Italians in Hollywood

The Film Forum, Manhattan’s premiere art house movie theater, just finished its retrospective on the great American director Sidney Lumet. The Philadelphia-born filmmaker is known for tackling the thorny issue of morality, especially for those on the front lines of justice in courtrooms, jury rooms, and most especially police precincts. Lumet has made a number of movies featuring Italian-American characters, like Find Me Guilty (2006), Prince of the City (1981), and one of my all time favorites Serpico (1973). Last week we were treated to a rare screening of two powerful films The Fugitive Kind (1959) and A View from the Bridge (1962) based on works by the playwrights Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, respectfully, and featuring the great Italian actors Anna Magnani and Raf Vallone, respectfully.