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55-475: The Italian may refer to: The Italian (1915 film) , a silent film by Reginald Barker The Italian (2005 film) , a Russian film by Andrei Kravchuk The Italian (Radcliffe novel) , a novel by Ann Radcliffe The Italian (Vassalli novel) , a novel by Sebastiano Vassalli The Italian (album) , an album by Patrizio Buanne See also [ edit ] Italian (disambiguation) Topics referred to by

110-532: A Million (actor, story and director). In May 1921, the City of Los Angeles threw a parade in honor of Beban. Beban's train was greeted at the Southern Pacific station, and he was taken to a waiting automobile filled with roses. A long line of decorated cars formed a parade to Los Angeles City Hall, where Mayor Meredith P. Snyder presented Beban with a huge floral key to the city. The events were part of

165-656: A far greater fund of comedy than the wearisome peanut-stand mirth to which the 'scene-in-one' artists have accustomed us." Owing to the success of "The Sign of the Rose," Beban was cast for most of the next decade in Italian character roles. In 1917, Beban revealed to a reporter the irony that he could not speak a word of Italian. Beban explained: "I understand the tongue when it is spoken – I couldn't be associated with it for so many years and not recognize and translate it – but I have never attempted to talk it myself. ... To portray

220-851: A far more lovable figure than one might expect." He concludes his chapter on the film with the following comment: "In short, what emerges from The Italian is an unusually complex view of tenement life and multiethnic immigration in America, and the film consequently retains its value not only as social history but also as a work of art." In his book about the history of film editing, Don Fairservice credits The Italian' s director, Reginald Barker , for his early use of editing to maintain story continuity and for his use of multidirectional camera positioning and variable framing to emphasize character development and psychological motivation rather than plot. A review in DVD Talk concluded that Beban's performance

275-513: A more rounded human being. Eventually, Beban escaped the French characters by taking on a different ethnic caricature – the Italian immigrant. He studied the language and mannerisms of the Italian immigrants by spending weeks observing Italian workers building a tunnel between Manhattan and New Jersey. He even purchased clothes from the workers that he later used for his character in The Sign of

330-673: A production of the Marie Cahill company; About Town (1906), a musical comedy by the Lew Fields All Star Company about life in Paris; The Great Decide (1906); The Girl Behind the Counter (1907–1908); The American Idea (1908), a musical comedy by George M. Cohan ; Hokey-pokey (1912); and Anna Held 's All Star Variete Jubilee (1913–1914). George M. Cohan wrote The American Idea for Beban to play

385-482: A social message: "Projecting overwhelming grief, Beban reveals some hefty acting chops, and The Italian certainly gets its liberal point across, a model of how American movies dress social consciousness in the garb of melodrama. Even here, in its infancy, feature film was eager to pick up the call for social reform that sounded out in urban America before the First World War." In his 2004 historical book on

440-555: A soft-focused, dappled nostalgia for the old country ... 'From sunny Italy to the New York ghetto,' read the taglines on Paramount's original one-sheet , contrasting scenes of 'carefree Beppo at home' in the serene canals of Old Italy with the mean streets of New York where 'to live your baby must have Pasteurized milk.' America is not a promised land paved with gold but a Darwinian jungle, where dreams meet dead ends." Cineaste also credited Beban for his intense performance, commenting on

495-414: A story worthy of his talents. Historical accounts indicate that Thomas Ince and C. Gardner Sullivan had originally titled their project Dago , but agreed to change the title at the request of the film's star, George Beban . The Italian marked the first motion picture role for Beban, who had gained acclaim as a Broadway actor and vaudevillian specializing in ethnic caricatures. Beban only agreed to join

550-551: A veritable Frenchman, every intonation and inflection, every motion, look, and gesture being exact." For many years, Beban was typecast as a French character actor. Beban later recalled, "No one will ever know what an awful time I had to get away from French character. I had to live, and for French character parts I could name my own salary, but for anything else I wasn’t worth as much as a chorus man." No longer wishing to play parts that cast him as "a Sunday comic supplement," Beban begged to be given serious parts where he could portray

