John Turturro’s documentary - "Beyond Wiseguys"

To ντοκυμαντερ του John Turturro "Beyond Wiseguys" δειχνει πώς οι Ιταλο Aμερικανοι καταφεραν να μεταμορφωθουν απο "outsiders" — τυποποιημενοι απο το κατεστημενο του Hollywood σαν κακοποια στοιχεια—σε δημιουργικη, υπολογισιμη δυναμη στην Αμερικη. Χρησιμοποιωντας ενα μωσαïκο απο συνεντευξεις με γνωστους και συγχρονους Ιταλο Αμερικανους ηθοποιους και παραγωγους ταινιων οπως ο Chazz Palminteri, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Jack Valenti, David Chase, Ben Gazzara, Isabella Rossellini και αλλους, το ντοκυμαντερ δινει εμφαση στους τροπους που χρησιμοποιησαν τη πολιτιστικη τους κληρονομια για να διαμορφωσουν θετικα αυτο που σημερα λεγεται Αμερικανικος κινηματογραφος.

Aπο συνεντευξη του John Turturro:

What do you hope audiences will take away from your new documentary "Beyond Wiseguys"? What made you want to this project?
John Turturro: I'd like audiences to realize that Italian Americans have been a major creative force behind-the-scenes in Hollywood since American movies began, and that their influence on American films isn't completely defined by writing, directing or acting in mob movies, although some of these movies are masterpieces and I'm proud of them too. I wanted to do this project because I feel very personal about my background. It's very important to me, both personally obviously, and professionally. I've directed and co-written a couple of things, and I've acted in many films, and who you are or whatever your emotional makeup is is part of your instrument that you have to play on and a lot of that depends on how you've grown up and what you've perceived, what you've been around physically or emotionally. You bring your background to what you do, and make art out of it, and this is what this film is about.

You've stated that "the story of Italian Americans in film has not yet been told on screen." What's that story?
JT: The story of Italian Americans in Hollywood is pretty much the same story as that of any minority group that's trying to "make it" in America, only maybe written a little larger, because it's a big community with a big personality. They started out as being stereotyped on the screen as gangsters and lowlifes from the early days of silent movies because that's how American society thought of them at the turn of the 20th Century, but meanwhile immigrants like Frank Capra and Rudolph Valentino were doing whatever was necessary to succeed and assimilate in the movie business and like everybody else, get their own piece of the American Dream. Then slowly, slowly the children and grandchildren of immigrants built on the reputations of their forebears in the business and finally now you've got great directors like Scorsese and Coppola climbing to a place where they can write, direct, and act the stories that mean something authentic to them. Περισσοτερα...