Bourdain Unknown Shanghai: Start at 32m to see an actual Wedding Banquet (though mainland example). It runs until about 39minutes. Also, you'll have to suffer through a couple commercials. by limukohou

Audience Questions

Due to a family emergency that has occurred over this week I was unable to attend class this week. For all panelists I did watch the movie in advance for Juile and Julia. I thought it was a really good movie! My two questions for anyone not just the panelists are: Do you think it was more than just achallenge to Julie cook all Julia's 524 recipes, like an inner challenge rather than to just prove that she could? My other question is why did she choose Julia's recipes? I don't think that it explained the why very well because it was French food not just American meals. Once again I apologize for not being there but I enjoyed this class and it was a pleasure to get to know some of you!

Ephron's Julie and Julia

This is Getting Crazy

I know I've been pointing out that the food film or the concept is now a bonafide genre and fully incorporated into film and media, but even I'm surprised at how much momentum it seems to have lately.  I've just seen a trailer for another food film with Helen Mirren, (The Hundred Foot Journey) about an Indian restaurant in France, and an even more surprising first, a food sitcom (don't remember the name).
    Jon also sent me a link to another food film in the work with Jean Reno (remember The Professional? or Femme Nikita --the film not the series?) as the chef, called (of course) Le Chef, though apparently it debuted in France two years ago.  Perhaps the success of Chef made them think Le Chef could find a similar audience.

Ramji and Assimilation

We've seen food and cuisine used as a "visible" part of assimilation, most notably in What's Cooking, where each culture's cuisine and its American "translation" embodies the challenge of maintaining one's heritage yet still becoming part of a new nation.  In Ramji we see food as part of the same equation (though the nation/culture Ramji joins is British rather than American of course).  What's interesting, though, is how the film suggests that assimilation is ultimately not the goal--in either a personal nor culinary sense.

    Notice that Ramji has to teach the cooks in Curry Corner how to properly prepare the dishes--and once he does business picks up, presumably as a result of his tastier fare.  In other words, his cooking is more authentically Indian, not the watered down, Anglicized Indian food he finds being prepared when he arrives.  Similarly, when he wins the contest (again through his superior cuisine) he doesn't use his success to solidify his entry into London, but to return home.  We could take it even further in seeing Sameera's return with him to India.  She's obviously been thoroughly assimilated (as her easy and thoroughly British English shows), though just as obviously her ability to speak Hindi suggests she hasn't lost touch with her heritage either.  Initially, she doesn't even realize that return is possible, but her Grandmother knows it instantly--knows it is not only possible, but desirable.  The message seems clear: one can only truly express and experience one's Indian identity in Mother India.
    On a sidenote, notice Ramji and Sameera never kiss despite several opportunities.  In fact, when they want to enrage Jai, who's trying to dupe them on the phone, Sameera kisses her arm rather than Ramji to trick Jai.  Needless to say, kissing (or any open sexuality) is strictly verboten in Bollywood pictures.  Hence, the need for dancing.

Ramji Londonwaley

Ramji Londonwaley is an adaptation, not remake, (according to the writer/director Sanjay Dayma) of an older film titled Nala Damayanthi.  It is Dayma's second of only two films so far.  By far this is the least famous of the two as the other film, Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, was nominated by the Academy for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.

The film that this is adapted from is part of Tamil cinema.  Tamil cinema is in reference to the location of production.  The region of Tamil is known as Kollywood, similar to the more famous Bollywood, taking it's name in respect of Hollywood.  Tamil cinema is also regulated more prominently by the government than others.  This regulation generally focuses on the prices of admission to the films that are released.

Sanjay Dayma worked with Indian cinema superstar R. Madhavan on both of his projects.  Madhavan is by far the most famous name associated with this film and has been in over 50 movies.  Not much information could be found about Dayma himself and even a photograph was hard to come by.  Unless the Sanjay Dayma that is easily locatable on Facebook is the same man in which case it seems that he has fallen out of the limelight.  His wife is Vidya Malvade, a relatively famous Bollywood actress.

As stated, this film was not the critical success that Lagaan was.  It has received mixed reviews from both Indian and American critics.  Although it has achieved a fresh rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes it has less than stellar scores elsewhere including a 6.5/10 on IMDB.  Most negative criticism points to the pace of the first hour of the film while the positive will note the charm and comedy brought to the film by Madhavan.

