Italianamerican

Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Lawrence D. Cohen and Mardik Martin, Italianamerican is a documentary short film that has Scorsese’s parents Charles and Catherine Scorsese talking about their experiences as immigrants while showing what they do on a day in their life. The film is an intimate that has Scorsese wanting to learn about himself and his roots where he turns to the people who brought him into the world. The result is an exhilarating and engaging film from Martin Scorsese.

Shot at the loft-apartment home of Charles and Catherine Scorsese with just a small crew, the film has Martin Scorsese talking to his parents about their life in Italy and how they arrived in America and what was it like back then. During the course of the entire film, the couple talk about so much more as the questions Scorsese wanted to ask ended up getting more than just answers but also insight into who he is as well as his family. Even as Catherine is cooking dinner for the family as well as the crew members that consist of cinematographer Alec Hirschfield and his brother Marc as a cameraman and the sound man in Lee Osborne. Particularly as Catherine would talk about how she got recipes from her mother, mother-in-law, and other relatives while talking about what it was like back then in Italy and why many went to America.

Much of Scorsese’s direction with the aid of cinematographer Alec Hirschfield is straightforward as it maintains an intimacy throughout the film in this apartment filled with plastic-covered furniture. Notably as Scorsese let his parents take over the film in their discussion over the family background as well as the family history that include some pictures that they show that would be inter-cut by editor Bert Lovitt with some stock footage of early 20th Century life in New York City. The pictures that include early photos of Scorsese as a child show a life that was simple but also loving and full of life including recent vacation photos Scorsese’s parents showed during their recent trip to Italy. While Charles Scorsese doesn’t talk as much as Catherine, he still provide some insight about the family and their roots with Catherine being someone who always has a lot to say and is this incredible presence onscreen even during the moments when she is unaware that she’s being filmed.

Italianamerican is an incredible film from Martin Scorsese. It’s an intimate documentary film that has Scorsese filming his parents where he learns about himself and his entire family as well as their roots. It’s a film that is full of life and energy as well as moments that are touching to display on the identities of those and who they are. In the end, Italianamerican is a phenomenal film from Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha – (Mean Streets) – Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince – (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo (2011 film) - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – The Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman (2019 film)) - Killers of the Flower Moon - (An Afternoon with SCTV)

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