Italian Americanness: a diachronic study of the representation of Italian American culture in American Cinema

Italian Americanness has been a prominent theme in American cinema since its very beginnings in the early 20th century, a period that notably coincided with the wave of large-scale European immigration to the United States. The portrayal of Italian American ethnicity has generally been shaped by significant discrimination and marginalization, leading to categorized and stereotypical representations. To understand what contributed to this depiction in American cinema, it is essential to examine the authentic experience of Italian Americans. The first section of the dissertation will provide a socio-historical overview of Italian American identity, defining who Italian Americans are and highlighting their culture. The second section will analyze the representation of Italian Americans in American cinema across its different stages, demonstrating how it has evolved. Finally, the third section will focus on the celebration of Italian American identity by analyzing and comparing the films Tarantella (1995) and Nonnas (2025).