The film itself covers a lot of ground, which could explain why there is so much distaste for the set up in the beginning.  It follows a son, Ramji (played by Madhavan), after his mother's death in India as he travels to London in pursuit of a job as well as an arranged marriage (which is common in Indian culture).  Due to a series of unfortunate events including a bitter betrothal, inconvenient timing on the part of his employer, and legal troubles with immigration. Ramji is left to fend for himself.

Sources:

bollywoodhumgama.com

hindigeetmala.net

imdb.com

wikipedia.org

rottentomatoes.com

Taste

It's a simple concept: one can have it and one can experience it.  Tampopo explores the gap between the two.   The head cook insults Goro and Tampopo as amateur noodlers, but Tampopo points out all people who eat noodles are amateurs (i.e., it requires no specialized knowledge to know what you prefer for your bowl of noodles or how to eat it, despite the manual at the beginning).  The scene with the hobos makes a similar point: anybody can have taste.  The hobos devote their days to the castoff food from high-end restaurants, relishing the dregs of Chateau Pichon Lalande, a French bourdeaux (shades of Sideways since bourdeaux is made from pinot noir).  Notably, during this discussion of refined French food, Tampopo’s son requests a rice omelet, another staple of Japanese households to use leftover rice.  Notice a significant ingredient is ketchup, a very non-Japanese ingredient.  Again, a simple dish that requires no specialized training to enjoy.

     Clearly, Itami feels something has gone wrong in Japanese society, that it has become unnatural somehow, or forgotten how to enjoy simple things without elaborate rules and social tests.  Food becomes a way of accessing the society at a basic level. The yakuza and his girlfriend represent this pointless refinement of taste, which is more about social status and playing with food then actually enjoying it.  The long last shot of a mother breastfeeding her baby illustrates the simplicity of the process--both provider and consumer clearly understand and enjoy the exchange.  No elaborate procedures required. The child requires no training.  As the mechanized, industrial landscape the characters travel through and exist in show, some essential connection with the basic processes of life has been lost.  However, it can be recovered, as Tampopo’s discovery through the renovation of her ramen preparation and the shop (not to mention her self) show.

Searching for Noodle Perfection

Juzo Itami's Tampopo (1986) retails the search for the perfect bowl of noodles, and Tampopo's (the character) quest to become the perfect noodle purveyor.

A NY Times article describes one reporter's similar quest:

One Noodle at a Time in Tokyo

By MATT GROSS

Published: January 31, 2010
(Noodle Shop Slide Show)

NOT far from Waseda University in Tokyo, around the corner from a 7-Eleven, down a tidy alley, lies a ramen shop that doesn’t look like a ramen shop. In fact, Ganko, as it’s called, doesn’t look like anything at all. There’s no sign, no windows, only a raggedy black tarp set like a tent against a tiled wall, with a white animal bone dangling from a chain to signal (somehow) what lies within.
    Past the tarp and through a sliding glass door is Ganko proper. Five stools are lined up along a faux-wood counter, and above it a thin space opens like a proscenium onto a small kitchen, crusted black with age and smoke but hardly dirty. The lone performer is a ramen chef. With a week’s stubble on his chin, his eyeglasses fogged with steam and a towel wrapped around his neck, he certainly looks ganko, or stubborn, and he speaks hardly a word as he methodically fills bowls with careful dollops of flavorings and fats, ladles of rich broth, noodles cooked just al dente and shaken free of excess water, a slab of roast pork, a supple sheet of seaweed, a tangle of pickled bamboo shoots. All is silent until the final moment, when the chef drizzles hot oil on top and the shreds of pale-green scallion squeal and sizzle.
  From then on there is only one sound — the slurping of noodles. Oh, it’s punctuated by the occasional happy hum of a diner chewing pork or guzzling the fat-flecked broth, or even by the faint chatter of the chef’s radio, but it’s the slurps that take center stage, long and loud and enthusiastic, showing appreciation for the chef’s métier even as they cool the noodles down to edible temperature.
(Continued)

Questions for Tampopo

1.       This seems to be a modern spin on the old style westerns with a traveller helping out the lady with sometimes odd supporting characters. Do you think there was any purpose to that from the writer/director?