605-490: A year, Trudo agrees to allow him to marry Annette. Beppo sails for America to make his fortune, making a living working as a shoeshiner on a street corner in New York City. He borrows money from an Irish ward boss, Bill Corrigan, and sends for Annette to join him. In exchange, Beppo agrees to help Corrigan's candidate win the Italian vote in the ward. When Annette arrives in New York, she and Beppo are married, and

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660-614: Is at all times in fullest sympathy with the difficult role. ... [A]ll go to make a story that pulsates with human interest. The pathos of the child's death because of the lack of necessities and the imprisonment of the poor Italian furnish the real lesson of the Ghetto." The Washington Post called it "a fascinating story," and "a simple story of ghetto life, showing that love, faith, and loyalty are not unknown quantities in this dark sphere." A newspaper in Fort Wayne, Indiana praised

715-476: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Italian (1915 film) The film tells the story of Pietro "Beppo" Donnetti. Donnetti is a poor, but happy, gondolier in Venice, Italy . Beppo falls in love with Annette Ancello, but her father, Trudo, wants her to marry another suitor, one who is a successful businessman. If Beppo can prove himself within

770-607: Is drawn to identify with Beppo, even though he remains in many respects an appalling ethnic caricature: dark, brooding, vengeful. That Barker and Beban are able to create so much sympathy for Beppo, despite their own, occasionally quite obvious condescension to the character, is a mark of emerging maturity in the movie business; no longer are films dealing in one-dimensional 'types.'" The Los Angeles Times in 2008 described The Italian as "a shameless melodrama that, despite unfortunate stereotypes, musters considerable sympathy for its titular immigrant." The Times also noted that "Beban,

825-573: The Los Angeles Times praised Beban's work: "There are possibilities in the role of Pietro, in 'The Italian' ... that a less clever character artist than George Beban might overlook ... The story is full of human interest, requiring a full understanding of the character, and Beban by look and gesture is at all times in fullest sympathy with the difficult role." A newspaper in Indiana also praised Beban's performance: "George Beban, who has

880-647: The California Theater stock company in San Francisco. At age 22, Beban began a career as a Broadway theater actor in New York. He appeared in several musical comedies and performed with Weber & Fields and with Marie Cahill . Beban's stage credits include Parrot and Monkey Time (1896), a minstrel feature at Sam T. Jack 's Theater; A Modern Venus (1898), a burlesque playing at Sam T. Jack's Theater; A Trip to Buffalo (1902); Nancy Brown (1903); Fantana (1905); Moonshine (1905–06),

935-517: The Free , Jules of the Strong Heart , One More American , Hearts of Men , The Greatest Love of All , One in a Million , and The Loves of Ricardo . In addition to acting, Beban also worked as a director, producer and writer on such films as The Loves of Ricardo (actor, writer, director, editor and producer), The Greatest Love of All (actor, story, director and producer), and One Man in

990-485: The Rose . In an earlier interview with the San Francisco Chronicle , Beban said he had developed some ability to imitate Italian speech as a boy teasing and stealing fruit from local Italian gardeners and grape growers. The study paid off with Beban's release of a vaudeville sketch in which he played the part of an Italian laborer mourning the death of his child. The sketch was written by Beban and

1045-474: The Rose,' a remarkable Orpheum headliner, in which, as Pietro Massena, this character actor delineates the loves and sorrows of a poor Italian emigrant." When The Sign of the Rose played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , The Milwaukee Sentinel wrote: "It is a beautiful piece of character depiction, and throughout, from the first entrance to the last curtain call, Mr. Beban never steps from the picture, never mars

1100-483: The celebration for the opening of Beban's latest film, One in a Million . Beban was married to Edith MacBride, a stage actress who appeared with Beban in Moonshine (1905–06), About Town (1906), The Girl Behind the Counter (1907–08), The American Idea (1908), and Anna Held’s All Star Variete Jubilee (1913–14). They also appeared together in the 1915 motion picture The Alien . Their son, George Beban Jr.,

1155-433: The character, is a mark of emerging maturity in the movie business; no longer are films dealing in one-dimensional 'types.'" A reviewer for the publication Bright Sights wrote: "Projecting overwhelming grief, Beban reveals some hefty acting chops." A review in DVD Talk concluded that Beban's performance was able to overcome the film's melodramatic premise: "Beppo is a delightful character ... His rage after being robbed

