't really seen before, and believe it gave a feeling of authenticity to the film that is missing from most movies today, where the idea is that love makes life perfect regardless of the reality of the situation.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the film and found the humor to be a little more Italian or European than most films i have seen. I enjoyed the opportunity to see what comedy looks like outside of American 21st Century films, and found Peppino to be a intensely authentic lovable goofy character. The film was funny, included all of the regular plot lines one would expect to see, and still felt a little different and irregular than most films of the genre, and i felt it was immensely enjoyable.
David, good observation: the "love vs life" theme will _implicitly_ come back when we discuss "True Love."
DeleteA detail that struck me in L'emigrante was Peppino's character. For an individual going through so many trials, his essential good-natured demeanor never really goes away. This detail highlights a central theme of the film- the emotional resilience of the people in these situations. Peppino's life is difficult and so are those of his fellow immigrants. Even the villain, Ralph, is motivated in the end by his love for Rosita, and his rise to the top of the mob is due partly to the fact that he's lost her to Peppino. He is still persistent enough to keep at his work, though. And Peppino still pursues Rosita even through all of the horrible things that happen to him.
ReplyDeleteI thought this theme was slightly overshadowed by the comic nature of the film, but it stood out very strongly to me.
The scene that really struck me was when Peppino learns that his father is dead, how Peppino changed. He wasn't the same Italian immigrant searching for his father. It seemed that he was his nice sweet innocent child for when he met back up with his father. He wanted to be the same person that his father left behind. Once he found out about his death it seemed as though he just became a product of his environment. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if his father was still alive. Was Peppino destined to go through all that he went through?
ReplyDeleteOverall this movie was good, it got the message across but it did it in a way that it injected humor to it. I feel that the director wanted to tell this story and not have the views feeling all sad and depressed. The director wanted to show the charismatic, funny side of Italian immigrants while telling us the story of a young boy who comes to America in search of his father and a better future.