2.       Japan’s culture is generally considered to be more strict or rigid than our own. Is this movie a protest to that strict culture?

3.       With all of the smaller stories throughout the larger film, is it possible that the main character here is not a person but is, in fact, the noodles?

4.       Even though the film takes place in Japan and is centered on a traditionally Japanese dish, what does this movie say about the importance of food regardless of culture?

5.       Can we draw any parallels between this film and Like Water for Chocolate based on the fact they have some interesting love scenes involving food?

American Californian Landscape/Inscape in Sideways

As Sideways and Nebraska show, Payne is very much a chronicler of "place" in America.  In Sideways, it's obviously the Californian landscape (at least from L.A., freeway California) to Santa Barbaran coastal landscape--and the various interiors that humans hide in.

For further landscape/inscape shots click here.  I've included a few shots from Delicatessen to contrast its assiduously fabricated environment to Payne's relentlessly ordinary ones, even the more scenic landscapes of wine country. 

    By the way, you may have notice the very convincing photograph of a young Miles with his father.  Obviously, the photo was an actual photo from Giamatti's youth.  His father you may or may not know was once commissioner of the Major League Baseball, A. Bartlett Giamatti, who did die tragically before his time.

Audience Questions for Sideways

1.) Which wines can we identify each of the four main characters? Obviously, we can identify Miles with pinot noir for most of the film, but what about the other characters: Jack, Maya, and Stephanie?

2.) Is Miles strictly a "pinot noir?" Or is he more complicated than that? If so, in what ways to his choices in wine and food identify his internal struggle?

3.) The film is a travel/road trip narrative, how can we use Miles and Jack's road trip to track their personal/psychological journeys?

4.) What do you make of the scene towards the end of the film where Miles drinks his bottle of '61 Cheval Blanc in the fast food restaurant? Does it mirror any other scenes? Is it useful in identifying his character, if so in what ways? Or do you think there is some other significance?

Sideways Director- Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne-Director

            Alexander Payne is known for many great movies and is a well known director especially after the movie Sideways. He was born on February 10, 1961 and grew up with his family in Nebraska helping in his grandfather’s restaurant The Virginia Café. It wasn’t until Payne was around fourteen years old when his interest in film making began. When he was working with his father in the Café restaurant he was given an 8mm projector from Kraft foods for being a good customer to them. It was later on that he got to use a Super 8mm camera when his interest had peaked.

            Going into his education Payne started off majoring in history and Spanish at Stanford University then later on attended UCLA where he graduated with his MFA in film school. After his successful thesis film he created in film school Payne started to get noticed. It was from there he actually got a directing gig from Universal Studios. Later the film become About Schmidt. It was said on Fandango that it “polarized” audiences. Saying the film was humorous meditation while others thought the film to be a depressing glimpse of life (Fandango).

            Payne’s first full length film though made in 1996 called Citizen Ruth, wasn’t one of his greater works he still manage to later directed some films that were later recognized as brilliant. It was not until movies like Sideways(2004) and The Descendants (2011) were Payne was nominated for many academy awards for Best Picture or Best Director. Both though did receive and Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay which is awesome. He is also known for the films Election directed in 1999 and his latest film Nebraska which was released in 2013.

            After the movie Sideways though Payne had a seven year gap before his next full length film. During that time He wrote and helped produce many films like I Now Pronounce You Chuch and Larry as well as helped with some television shows. Fun fact with that film Sandlar rewrote so much of what Payne did that he hated the final product of the movie. Payne also before Sideways was produced he helped with the famous and block buster hit Jurassic Park III in his earlier days.

            Looking into Payne’s personal like he was actually married to Sandra Oh who played Stephanie in his movie Sideways later though in December of 2006 two years after the film they were divorced after being together for three years previously. Payne though busys his time when not on the set being a member of the Board of Directors of the Omaha non-profit film theather.  He helps a lot in his hometown and is still very much close to his family in Nebraska. Payne also goes to many events across the country receiving honors like the Cannes Film Festival he was nominated for the Palme ‘dOr in 2013, which is the highest award of the festival, for his film Nebraska.

            Alexander Payne is a rising director and like I mentioned earlier a well known one. He also loves to write screenplays just as much as directing. He has a lot of ambition and I love him for that. Many of his films are about relationships and life. Every now and then I think it is good to sit down and watch a movie about that. His next film he is working on according to IMDb his next film is set to hit making next fall called Wilson. The movie is to be based off of the graphic novel by Daniel Clowe. 

References

IMDB Website

http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0668247/quotes

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0668247/

Fandango Website

http://www.fandango.com/alexanderpayne/biography/p105871

Rotten Tomatoes Website

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/alexander_payne/biography/

            

Sideways Critical Reception

Brandi Smith

            The film, Sideways, was adapted into a screenplay by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor from the novel of the same name by Rex Pickett.  The screenplay itself is one of this film’s shining stars. The adaptation was nominated for and won several awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Film Award, and an Independent Spirit Award.
Sideways was released in theaters on October 22, 2004 and was in release for 210 days. It was later released on DVD in April of 2005. During its’ release, Sideways earned 71,503,593 domestic dollars and 38,203,338 foreign dollars for a total of $109,706,931. The production costs were budgeted at $16 million, so the film profited by $93,706,931. Not too shabby! That’s nearly 6 times the money spent to make it.

          So, people spent money to go see it, but did they like it? To find out how it was received, I turned to Rotten Tomatoes to read the reviews from the critics. I was very surprised to find that it has a 96% positive rating with only 2 negative reviews from the top critics. Back in the day, I used to like to watch Siskel and Ebert, so I looked for Roger Ebert’s comment first, which was, “At the end of the movie, we feel like seeing it again.” His current partner from Ebert & Roeper, Richard Roeper said, “This is a genuine slice of life.” A comment from Megan Lehmann of the New York Post told me a little more about the film. She said, “It's a joy to watch comedy unfold so naturally, the laughs gently teased out from our growing knowledge of the characters, their imperfections, doubts and, yes, emotional pain.”  Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle commented on the director, “With four fine films under his belt, Payne should be regarded as an American treasure.”  Gathering from the information I found and the reviews I read, Sideways was well liked by the critics. Next, I wanted to know how the film placed at the awards ceremonies of that year.           
         I absolutely couldn’t believe that when I looked up the awards it won, there were literally 10 pages of nominations and awards! A majority of the pages were smaller Critics Awards from various cities, such as Kansas City, L.A., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. There were some other international ones like London, Marrakech, and Toronto. I narrowed the field down to some of the most popular awards ceremonies.
       Sideways was nominated for 5 Academy Awards! It won only one and lost the other four. It won for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (Payne and Taylor). Now, I was extremely curious about the ones it lost, and wanting to know who won. You see, I have absolutely no recollection of ever knowing that this film existed. I don’t remember ever hearing of it or seeing any previews or trailers for it. I was pretty busy in 2004 caring for a two year old child and helping my then husband readjust to civilian life after coming home from Iraq, so I had to look up who won in those categories to see if they were films I had at least hear of before. It lost Best Motion Picture of the Year to the film Million Dollar Baby. Alright, I have heard of that one. At least I didn’t miss all of 2004! Thomas Haden Church lost the Best Supporting Actor award to Morgan Freeman for his role in Million Dollar Baby.  Virginia Madsen lost the Best Supporting Actress category to Cate Blanchett for her work in The Aviator (I actually saw that film). Finally, Payne lost Best Achievement in Directing to Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby.            
         Sideways was also nominated for 7 Golden Globes. It won 2 including: Best Screenplay, and Best Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical.  It was nominated for 1 BAFTA award for Best Screenplay- Adapted, which it won. The cast won at the SAG awards for outstanding performance (Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Paul Giamatti, and Sandra Oh), and was nominated in four total categories. Sideways cleaned up at the Independent Spirit Awards, winning all 6 awards for which it was nominated. These included: Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Male Lead, Best Supporting Female, and Best Supporting Male.
            Overall, it looks like Sideways was well received by the public, by the critics, and by the awards organizations. Bringing in nearly 6 times the amount that was spent to make the movie shows that the public wanted to see it. Most of the critics gave it excellent reviews. It was nominated for 10 pages worth of awards, and it won many of them. In my opinion, this was a very successful film.