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1210-455: The child unharmed. In the final scene of the narrative, Beppo is shown placing flowers and sobbing over his son's grave. The film employs a prologue and epilogue to frame the narrative story. In the prologue, a stage curtain rises and shows the lead actor, George Beban, in an upper class apartment wearing a smoking jacket. He sits on a couch and opens a book titled "The Italian" by Thomas H. Ince and C. Gardner Sullivan. As he begins reading,

1265-502: The contempt and suspicion under which he labors because of the crimes of evildoers of his own nationality." In 1910, the Los Angeles Times published a lengthy feature story on Beban in which it wrote: "George Beban is probably the only American actor who has consecrated his individual efforts to the portrayal of a certain type. Beban says he is going to play, and continue to play, 'The Italian in America.' ... Just at present Beban's talents are finding abundant expression in 'The Sign of

1320-483: The depiction of Italians in Hollywood movies, Peter Bondanella praised the film: "A number of elements sets The Italian apart from the other films treating the Italian immigrant experience. ... Its melodramatic plot reflects a serious sense of artistic construction, aimed at milking the last bit of emotion out of the audience. George Beban's outstanding performance shows his roots in the dramatic theater. ... Finally,

1375-501: The depiction of the tragic story of Beppo shows a certain sympathy for the character of the poor Italian bootblack but also includes a callous disregard for depicting Italian immigrants in a stereotypical manner, an attitude that no doubt reflected the opinions of the majority of Americans at the time. Its plot is simple and compelling." Despite its occasional use of patronizing stereotypes, Bondanella concludes that Beppo "is represented with great dignity and even comic twists, making Beppo

1430-416: The difficult role of Pietro Donnetti, gives a piece of character work that is truly marvelous. This artist has developed mimicry to its highest form of expression. His mobile countenance mirrored every emotion so perfectly, each varying mood was portrayed so truly, that it was hard to believe that this man was naught but a pantomimist. The upward glance when the heart was bitten again by the fangs of emotion,

1485-416: The difficult role of Pietro Donnetti, gives a piece of character work that is truly marvelous. This artist has developed mimicry to its highest form of expression. His mobile countenance mirrored every emotion so perfectly, each varying mood was portrayed so truly, that it was hard to believe that this man was naught but a pantomimist. The upward glance when the heart was bitten again by the fangs of emotion,

1540-470: The fight sequence in which Beban's character "seethes with murderous determination" as the camera focuses on his face in an extreme close-up: "Beban's sudden transformation from amiability to wrath recalls the first glimpse of Spencer Tracy after nearly being lynched in Fritz Lang 's Fury ." A reviewer for the publication Bright Sights wrote that the film had a powerfully downbeat conclusion with

1595-401: The film fades into the narrative story. In the epilogue, the film shifts from the image of Beppo kneeling at his son's grave to Beban turning to the last page of the book, closing the book and looking thoughtful. The stage curtain is then drawn closed. Some critics have suggested the prologue and epilogue were intended to demonstrate the care with which Beban, a noted stage actor, had selected

1650-409: The film for its "rare quality of charm and a warmth of appeal that is truly unique" and concluded: "Here is a story beautiful and exquisite in theme ... Its simplicity and utter humanness have an appeal that reaches straight to the heart of the onlooker." Another review in the same paper also commended the "simple beauty of the story itself" and also praised Beban's performance: "George Beban, who has

1705-407: The following year they have a son, Tony. Beppo, Annette and Tony live a happy life in their Lower East Side tenement. The happiness is interrupted when the baby contracts a fever during a heatwave. The doctor instructs them to feed pasteurized milk to the baby. Beppo works hard to earn the money to purchase the expensive milk. While walking to the store to buy the milk, Beppo is robbed. He attacks

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1760-536: The hardships of poverty portrayed without any easy answers, something that doesn't often happen." George Beban George Beban (December 13, 1873 – October 5, 1928) was an American actor, director, writer and producer. Beban began as a child performer in San Francisco, California , and became a well-known vaudevillian and stage actor in the 1890s and 1900s. He was best known for his portrayal of Italian immigrant characters, including his starring roles in

