Have the weeks of quarantine got you a little stir crazy? Well, it’s time to… SNAP OUT OF IT, because the Italian American Podcast is bringing you a little something extra this week!
Welcome to our inaugural Italian American Podcast Movie Watch-Along!
In this new offering, we’ll take the classics of Italian American film and present them to you with our own running commentary. To celebrate the launch of these special episodes, we’re sharing our take on a quintessentially Italian American classic, 1987’s Academy Award-winning film, “Moonstruck.”
In this episode, we’ll preview the full Watch Along by discussing what truly comprises “Italian American Cinema” and whether or not this film fits the bill. We’ll debate the merits of a universally-loved portrayal of an Italian American family, which happens to have been created by mostly non-Italians.
We also discuss whether or not Italian Americans can truly watch an “Italian American film” without the lens of ethnicity and if non-Italian Americans can really “get it right” when it comes to talking about us as an ethnic group.
We also provide a run-down of the locations of Moonstruck and how the film’s backdrop becomes a character of its own. Speaking of characters, we dive into the “Italianness” of each one and we discuss how cinematic portrayals of Italian Americans help us truly define our American experience.
In a case of life imitating art, we also share our own stories and memories surrounding the movie, and tackle what makes some of love and others loathe this iconic film.
Sit back, pop some popcorn or pull some prosciutto out of your fridge and get ready to watch “Moonstruck” with us!
Click here for our commentary!
toni noto says
Loved hearing your comments during the film. Pat’s perspective from an anthropological standpoint added exceptional dimension (as always). His thought on viewing the film as a play production was quite astute.
I too, like Rosella, could watch this a million times more.
I look forward to viewing more Italian film with you.
Stephanie Longo says
Hi Toni, Thank you so much for your kind words! Please stay tuned for our next watch along– we promise you will enjoy it!