 Works Cited

“Sideways”. Box Office Mojo. Web. 4 June, 2014. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sideways.htm
“Sideways Awards”. IMDb. Web. 4 June, 2014. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375063/awards
“Sideways (2004)”. Rotten Tomatoes. Web. 4 June 2014. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sideways/

Audience Questons for Big Night

I asked about the use of silence in the film, both with Marc Anthonys charachter, but also at the end of the film. I also asked about the motives of the main charachters.

Delicatessen **Warning** Spoiler Alert!

‘Delicatessen’- Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

           

Imagine a post-apocalyptic France during an ambiguous time where food is scarce.  People are hungry to the point where grains are so invaluable they are used for currency and some even resort to the unthinkable……cannibalism.  This is the setting of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s movie, Delicatessen.  In this paper, I will give an introduction to Jeunet’s professional background and then provide my own conclusions on how the movie can be considered a food film.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet- Filmography

            According to the Internet Movie Database, Jean-Pierre began as a self-taught French film director and made his debut in the late 70’s with TV commercials and short video clips.  During this time, he met

Marc Caro and together they created three short animated films, one of which won a prestigious César Award.  Jeunet went on to make two other short movies without Caro, until they reunited to create Delicatessen which was released in France on April 17, 1991.  One year later, the US released followed on April 3, 1992.  In the US alone, the movie grossed $1,794,187.

            Upon further research on IMDb.com, I found that Delicatessen proved to be a success with having been nominated for 23 different awards; 13 of which the film won.  Among these awards are 4 Césars which include best first work (director), best screenplay (original or adaptation), best production design, and best editing.   When exploring Jean-Pierre’s official website (jpjeunet.fr), I found a list of his film works; most notably his feature films.  Jeunet directed four more well-known films after Delicatessen, which are titled, The City of Lost Children (1995), Alien:

Resurrection (1997), Amélie (2001), A Very Long Engagement (2004), and most recently The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013).  After Delicatessen, Jeunet really took a liking to a few actors and featured them in several of his movies, especially one in particular.  IMDb reports that Dominique Pinon, known as Louison in Delicatessen, appears in a total of 7 of Jeunet’s movies.  They include; Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, Alien: Resurrection, Amélie, A Very Long Engagement, MicMacs, and T.S. Spivet.

Delicatessen as a Food Film…..But where’s the food?

            Every movie we have watched in this class, so far, has shown the preparation and eating of elaborate dishes and meals.  If this is the norm to be seen in food films, it leaves one wondering how Delicatessen fits into such a category.  In this movie, there are very few scenes of characters eating; and most of what we see them eating is not appealing.  For example, the man who lives in the flooded basement is seen eating one of his slimy roommates; a snail.  He says to the snail before eating it, “My dear Hercules.  Every man for himself.”  This quote nearly sums up the attitude of most people’s views on survival, with some (more than) willing to eat humans.  The only scene we see food appearing to be tasteful is when Louison and Julie enjoy

nibbles (looks like biscuits) and tea together.  During this scene we actually see very little eating.  It’s more of an awkward moment that is interrupted by a skipping record and then followed by the two playing music together.  Even then, they seemed to enjoy the music more than eating.  I found this surprising, since everyone is so hungry. 

            Food is talked about and referenced often in this film, and becomes motivation and drive for the entire plot.  Each character is affected by food somehow.  Corn kernels, lentils, and beans are used for currency by the people who live above ground (referred to as

“surfacers”) instead of eaten as food.  Rather, the apartment tenants go to the butcher/landlord, Clapet, for cuts of meat chopped freshly the night before; and not the kind that comes from animals. 

            In contrast, those that live underground (referred to as “Troglodytes”) refuse to eat humans and are banished to the sewers and

are looked down upon as sub-humans.  Julie seeks help from the Troglodytes to ensure her new beau is spared from her father’s cleaver by leading them to Clapet’s “money.”

            Names (mostly code names used when communicating with the Troglodytes) frequently come from some type of favorite French cuisine.  Examples include artichoke, cordon bleu, onion snipers, sauce master, artichoke soufflé, and tapioca (the last name of a family of tenants).  The Troglodytes even comment about the selection of code names and language being used over their communication device by saying, “Must be cooking up there.”

            In conclusion, Delicatessen is not your typical food film.  Instead of seeing people cook and enjoy eating fabulous dishes, we see people fighting for food and the chance to survive- no matter the costs.  Despite there being little food shown in the film, the entire plot revolves around food in some manner; whether it be obtaining food or trying to not become it.