1815-686: The hysterical joy of the Latin nature when in high spirits, all these phrases were delineated by this artist in a way that moved and thrilled." Historical accounts, following the film's release on DVD, have also been kind to Beban. In 2008, The New York Times praised Beban's "powerful lead performance" which it described as follows: "The audience is drawn to identify with Beppo, even though he remains in many respects an appalling ethnic caricature: dark, brooding, vengeful. That Barker [the director] and Beban are able to create so much sympathy for Beppo, despite their own, occasionally quite obvious condescension to

1870-570: The hysterical joy of the Latin nature when in high spirits, all these phrases were delineated by this artist in a way that moved and thrilled." A newspaper in San Antonio, Texas praised the "vein of innocent humor" that runs through the film at the expense of Beppo and concluded: "'The Italian' is regarded as Thomas H. Ince's masterpiece and is said to be greater than his 'Wrath of the Gods,' 'The Typhoon' and 'The Bargain.'" In 2008, The Italian

1925-453: The imaginative creation he has formed. The grip is there, and the sketch is one of the best in the vaudeville field today." While touring with The Sign of the Rose , Beban spoke of the contributions of the Italian in civilization and noted: "The swarming port of Naples courses him out to us every day, its traffic lines beating like a great throbbing artery of life. In the main he is poor and despised, and sometimes, though not as often as

1980-617: The immigrant quarter of San Francisco . While most accounts indicate that the scenes of Beppo as a gondolier were shot in the Venice district of Los Angeles , an account published by the Los Angeles Times in November 1914 reported that "Ince sent Beban to Italy to get special canal scenes for the eight-reel play." One of the vivid scenes in The Italian is the fight scene between Beppo and his muggers. The scene lasts five minutes on

2035-552: The lead actor in Thomas H. Ince 's production, The Italian . In the film, Beban played the role of Pietro "Beppo" Donnetti, an Italian gondolier who comes to the United States to make his fortune but instead winds up working as a shoeshiner and experiencing tragedy while living with his wife and child in a tenement on New York's Lower East Side . The Italian proved to be a popular and critical success. Grace Kingsley in

2090-540: The lead role of Pierre Souchet (and Trixie Friganza as the co-star). Beban had previously played French characters in Marie Cahill's production Ben Bolt , and in Lew Fields ' About Town . In 1907, the Chicago Tribune wrote the following about Beban's French character: "The best work of the entire entertainment is accomplished by George Beban as the excitable Frenchman ... The actor makes this Count Boti

2145-506: The men who robbed him and is arrested. Beppo asks Corrigan to help his baby while he is in jail: "I must get-a-de-milk or my babee is die." Corrigan rebuffs Beppo, and Beppo's baby dies during Beppo's five days in jail. When Beppo is released from jail, he learns that Corrigan's young daughter is ill and vows to avenge his son's death by killing Corrigan's daughter. Beppo sneaks into Corrigan's house, but when he sees Corrigan's daughter lying in her crib, he cannot act on his plan, and he leaves

2200-433: The motion picture business. He described his goal in an interview with the Los Angeles Times : "There is no agony so poignant as the feeling that one has the spark of genius with no opportunity to satisfy that ambition that goes with it. I know, because I have had my own struggles. The stage and screen have been good to me. I have accumulated all the money I need, for a few years at least, and I am going to devote at least

2255-530: The play The Sign of the Rose and the 1915 silent film classic The Italian . Though strongly associated with his Italian immigrant roles, Beban was born in San Francisco, could not speak a word of Italian [not likely: in Dalmatia Italian was largely spoken, his father's name - Rocco - is in fact Italian, and Telegraph Hill was an Italian area of San Francisco], and was the son of parents from Dalmatia (in modern-day Croatia ) and Ireland . Beban

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2310-406: The play "an excellent vehicle for Mr. Beban, who has long been regarded as a clever delineator of Italian roles." The reviewer said of Beban's performance: "Here he portrays very beautifully the simplicity, gentleness, sweetness, and, when occasion arises, the native ferocity of the ignorant but wellmeaning foreigner, who is conscious of the obstacles which he confronts on account of his poverty, and

