Italianamerican

Italianamerican (1974) — watch online on iFILM, Martin Scorsese's 49-minute documentary in which he simply sits down and interviews his parents.

Catherine Scorsese talks from the kitchen while she cooks, Charles Scorsese chips in from across the table. Martin guides the conversation gently. They cover the family's roots in Sicily, the move to Elizabeth Street in Little Italy, what growing up there felt like in the 1930s and 40s, what survived of Italian culture in New York and what didn't. No narration, no archival footage. Just two people remembering, and their son listening.

It's a small film that explains a large career. The rhythms of those conversations — the food, the grievances, the tenderness, the loyalty — run underneath every story Scorsese ever told about men and families. Stream Italianamerican (1974) online on iFILM.