In 1974, Martin Scorsese turned the camera on his own family, serving up a heaping plate of pasta and personality.
The documentary “ItalianAmerican” is like “A Bronx Tale” meets “Big Night”.
It’s the only film I know of that has a recipe (Momma Catherine’s meatballs!) in the credits.
His parents, Catherine and Charles, steal the show with their larger-than-life charm and unfiltered tales of the old country.
It’s a slice of Italian-American life that’s as warm, comforting, and occasionally chaotic as Sunday dinner at nonna’s house.
You Can’t Make this Shi*t Up
- Catherine Scorsese interrupts the documentary to give a detailed, unsolicited tutorial on making her famous meatballs
Watch “Italian American”
You can watch ItalianAmerican:
- for free on Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/italianamerican.-1974.1080p.-blu-ray.x-264.-aac-yts.-mx or by clicking the video embed above (this seems to be the blu-ray version)
- on HBO Max (with subscription) at https://play.max.com/movie/3db15470-03f6-483c-9795-65976d3a89f8
- on Criterion Channel (with subscription) at https://www.criterionchannel.com/italianamerican
- There’s one more free way to watch it here (as a backup) but it’s lower quality: https://archive.org/details/italianamerican-1974
You can find the latest streaming options at https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/italianamerican
Ratings:
- My Rating: 95/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 82/100 (Users); 95/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note — Martin Scorsese directed this one. Scorsese has directed a few of my favorite documentaries including “The Last Waltz” (which I give a perfect score of 100/100); “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” (95/100) and “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies” (90/100).
Release Date: 1974 (at the New York Film Festival)
My Review of “ItalianAmerican”
ItalianAmerican by Martin Scorsese is pure gold. This 1974 doc (49 minutes) feels like Sunday dinner at Nonna’s.
Catherine’s meatball recipe steals the show. It’s in the credits.
Charles and Catherine’s stories are both hilarious and heartfelt.
Catherine’s fig tree story hits hard. Her dad loved it, but it never bloomed after her mom died. Family photos from Italy connect past and present beautifully.
Martin’s sneaky bites of leftovers are so real. The filming starts unscripted—Catherine talks before the crew is ready.
The split scenes—Catherine in the kitchen, Charles on the couch—mirror real life. You hear Scorsese directing his mom, adding intimacy. Charles starts shy, then opens up.
Ambient sounds, like hallway footsteps, keep it real. It’s family at its finest.
ItalianAmerican isn’t just a film; it’s a warm hug from your grandma.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc