Hollywood Italians: Dagos, Palookas, Romeos, Wise Guys and Sopranos

Hollywood Italians is a celebration of nearly one hundred years of images of Italians in American motion pictures and their often ender-appreciated, under praised, and truly remarkable contribution to popular culture. It covers the careers of dozens of stars, including Rudolph Valentino, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, Leonardo Di Caprio, and James Gandolfini. In addition, the book reviews the work of such Italian-American directors as Frank Capra, Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma, Vincente Minnelli and Martin Scorsese. In all, Hollywood Italians discusses dozens of films, including their literary and European cinematic roots. The book is capped by a definitive examination of Coppola's Godfather films as well as the international television phenomenon The Sopranos. Includes a bibliography and index.