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Perfino surname origin free#

When he turns 70, in June 1990, he’s already become part of our imagination: interviews, events, festivals about the Alberto Sordi ‘that was.’” The transformation took place: Sordi is representation of all meanings associated to his characters, well beyond the world of cinema. Sordi -he continues - created a gallery of characters who were always different but had the same goal: being ironic about ‘modern’ Italians and their character, about the way they were attracted by comfort, by wealth and by social affirmation, moralists and tricksters at once, fearful, with some bouts of heroism. Because, in the end, he was the one who imposed such truism and explained it to us. Saying that the many ‘masks and typologies’ he portrayed in over half a century of cinema and 150 movies is a treatise about Italian history is cliché, too.

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Italian historian Paolo Mieli, creator of the documentary series Italiani, explains that: “Saying that Sordi was the embodiment of the average Italian, is cliché. In conclusion: it’s an open question, that should be answered freely.

Perfino surname origin free#

To be honest, this is a question people in Italy should ask themselves, too, because if it’s true that Sordi did take a vivid snapshot, with his characters, of our “being Italian,” it’s also true that everyone is free to recognize him or herself in them or not, to consider their contemporariness and their ability to still represent a national way of being, but also, on the other hand, their possible belonging to a distant past that no longer represents today’s global, virtual and multicultural dimension.īecause this is exactly what happens: we’re in part children of our Motherland and interpreters of her spirit, in part specific individualities, unique souls. Sordi, one of the best interpreters of Italianità, is a perfect starting point to ask ourselves some questions about being Italian, about the evolution in time of the idea itself of Italianità, and how up-to-date the widespread idea of “Italiano medio,” the average Italian, of that national-popular prototype the great Roman actor personified within and well beyond all of his characters is. And no, we haven’t finished speaking about identity: quite the opposite, in fact. One hundred years ago, Alberto Sordi was born.

It’s a matter of convenience, assimilation, refusal or necessity. Even when ties with Italy are denied, a time of reckoning with them is bound to come: one choses, valorizes and passes them on to his or her children, or not. Alberto Sordi with his sisters, Savina (left) and Aurelia Reporters Associati & Archivi Srl.Ī definition of “immigrants,” expats, of “Italians with an hyphen” can be considered a lowest common denominator, especially during this Italian Heritage Month. Each one of us feels 20, 50 or 100% American, but there’ll always be a drop of Italian DNA in our blood. These characteristics should be considered a flexible framework in which everyone can find or not a connection, depending on personal or family history and on independent life choices. Speaking about the idea of “belonging” - to a set of values, to memories, to a shared language and culture - would be more correct, especially to avoid the danger of falling into national stereotypes: devotion to family, the art of making-do, gestuality, good food, creativity, soccer, aesthetic sense and fashion.

In truth, it’s difficult to answer this questions without risking to get boxed into a more or less generic category, because each one of us experiences personal identity very individually. What does being - or better, feeling - and identifying as Italians mean, when living outside of Italy? What is Italy, for all those born from migrant parents, people who left il Belpaese and crossed the ocean to find a new life or are their second and third generation children, and grew up listening to tales of a far away, much loved country, but don’t have any other connection with it? Is there anything bringing all these people together, beside a surname, a double passport and an old photo album? Copyright