The Reception and Response to Italian Cinema in Western Pennsylvania

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the reception and response to four generations of Italian cinema in the United States, specifically in the western region of the state of Pennsylvania. This approach considers the regional importance and influence of Italian diaspora consciousness, the Catholic Church, the advertising industry, and of course, the motion picture industry itself (largely the distribution and exhibition tiers of the industry business model) in sculpting outlooks in western Pennsylvania on Italian motion pictures. This amalgam of cultural and religious dynamics is an inseparable component of measuring audience reception and response in this case study region.

As a foundation to this study, the relationship of Italian culture to American society is examined. This includes American political and social postures towards Italian culture in essence of contextualizing the events that transpired in the years examined in this study. My hope is that this study can contribute to the existing body of work on Italian cinema by illuminating new facets and threads of study that exist within the realm of regional reception and response in the United States outside of premier markets like New York City and Los Angeles.

A comprehensive overview of the distribution of Italian cinema in western Pennsylvania has been completed and includes mapping details to illustrate when and where specific films were screened. In the process, assumptions about the dominance of eras like Italian neorealism in the American market will be tested against the outcomes of local reception and response in western Pennsylvania.