Tyler Shapiro
Research Paper
Andrea Bini
The Italian Lifestyle Portrayed In Film: Is It Really Ideal?
Excitement. Passion. Laughter. Love. Carefree. Anyone who has ever lived or
traveled to the seaside, boot-shaped country nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean
is likely to describe Italy with these words. Italy can be a seductress, tempting,
influencing, and perhaps even corrupting to those who step foot on her soil. Though
filmed a decade apart and by directors of different nationalities, Il Sorpasso (Italian
directed) and Avanti! (American directed) depict Italian lifestyle similarly, albeit painfully
stereotypical. Nonetheless, these movies understand happiness and romance as
universal truths in Italy. Both Il Sorpasso …show more content…
The two main characters’ personalities battle in each film, posing an argument: Which is
better, an uptight (American-ish) lifestyle or a carefree (Italian) lifestyle? It is interesting
to see how important character development plays into answering this question, as we
see Wendell and Bruno change from one end of the spectrum to the other.
In Billy Wilder's Avanti!, the main protagonist, Wendell, is uptight, entitled,
authoritative, and stressed out. He exemplifies the classic American businessman,
someone who is supposed to reflect stereotypical American values. Upon his arrival in
the country, he is immediately turned off by Italy. Going through customs, he verbally
assaults the customs agent trying to help him: 'I know what you foreigners do, always
trying to mess with Americans'. It turns out that he actually had the wrong passport. We
discover that Wendell is in Italy strictly for business, and comes with a very closed and
narrow mindset. This idea is only furthered by his first encounter with Pamela on the
ferry to Ischia. Their meeting sets the stage for a relationship of battling …show more content…
Even when everyone in Rome has
left for the holidays, Roberto stays locked away in his room studying. Roberto’s life,
similar to Wendell’s, is very one dimensional: All work and no play. He is hesitant to do
anything crazy, becoming wildly nervous when Bruno starts driving fast. Roberto has an
incredible difficulty expressing himself and his emotions. The audience experiences this
firsthand hearing his thoughts narrated. He expresses concern: Who is this guy Bruno?
Should I just go home? Eventually we see dramatic development in Roberto’s character
as he too shifts from one end of the spectrum, far to the other side. Maybe, too far.
Bruno essentially serves as the ying to Bruno’s yang, and serves as a guide
to Roberto, indoctrinating him into the new, carefree Italian lifestyle. Bruno, similar to
Pamela, is adventurous, carefree, and completely buys into the laidback Italian way of
living. Whereas Roberto is structured, Bruno is all over the place. This is apparent from
the very beginning of the film; Bruno only runs into Roberto because he is running over
an hour late to meet up with his friends. We immediately see from the opening
Research Paper
Andrea Bini
The Italian Lifestyle Portrayed In Film: Is It Really Ideal?
Excitement. Passion. Laughter. Love. Carefree. Anyone who has ever lived or
traveled to the seaside, boot-shaped country nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean
is likely to describe Italy with these words. Italy can be a seductress, tempting,
influencing, and perhaps even corrupting to those who step foot on her soil. Though
filmed a decade apart and by directors of different nationalities, Il Sorpasso (Italian
directed) and Avanti! (American directed) depict Italian lifestyle similarly, albeit painfully
stereotypical. Nonetheless, these movies understand happiness and romance as
universal truths in Italy. Both Il Sorpasso …show more content…
The two main characters’ personalities battle in each film, posing an argument: Which is
better, an uptight (American-ish) lifestyle or a carefree (Italian) lifestyle? It is interesting
to see how important character development plays into answering this question, as we
see Wendell and Bruno change from one end of the spectrum to the other.
In Billy Wilder's Avanti!, the main protagonist, Wendell, is uptight, entitled,
authoritative, and stressed out. He exemplifies the classic American businessman,
someone who is supposed to reflect stereotypical American values. Upon his arrival in
the country, he is immediately turned off by Italy. Going through customs, he verbally
assaults the customs agent trying to help him: 'I know what you foreigners do, always
trying to mess with Americans'. It turns out that he actually had the wrong passport. We
discover that Wendell is in Italy strictly for business, and comes with a very closed and
narrow mindset. This idea is only furthered by his first encounter with Pamela on the
ferry to Ischia. Their meeting sets the stage for a relationship of battling …show more content…
Even when everyone in Rome has
left for the holidays, Roberto stays locked away in his room studying. Roberto’s life,
similar to Wendell’s, is very one dimensional: All work and no play. He is hesitant to do
anything crazy, becoming wildly nervous when Bruno starts driving fast. Roberto has an
incredible difficulty expressing himself and his emotions. The audience experiences this
firsthand hearing his thoughts narrated. He expresses concern: Who is this guy Bruno?
Should I just go home? Eventually we see dramatic development in Roberto’s character
as he too shifts from one end of the spectrum, far to the other side. Maybe, too far.
Bruno essentially serves as the ying to Bruno’s yang, and serves as a guide
to Roberto, indoctrinating him into the new, carefree Italian lifestyle. Bruno, similar to
Pamela, is adventurous, carefree, and completely buys into the laidback Italian way of
living. Whereas Roberto is structured, Bruno is all over the place. This is apparent from
the very beginning of the film; Bruno only runs into Roberto because he is running over
an hour late to meet up with his friends. We immediately see from the opening