 Works Cited

Delicatessen.  Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet.  Perf. Marie-Laure Dougnac, Dominique Pinon, and Pascal Benezech.  Miramax Films, 1991.  Film.

Delicatessen. IMDb.com, n.d. Web.  8 June 2014.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101700/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Jean-Pierre Jeunet.  IMDb.com, n.d.  Web.  8 June 2014.  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000466/

Lett Motif.  Jean-Pierre Jeunet official site.  LettMotif, 2011.  Web.  8 June 2014.  http://www.jpjeunet.fr/GB/

 

CHEF serves up a tasty dish

Chef finally arrived in the Fort this weekend, and fits well with many of the themes we've discussed in our films thus far.  The one that struck me the most as I watched was the artist/chef connection we've seen in several of our films such as Babette and Big Night, especially their relation to their audience/diners.  It plays out in the movie in Carl Casper's (Jon Favreau) battles with a food blogger and in a larger sense through this most recent turn in Favreau's own career, which started in the sort of indie film that Chef (the movie) aspires to be (it's not exactly the same for the director of Iron Man to make his own film as it was for an unknown Favreau to make Swingers).

Food eventually takes more of a backseat in the film than in the films we've been watching, but still maintains a food focus as Favreau's character attempts to put some heart back in his career and his life (a la Eat Drink Man Woman).  It's a suprisingly sweet film, and wobbles a bit in the beginning, but avoids becoming too cloying with healthy doses of humor and Leguizamo.  Definitely worthwhile if someone is interested in pursuing the artist/chef focus or even gender. 

   It's also apparently convincing in many of its details to other chefs, as this article demonstrates.

Big Night - The Culture

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.com
http://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
 

Hey Mambo, Mambo Italiano!: Dancing American Style

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  Louis Prima is a central figure in the film, yet never appears of course.  He may seem simply a convenient Italian singer to build the hopes of an Italian restaurant owner on his appeareance.  However, on closer scrutiny of his work and career, it's clear why he would appeal to the people of the time.  A quick survey of some of his songs reveals how a singer like Prima could trade on his “Italianness” in a way that was palatable to Americans of the time: "Felicia No Capicia," "Bacciagaloop (Makes Love on the Stoop)," and "Please No Squeeza Da Banana” (Huey; “The Man … The Legend.”  The mangled Italian (“Felicia No Capicia”) and stereotypic organ-grinder accent (“No Squeeza”) offered digestible bits of Italian culture for American tastes.  As Primo screams to Secondo—“this country is eating us alive!” 

The Mambo Italiano scene offers a similar instance of 1950s American interest in foreigness as comic fun.  In the film a male character mouths the words to the 1955 Rosemary Clooney hit.  In the shot we experience a comic disjunction between the male theatricality of the performer lip-syncing to the female voice and his extravagant dance moves.  The song delineates the essential situation of the brothers in the film: in it a “A girl went back to Napoli/Because she missed the scenery/ The native dances and the charming songs/But wait a minute, something's wrong/ Hey, mambo! Mambo italiano!/Hey, mambo! Mambo italiano/ Go, go, go you mixed up sicialiano
All you calabraise-a do the mambo like a crazy with a/ Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella/ Hey mambo, no more a mozzarella/ Hey mambo! Mambo italiano!
Try an enchilada with da fish a bac a lab and then a/ Hey goombah, I love a how you dance a rhumbah.”

   The singer advises to get in the swing of things.  Enter the modern age.  Don’t be a square and return to your old rut—the place you came from: “But take a some advice paisano/ Learn how to mambo/If you gonna be a square/ You ain't a gonna go nowhere
Hey mambo! mambo italiano!/ Hey mambo! mambo italiano!/ Go, go, Joe, shake like a Giovanno/ Hello kess-a-deetch-a you getta happy in the feets a/ When you mambo italiano.”

In the song’s terms, Pascal has definitely learned to mambo and is having a grand old time of it; Secondo would like to join the dance, but doesn’t have the rhythm down—yet; Primo is like the girl in the first line who finds he can’t leave his country for the new American world.  The implied view of the song definitely holds up the more malleable Pascal-like ability to mambo with your identity whatever the distortions (“Try an enchilada with da fish a bac a lab and then a/ Hey goombah, I love a how you dance a rhumbah.”).  Returning to the Old World in the terms of the song is “square,” suggesting some significant lack in character, a feeling that Secondo seems to subscribe to when he derides Primo’s plan to return to Rome to work at his Uncle’s restaurant.  To survive in the modern world of 50s America, you have to get with the dance—or risk getting bumped from the mambo line.

