Comments on: Not a Goomba*

By: liongirlden

liongirlden — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:50:35 +0000

We’re not ALL ignorant “Guidos.” That’s what I meant!

By: liongirlden

liongirlden — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:47:07 +0000

I know what you mean, Helen. I’m Sicilian on both sides of my family. I do get tired of seeing Italian Americans portrayed as either gangsters or cops in film/tv. I know there are exceptions (as mentioned above), but that characterization does seem to predominate. And that’s not to say the Godfather films or The Sopranos (starring mostly Italian-American actors) aren’t fine pieces of work. And I just loved Al Pacino playing the lead role in “Serpico.”

And I’m also tired of depictions of Italian-Americans that imply that we are all horrible rascists. They are plenty of us who are (I’ve heard my own relatives say things that upset me so much I had to leave the room), but there are just as many who aren’t. We’re not ignorant “Guidos.”

By: divadarya

divadarya — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:39:03 +0000

I’m married to a New Yorker (she grew up in Yonkers and lived in the East Village back in the days of cafe’ wha? and Bob Dylan…) who is half Italian and half Norweigian(I’m half Norweigian too..the rest is Irish and Swedish). No real stereotypes at play there; the Italians were quiet, industrious and hardworking and the Norwegians were party animals;go figure.
I gotta admit I loved the Godfather movies,and so does she(DeNiro as the young don at the festa?pant pant…). We also both adore Moonstruck; the family from that movie remind her of her best friend’s family from Scarsdale.
I also have to say that there is no equal in the world for the Italian food I’ve had in New York;some in San Francisco came close….Her extended family ran a deli in Ardsley next to the world’s greatest pizza place,as far as I’m concerned.
I dunno…I know all too well what a maddeningly imperfect medium film is;great films are mostly accidents where art crashed into commerce, especially today…..