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Film Professor Ben Lawton Analyzes 'The Sopranos'
The following is a thoughtful and insightful analysis of the 'Sopranos' by one of the premier Italian American experts on Film in the US.
I have just read a posting by Ellen Willis, "Our Mobsters, Ourselves", that endorses THE SOPRANOS to a greater or lesser extent. The argument in defense of freedom of expression is predicated on the idea that when all positions are allowed to be aired, the "best" will prevail. Granted, it's a frequently messy process. In fact, at times it is even disgusting. But, covering up the maggots doesn't make them go away.
They thrive in darkness and putrefaction. The best response to an article one disagrees with is not suppression, but a better article, one that demolishes the thesis of the former. See in this context, Professor Emeritus James Mancuso's excellent critique of "Mob Movies." So long as there are Italian Americans don't see what is wrong with THE SOPRANOS, those of us who find the show disturbing are obviously failing.
Having said all this, let me hasten to say that I endorse all the letters and protests directed against THE SOPRANOS in particular and in relation to the defamation of Italian Americans in general. The media tend to be a bit like the proverbial mule: You need a two by four to get their attention before you start reasoning with them. And for that we owe a debt of gratitude to the relentless campaign of Manny Alfano, the founder of Italian American One Voice (IAOV) and it's members, and AIDA (American Italian Defense Association) who has dramatically brought the issue to the fore.
A confession: I have to say that I am a fan of Coppola and Scorsese for reasons which I have discussed elsewhere in print. I am not a fan of Chase. It seems to me that perhaps the most fundamental difference between Coppola and Scorsese on the one hand, and Chase on the other, is that the former have a deep love for all that is positive in their heritage and, by extension, an intense resentment and perhaps even hatred for those Italian Americans who have harmed Italian Americans directly and indirectly over the years.
Coppola and Scorsese are openly and avowedly proud of their Italian/American heritage. Coppola and Scorsese are always very careful to make it very clear that the "Mafia" can exist only with the collusion of and at the behest the "establishment." And, they also make it crystal clear that organized crime is comprised of individuals of every ethnic group.
In this context I really should add that De Palma (SCARFACE), Cimino (HEAVEN'S GATE; YEAR OF THE DRAGON), Tarentino (PULP FICTION), etc. make the same point quite explicitly. Furthermore, after recognizing others' misreading of THE GODFATHER, they have all striven to demythologizethe Mafia.
Chase, on the other hand, seems embarrassed to be of Italian/American extraction. He seems to despise the Italian Americans who tell him that they are hurt by his program. He certainly does not wish to engage in any kind of dialog with them.
Another confession: When THE SOPRANOS first appeared, I had to admit, grudgingly, that I was--I won't say pleasantly surprised, but, perhaps surprised that it wasn't nearly so bad as I expected to be. In fact, at first it almost seemed to offer some promise--at least in terms of how it was done. Over the past couple of years, however, it has gone steadily downhill. The last episode I saw was pathetic, in the worst and most colloquial sense of the word. It has degenerated into pornography of sex and violence--that is, the sex and violence are ends in themselves, rather than being somehow made necessary by the narrative development.
Also, the show seems to be going out of its way to demean Italian Americans. It has been said that Italian Americans have been depicted as "beasts, boors, and buffoons" in most mob movies. This is certainly true of most such films made in Hollywood. By and large it is not true of the films of Coppola, Scorsese, Cimino, De Palma, etc. The "mafiosi" in their films may well be "beasts and boors," but they are almost never buffoons. You may (and should) despise and fear them, but you can't "dis" them. With the possible exception of Carmela Soprano, who somehow retains the gravitas of the Italian (American) mater familiae, everyone else appears to be depicted in a manner that is deliberately demeaning. In fact, one might argue that Chase seems threatened by what Mussolini (buonanima), might have called Italic virility.
You can start with the "godfather" himself. Coppola's godfather was called "Corleone," or Lion Heart. This godfather is called "Soprano." We all know how a man becomes a soprano. Until not so terribly long ago, castrati were appreciated by the Vatican for their vocal evolutions. What kind of "capo" faints at the sight of sausage? What kind of "capo" sees a shrink?.
The fact is that Chase follows in the tradition of films such as LITTLE CAESAR, SOME LIKE IT HOT, PRIZZI'S HONOR, MARRIED TO THE MOB, THE GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT, ANALYZE THIS, AND MIKEY BLUE EYES, all of which have helped perpetuate the image of Italian Americans as buffoons.
How can a serious mobster possibly be called "Big Pussy." I don't claim to know anything about the Mafia except what I have read. But, from what I have read, it is my sense that these are (or were) serious people. I say "were" because from what I read, the Italian American Mafia is, for the most part, history. But, while they were around, they were anything but buffoons. They were also not "nice" people. These traits are conveyed very effectively by Coppola's GODFATHER 1 and 2. They are not by Chases' SOPRANOS.
How can a serious mobster be called "Paulie Walnuts?" How can anyone take seriously wannabe mobsters such as "Ralphie" (who somehow got lost on his way to the Cage aux Folles, or Christopher. Or any of the grotesquely obese, constantly sweating, huffing and puffing bada bing aficionados.
Please, don't misconstrue what I am saying. I am not knocking castrati, gays, or heavy people. I am simply saying that, if the Mafia had soldiers such as these, it is no wonder that it went the way of the dodo bird and the traveler pigeon. I am also saying that this allegedly the best show on television, tells us absolutely nothing about the Italian American community, about the Mafia, or, contrary to what Chase purports, about America. OR, if you prefer, it is as accurate and educational about the former as GLADIATOR is about the Roman Empire. This is a situation comedy that relies on vulgarity and ethnic slurs for its humor. Like many if not most of the more successful HBO original shows, it's appeal is predicated on sex or violence, or sex and violence.
Much has been made of the fact that Chase is of Italian extraction. He has used this fact to defend the series. Basically, he seems to be saying that if Blacks can use the "n" word, he can make THE SOPRANOS. In both cases the behavior is tacky, not amusing, self-destructive, and devoutly to be eschewed.
Ben Lawton
Professor, Chair, Italian Studies
Chair, Film Studies
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47907
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