Aside from the comedy of the male image lip-syncing to a female voice, the choice of Rosemary Clooney’s hit over Dean Martin’s hit of about the same time further shows how even non-Italians can get in on the act, trading on Italianness without being Italian.  American mass culture has a voracious appetite for the foreign—all too willing to digest and appropriate other cultures into a more manageable version, the very thing Primo cannot and finally will not stomach.

Big Night: Art for Hire

Big Night (1996) is a small film that was written by cousins Joseph Tropiano and Stanley Tucci and directed by both Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci. It was well-received at the time and was nominated for and even won many critics association and festival awards. It is an independent film which offers a look at American culture, business, artistry, and food.

Big Night follows the story of two Italian brothers, Primo and Secondo, who have immigrated to the U.S. and are trying to run an authentic Italian restaurant in 1950s New Jersey. The bank is about to foreclose on them because they are struggling with money. Unlike the other Italian restaurant in town which serves spaghetti and meatballs and other foods that people familiar with traditional American cuisine would love, yet are not authentic Italian. Primo, however, is a chef who only wants to serve the best—what is real Italian cuisine. This alienates guests and leaves the restaurant struggling. In an effort to revive the business, the brothers put on a banquet for which they are expecting famous Louis Prima to attend. Although the banquet is a success, not all ends well for the brothers. This story suits the relatively small $4.1 million project told by mostly unknown creators to give a film with perspective (Dinner For Five).

Just as Big Night’s story is about people who are not only creators, but players in business, so are the people who made the film. Actor Stanley Tucci is at the center of this film serving as co-writer, co-director, and actor. He also directed with fellow actor, Campbell Scott, with neither of them having prior directing experience (IMDb: Big Night (1996)). Along with Tucci and Campbell is a large cast: Tony Shalhoub, Marc Anthony, Minnie Driver, Isabella Rossellini, Ian Holm, Allison Janney, and even Liev Schreiber can be seen. While at the time Rossellini and Holm were the only famous actors, today, much of the cast is well-known and respected. So, at the time, this was not a collection of Hollywood powerhouses coming together for a side project, this was a genuine collaboration or sorts.

So why have all these actors come together for this project? First of all, Tucci and Tropiano had a story to tell. Hollywood is full of Italian stereotypes, and they come from an Italian family. Here, they could tell a story that was genuine with cultural perspective. What they put together in the script was very personal. In fact, the timpano, the most attractive dish presented in the film was a secret recipe of the family that Tucci’s mother later published in her cookbook, Cucina & Famiglia (1999) (Coyle 45, 47). The elements, like the food, were very personal to the filmmakers. Second, there are the players. One side of the actor is the artist. They put life into stories and can become the essence of a film. However, while producing a performance, they must please.  After all, to live is to work and find jobs. This story is very relatable to this kind of life.  

Tropiano says, "A chef's problems were a way of exploring that theme of art and money in a way people could access it” (Weinraub). This relationship between art and money can make for a great space for character to move around in and develop.

I think that this is a great film not only about life in general, but about artists by artists. One can look at Babette in Babette’s Feast and see someone who gave all the money she had to make a feast. I believe that Primo is very much like her. He prizes the artistry and the pure way of the food as the only way. But artistry has a price. Unless Primo sacrifices his authentic Italian way for an “impure” American version of his dishes, he will end up not being able to offer his talents to the people at all. As I look at this film, I see a bunch of actors coming together for themselves. They want good jobs and they want a good show. There is an idea of actors needing to be guided by the filmmakers, so I think it was a bit risky for Tucci to put this together. There is risk of making a flop, or losing money, or even just personal discouragement in the learning process. But the actor did what the actor needed and, I believe, it came out as a success.

Other References

Coyle, Margaret. "Il Tampano--"To Eat Good Food Is to Be Close to God": The Italian-American Reconciliation of Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott's Big Night." Reel Food. Ed. Anne L. Bower. New York and London: Routeledge, 2004. 42.