COMMENT
Is this film about Italian American men? If so, how well do they fare, according to these interpretations?
Express a general assessment of the representation then choose in particular ONE character and discuss how he is handled in the film.
REPLY to the most or least convincing argument. Wait until at least 10 comments have been posted.
This film is about men, and the men are depicted as individuals who succumb to desire and they don't care how others view them. Ronnie is portrayed as this heartbroken man who is holding on to anger but when he sees Loretta he throws all of that out of the window and fall for her. Even though she is promised to wed his brother, he stills pursues her anyway ignoring how his brother may feel about it. Ronnie is seen as a self indulged man who was once bitter but then fell in love with his technically forbidden brother's fiance.
ReplyDeleteI think that this film depicts Italian American men. First of all, all the actors (the male ones), have many same features as the ones in the cartoons, at “L’emigrante” and some other images, that we have seen earlier. Broad forehead and big jaws, dark hair, the young men are well built, they dress well, also they are family oriented mostly and these are a few of those same details.
ReplyDeleteFor example in this film we saw the goofiness of Johnny. He is distracted most of the time and forgets about things, much like Beppo!
He also is very connected to his mother and is worried about the broken relationship with his brother, so he is also family oriented.
The fact that his own brother is the one Loretta cheats him with, has a lot to do also with that image of the Italian American. They are “traitors with no shame”.
Johnny didn’t believe in curses and he wasn't superstitious at first. We saw that he changed his mind in the end when he was so sure that if he married Loretta, his mother would die.
"Moonstruck", is certainly a film constructed around the image of Italian men. When the film started, it opened up with a dead Italian in a casket, in a funeral home. I personally believe that this symbolized the old ways of the Italian life and the birth of a new way of life for Italian Americans. The dead Italian's generation experienced a life of torment when they immigrated to America. His passing away exhibited the passing away of the way in which Italians lived.
ReplyDeleteItalian men were not portrayed in a totally different way, but rather their ways were more pronounced. Our previous view of Italian men was through the eyes of how Italian immigrants lived, but now we see Italians as if they have been living in America for a number of years. In this film, men had a huge ego. *Their self-worth was far more than anyone else they cared about. (Look at Johnny; Johnny was hesitant on getting down on one knee to propose because it would "ruin" his new suit.) *Men were superstitious and devoted to their mothers. (Look at Johnny; Johnny knew that his mother was dying, but because he knew that if she found out that he was getting married, would lift the death from his mother.)
All of these instances were changed by the view of women; their lovers. Loretta, without hesitation, would not let Johnny propose to her without being on one knee and presenting a ring; the traditional way. When Johnny realized that his mother was not going to die, he realized that his need to marry Loretta was not needed. he never really loved her, but for the sake of his mother, wanted to make her happy before she died. When she no longer was going to die, he knew that he did not need to marry Loretta.
I think this movie is about love and how the men are portrayed in this topic. They are portrayed to be impulsive, hopeless romantics, and cheaters. Ronnie is the perfect example. He was really impulsive in his feelings about Loretta. He slept with her even though he knew she was there to invite him to her wedding. He was also a hopeless romantic, he took her to the opera and tried to woo her.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course he was a cheater. He slept with Loretta, knowing that she was his brothers fiance.
In the film Moonstruck they portrayed the men as simplistic and passionate men. They were the stereotypical italian men from being mamma's boys to being full or rage and passionate romantics. as well as being unfaithful to their spouses.
ReplyDeleteRonnie was the most highlighted male character. At first he was full of rage and a highly dramatic man threatening to kill himself. Once he met Loretta he became a passionate hopeless romantic and fell head over heels for Loretta. I really believe that this movie emphasized the dramatics and passionate personalities of Italians in general.
This film is about Italian American men but also touches on larger themes that aren't limited to Italian Americans.
ReplyDeleteRonny is a character that lashes out and because of his past holds a grudge against his brother and woman. Once he meets Loretta, a woman he seemingly can't have (since she is marrying his brother) he falls in love with her and stops at nothing to make her his.
This film is about Italian American men but also touches on larger themes that aren't limited to Italian Americans.
ReplyDeleteRonny is a character that lashes out and because of his past holds a grudge against his brother and woman. Once he meets Loretta, a woman he seemingly can't have (since she is marrying his brother) he falls in love with her and stops at nothing to make her his.
This film is largely about Italian men in that they are angry cheaters not content with life.
ReplyDeleteCosmo is not content with his wife or his middle class life in that he has to cheat on his wife with another women Mona. It is not like he is poor as shown when he charged the couple a good sum of money for pipe repair.
I agree with the fact that Cosmo is not poor or suffering much like those other individuals that we saw in the shorts. Cosmo is just plain selfish and self-centered because he is cheating on his wife whom he's been married to for about however amount of years. Maybe the problem is that he has no true agony so he has the option to indulge in foolishness.
DeleteThe portrayal of Italian American men in Moonstruck is a theme that encompasses a large part of the movie. They men throughout the movie all seem to be unhappy with their lives and try to remedy this through affairs with woman and passionate fits. Cosmo is an example. He is seeing a woman on the side because he believes that his life is nothing despite his riches. He doesn't even seem to be very interested in the woman he is seeing. He lavishes her with gifts, but doesn't do simple things like commenting on her outfit until she brings it up.
ReplyDeleteLate in the movie he reconciles with Rose, but overall this does portray Italian American men in a negative light.
Men are portrayed as weak-minded, materialistic and selfish to certain extents through out the movie, using their Italian American stereotypes as the butt of many jokes. Raymond is portrayed as a simple minded, superstitious man who just likes to sing and doesn't take anything seriously. Ronny is a hopeless romantic, obsessed with opera who lets his emotions get the best of him to no avail. Johnny is a momma's boy who is too caught up in his neurosis and Cosmo is a mellow-dramatic, unfaithful husband.
ReplyDeletePerhaps he had the smallest amount of screen time, but I believe Bobo is probably the most offensive character in the movie. He is the stereotypical depiction of the old italian waiter, filled with this innocence that simple minded immigrants are often portrayed as having. He responds in a mix of Italian and English, and serves as a comedic relief for the audience, similar to the grandfather's role as well. Even his name portrays him as subservient to the other characters, an old weathered man still known to by his childish nickname.
This film can be seen by a general audience as a romance film with a little comedy touch. The film in the eyes of an Italian American literature class may be seen from a different view. After learning about the stereotypes and discrimination Italians experienced while moving to my country, this movie helped to prove them mostly true. The film showed Ronnie, as a good for nothing ,low life, bread maker with no dreams or ambitions. He was letting his life go to waste. It also portrayed Italians as shady and dangerous to leave around your wives. ( being that he stole Loretta away from Johnny.)
ReplyDeleteThis movie shows that the men are weak when it comes to thinking. It also shows the hate that people have for immigrants, no matter what kind of immigrants they are. It also shows how men can be very greedy and also be cheaters and liars at the same time.
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