2365-472: The project for a salary of $ 7000 and a percentage of the films profits. Ince and Sullivan are credited with writing the film's story, but film historian Kevin Brownlow has shown that the plot was essentially lifted from the earlier Independent Moving Pictures (Ince's former employer) film The Wop (1913) . Though set on Manhattan 's Lower East Side , the New York scenes for The Italian were shot in

2420-439: The purchase of another fifty pounds of rice. Upon the release of The Italian , the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review which included the following comments: "There are possibilities in the role of Pietro, in 'The Italian' ... that a less clever character artist than George Beban might overlook ... The story is full of human interest, requiring a full understanding of the character, and Beban by look and gesture

2475-418: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title The Italian . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Italian&oldid=975497037 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

2530-522: The screen, and a newspaper story reported that, for realism, "a number of the biggest men at Inceville were used in the scene." In a story on the production of The Italian , a newspaper reported that a hundred pounds of rice were bought for the film's wedding scene. An initial order of fifty pounds of rice was left uncovered overnight by a "property man" at the Inceville studio. A "heavy rain caused each grain to swell to enormous proportions," requiring

2585-426: The sensationalists of the police courts would have us believe, he is rejected. But even at his worst he contains a fund of humanity which it is almost impossible to duplicate in any other people as a whole. His passions are so manifest that they are the very essence of the theatre. He loves intensely, he adopts children, he is fiery in his friendships and hates alike, and his experiences in getting Americanized furnish

2640-545: The silent-era star known for his ethnic impersonations, hams up a storm as Beppo, a jaunty Venetian." The film publication Cineaste published a review of The Italian in March 2009, focusing on the film's depiction of the Italian-American immigrant experience as a Darwinian jungle rather than a promised land paved with gold: "Against Horatio Alger expectations, The Italian is a story of failure suffused with

2695-482: The type of Italian that I do all one needs is knowledge of the actions, mannerisms, etc., of the character. Not knowing the language, from the viewpoint that the Italian speaks it, I am thus able to make my characterization more understandable to the American audience. In other words, I Americanize him for the United States consumption – stage purposes." In 1915, Beban made his debut in the motion picture business as

2750-414: Was able to overcome the film's melodramatic premise: "Beppo is a delightful character ... His rage after being robbed was another standout moment. The camera does a very tight closeup, one of the closest I can recall for a film from 1915, and his anger and fear are almost palatable. ... The ending of the film is also very dramatic and works well, without a false Hollywood happy ending ... It was nice to see

2805-485: Was another standout moment. The camera does a very tight closeup ... and his anger and fear are almost palatable." Beban's second feature, also released in 1915, was The Alien , a film version of his long-running play, The Sign of the Rose . In the decade after the release of The Italian and The Alien , Beban played the leading role in a number of Hollywood motion pictures, including Lost in Transit , The Land of

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2860-474: Was born in San Francisco, California in 1873. He grew up on San Francisco's Telegraph Hill and was one of four sons of Rocco Beban, a Dalmatian immigrant, and Johanna Dugan, from County Cork, Ireland . At age eight, he began a stage career singing with the Reed and Emerson Minstrels. His talent as a singer led to the young Beban acquiring the nickname "The Boy Baritone". He then acted in juvenile roles for

2915-488: Was born in 1914 and performed as a child actor with his father in the films One in a Million (1921), Hearts of Men (1919), and The Alien (1915). In December 1926, Beban's wife died in New York. Following the death of his wife, Beban retired from the motion picture business. In his retirement, he built a large home in Playa del Rey, Los Angeles, California . In 1927, Beban began assisting aspiring actors to break into

2970-477: Was called The Sign of the Rose . It grew from a vaudeville sketch into a full-length play and was eventually made into a feature film. In 1911, The New York Times wrote that the story was "generally lacking in plausibility" and having "much that is conventional and machine made." However, the Times found the play to be "a very good character study indeed"—at least while Beban was on the stage. The Times called

3025-658: Was released on DVD as part of a two-disc compilation titled, "Perils of the New Land: Films of the Immigrant Experience (1910-1915)." At the time of the DVD release, The New York Times praised the film for Reginald Barker 's strong direction, including his use of a mobile camera and "liberal use of close-up" which give the film a subjective, personal feel. The Times also praised Beban's "powerful lead performance" which it described as follows: "The audience

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