Mediated Ethnicity: New Italian-American Cinema

As its preface states, this collection of scholarly essays, "builds on the growing scholarship on Italian-American cinematic experiences." This may seem a specific and exclusive theme until you get a look at some of the names that pepper the pages—De Niro, Pacino, Scorsese, De Palma, and more than one Coppola—which quickly establishes the pervasiveness and influence of Italian-Americans in Hollywood. The essays in the first quarter of the book deal primarily with Italian-American culture, especially the question of prejudice and portrayal of Italian-Americans in literature, theater, and early 20th-century film. Using these essays as a basis for studying the public's presentation and perceptions of Italian-Americans, the rest of the book focuses on how new Italian-American cinema enforces or challenges these old ideas, or even creates brand-new options on how the world sees Italian-Americans. As well as dealing with the big names and popular works of well-known Italian-Americans, many studies in this collection also deal with lesser-known documentaries, short films like Touch, and indies such as Dinner Rush or Brooklyn Lobster, which makes this an important work for those interested in film and ethnic studies. (Nov.)