Big Night – The Culture
Primo and Secondo, the main characters
in Big Night, are brothers that borrow money from family in Italy and come to
America to open up a restaurant called Paradise which is located on the New
Jersey shore. Knowing a little bit about Italian culture can provide viewers of
this film a greater understanding and appreciation of the characters, Primo and
Secondo.
Italy is located in southern Europe,
bordered by France, Austria, and Switzerland, with a peninsula that is
surrounded by the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Sea. Italians are passionate about
life and it is expressed through their facial expressions, hand gestures,
clothing, and their food.
Family is the center of their social
structure and they look to each other for influence on life decisions. Secondo,
the younger brother, tries really hard to obey Primo’s wishes, even though at
times he feels it will be detrimental to the business. Only when Secondo reaches a point of
desperation does he go behind his brothers back to arrange a deal that will
hopefully save their restaurant. Outside
of the watchful eye of his brother Primo, Secondo appears to do whatever it
takes to make a deal in order to help Paradise become a success.
Image and what people think about you is
very important to Italians. Appearances matter in Italy. Dress is an indication
of status, education, and background. Armani, Prada, Valentino, and Versaci are
all famous designers from Italy. The
suits, dresses, and formal attire are reflected in the dinner scene. La Bella
Figura is an Italian philosophy that means a person should take pride in how
they look and presenting the best for other, not only in dress and appearance
but extending to confidence and demeanor. “Presenting yourself well in thought,
word, and deed is a matter of personal dignity.” According to author, Raeleen
D’Agostina Mautner. Image is more than
just clothes, as we see in the movie
Primo can be a frustrating character to deal with, but in the end we
appreciate and applaud that he did not compromise himself for the sake of
success.
Italians cringe when they see what
Americans have done to classic Italian food. Spaghetti and meatballs will never
be found on a menu in Italy. Primo will rant passionately about why spaghetti
should not be served with risotto and will refuse to make what a customer has
requested.
We see a range of emotions during the
dinner scene as passion increases and reaches a climax during the course of
Timpano. The emotion becomes level during the serving of the main courses of
fish, beef, chicken, and pork. And then
there is the afterglow, reflecting on the dinner, and a sad like state that the
food has come to an end. Highs can only go so high and eventually it must swing
back down. Truths and realizations will eventually surface to the top.
Big Night grossed over $12,008,000 and
was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and Grand
Special Prize at the Deauville Film Festival.
Reviews of the film were positive. The movie provided many great and
memorable quotes for reflection.
Sources
http://www.imdb.comhttp://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/italy-country-profile.html
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bignight.htm
http://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/how-to/what-italians-wear-in-spring
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/in-italian-food-whats-authentic-and-does-it-really-even-matter/253346/
http://www.nadasitaly.com/eatinginitaly.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/country/italy.html
http://safetyworldnomads.com/italy/69757/lust-for-life-italian-passion#axzz33qr8kkvt
http://cheftalk.com/a/food-on-film-the-big-night-and-dinner-rush
http://raeleenmautner.com
Did you find the movie to be sad in the end? Primo has the career and the girl but Secondo has no girl and no career. I so badly wanted the happy ending with each brother have a girl at their side and their competition restaurant failed leaving them alone to achieve the American dream.
ReplyDeleteI think that desiring a "happy" ending to films is something that turns many people off to what are possibly good movies in their own right. This ending isn't sad per se but you have to see through the characters' eyes. The confrontation on the beach followed by the quiet breakfast is an honest representation of how real families are. They still have one another for the time being at least. And we really can't say what will happen in the future. Because the movie ends and it leaves the audience to speculate. So for that matter the ending can be as happy or as sad as you would like for it to be.
DeleteHonestly, I think a happy ending would have cheapened it. Ending on that down beat, to me, hammered home the futility of fighting assimilation for Italian immigrants. They could be the very best at what they do, but ultimately, there is something holding them back--especially existing dumbed down/sanitized American culture. I think the idea was to present the very real struggles of Italian immigrants and to given them a happy ending, I think, would detract from that effect.
DeleteI liked that the film, Big Night, didn't have a happy ending, it made the movie less predictable. I also don't think that Secondo should have a happy ending he was portrayed as a bad guy in a way. He cheated on his girlfriend and lied to his brother. This put a moral to the film to be honest and good like Primo was.
ReplyDelete