Ital-454 11/07/2011 United States of Italy, A New Identity

The film La America, directed by Gianni Amelio, is set in the impoverished state of Albania, after the fall of the 50 year old Communist regime. The economic repercussions of this collapse, causes a mass scale emigration of Albanians into Italy. This mass emigration acted as a reminder to Amelio, of the desperation that drove his father and uncle, along with many other impoverished Italians, to emigrate to America years before (Bertellini, 245). Through out the film, Amelios depicts the struggle and hopes for new beginnings of the Albanian people to expose the forgotten history of Italy. This history is forgotten by the depravity of a new generation whose emergence in the age of consumerism has erased historical memory (Bertellini,250). Amelio effectively displays the deletion of Italys past, from a nation who once sought happiness in America, to a nation who now represents that same hope for the people of Albania, through his portrayal of the central characters, and his depiction of Albanian perceptions of Italy, based on Italian pop culture. Perhaps the most obvious portrayal of the clash of Italys two identities can be shown through the personification of the two central characters Gino and Michele. Michele represents a very different Italy from that of modern Italy. He is old and fragile and senile old Sicilian man who assumed an Albanian identity after escaping the war.

Michelle believes he is living his life as a young man 50 years before. The presence of the aged Sicillian functions in the film as a ghostly reminder of Italys past (Bertellini, 250). Michele briefly alludes to Italian emigration to America during an interaction he has with an Albanian in which he speaks of his parents leaving on a ship to America and warning the Albanian that he cannot enter America without a permit. Gino, is an arrogant young businessman who flaunts his nice jeep and abundance of cash through out the film. Gino is a representation of Italys modern identity, as a promised land (Bertellini, 245) for the Albanian people. Through out the film Albanians approach Gino and speak of Italy as if it is a mythical place. An example of this can be seen in the films very beginning when Gino and his partner arrive in Albania, sporting a new Jeep. The Albanian people rush the two Italian men, one Albanian officer asks what a lovely car, how much does it cost, Gino simply responds a lot. This simple first encounter between Italy and Albania in the film displays Albanias admiration for Italian luxuries, as well as Italys arrogance and removal of its past. Gino, a child of the media age is ignorant of history obtusely intensive to cultural difference, and professes no values other then the easy acquisition of material wealth (Bertellini, 252). This removal of Italian history, and Americanization of Italy, can be seen heavily in Amelios depiction of Albanian idolization of Italian media. Through out the film various references to Italian television are made, all of which are reiterated by the Albanian people, in such a way that presents Italy as a land of opportunity. The Italian television displayed is a critique of Italys own domination by American mass culture

(Bertellini, 252). An example of this can be shown in one scene where a little girl is shown dancing to Italian television, mimicking moves of Michael Jackson. A women tells Gino that he should take her back to Italy with him and make her famous. This scene effectively shows the influence of American culture to the Italian people thus contributing to the deletion of Italys past identity, while also presenting Italys modern identity through the Albanian conception that Gino, as an Italian, has the power to single handedly elevate the little girls status to that of a television star. The final scene of the film, in which Gino and Michelle are reunited on an Albanian ship headed to Italy, ties in the themes of Italys forgotten past and the hopes for a new identity for the Albanians in Italy, symbolically being reflected upon one another. In this final scene, Gino is reluctantly removed from his Italian identity and forced to travel back to Italy with the Albanian people. His appearance is dirty and rugged, which causes him to blend in with the Albanians. Michelle, also dirty and rugged, believes he is on a ship not to Italy, but to America, paying homage to Italys desire to seek a new life in America during his generation. The Albanians on the ships hopes for a new life are displayed through the singing of the Italian song Litaliano, obviously learned from Italian television, that included the refrain,I am an Italian, a real Italian(Bertellini, 353). In addition one emigrant announces that when he settles in Italy he will find an Italian wife, and will speak to his children only in Italian, so that his Alganian identity will finally be forgotten (Bertellini, 253). In this final scene Amelio forces Italy to face its past through the transgression of rolls of Ginos character. Gino assumes the roll of his

forgotten ancestors who traveled to America in hopes of a new life, and simultaneously bares witness to a group of people who wish for the same in Italy. Amelio implies a cycle of forgotten history, by expressing the Albanians wish to lose their Albanian identity, just as Italy has forgotten theres. La America brings to life the forgotten past of Italy as a once impoverished country, while calling to attention how Italy has assumed the roll America played for Italy, in the 1940s, to the Albanians in modern times. These contrasts in histories are brought to life through the central characters, Gino and Michelle thus present contrasting embodiments of the national subject, across a generational divide (Bertellini, 250). Gino represents Italys new identity as a consumeristic society while Michele represents Italys forgotten past, the Albanian struggle transgresses Italys modern identity, to represent the same hope for new life that America represented to Italy during Micheles generation. The Americanization of Italy is further shown by the depiction of Italian television as an imitation of American television. This assumption of new identities are best depicted in the final scene when Albanians express their longing to cut ties with their roots and assume the roll of Italians, through the chanting Italian song learned ironically through Italian television. This shows an Albanian desire to emulate Italy, just as Italy has emulated America. Amelio calls attention to this deletion of history through his final depiction of Gino, the modern Italian, forced to go back in time and face the struggle his ancestors endured to find a better life in America, by assuming the roll of the Albanians who hope to find a better life in Italy.