In James Cameron’s 1997 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Titanic features a mix of fictional characters as well as characters based on real-life passengers of the ill-fated cruise liner. One of these characters, Fabrizio De Rossi, provides an example of the types of depictions that Italians face in the media that act to perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
Fabrizio, played by Danny Nucci, is an Italian native in the film who is the best friend of main character Jack Dawson, both of whom win tickets to board the Titanic on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City during a poker game just before the ship’s departure. As the movie progresses, it becomes clear that Fabrizio’s lines, which are few and far between, are being delivered in an accent that some may consider offensive for his exaggerated use of broken English which is all too common for Italian characters in Hollywood.
An article by Chris Evangelista, Chief Film Critic of SlashFilm, echoes this sentiment as he writes that “Fabrizio lets his full colors shine as he stands up, pumps his fists, and yells in the worst Italian accent you’ll ever hear, “I GO TO AMERICA!” It’s as if Nucci is seconds away from crowing, “It’s-a me, Mario!” Inspector Clouseau had a more believable accent than this buffoon.”
He continues to state that “accent work is tricky, especially if it’s the type of broad accent that can easily dip into stereotype territory. Sadly, Nucci’s accent does just that. He doesn’t sound like a guy from Italy, he sounds like a guy doing a really bad Italian accent; the type of accent a teenager would do while placing a prank call to a fancy restaurant called Nunzio’s.”
By the end of the film, Fabrizio does not manage to survive the ship’s sinking as he is hit by a falling smokestack. While this character and the circumstances of his death are not based on a real person, there were a number of Italian immigrants that boarded the Titanic with the goal of reaching the United States in search for a better life.
There were a total of 43 Italians traveling aboard the Titanic of its 2,240 passengers, only 5 of which were of the lucky 712 who escaped the perils of the North Atlantic. The majority of the Italians on the ship were food service workers, working under the guidance of À la Carte restaurant manager Luigi Gatti. All 32 of these individuals, including Gatti, were among those who took their last breaths on April 15th, 1912.
The other eleven Italians were passengers of the cruise liner, three of which were in first class in addition to four in both second and third classes. Of these individuals, only two first class (Albina Bassani and Nella Carlynne Goldenberg), two second class (Argene Genovesi and Emilio Portaluppi), and one third class passenger (Luigi Finoli) were able to survive.
For a complete list of the Titanic passengers and staff of Italian descent, please see below:
ALLARIA, Mr Battista Antonio
BANFI, Mr Ugo
BASILICO, Mr Giovanni
BASSANI, Mrs Albina
BERNARDI, Sig. Battista
BEUX, Mr David
BOCHET, Mr Pietro Giuseppe
CASALI, Mr Giulio
CELOTTI, Mr Francesco
CROVELLA, Mr Paolo Luigi
DE MARSICO, Sig. Govanni
DEL CARLO, Mr Sebastiano
DEL CARLO, Mrs Argene
DI NAPOLI, Mr E.
DONATI, Sig. Italo Francesco
FEI, Sig. Carlo
FINOLI, Mr Luigi
FIORAVANTE, Sig. Giuseppe Bertoldo
GATTI, Sig. Gaspare Antonio Pietro
GILARDINO, Sig. Vincenzo Pio
GOLDENBERG, Mrs Nella Carlynne
MANGIAVACCHI, Mr Emilio Giovanni Andrea Onorato
MEO (MARTINO), Mr Alfonzo
NANNINI, Sig. Francesco Luigi Arcangelo
PEDUZZI, Mr Joseph
PERACCHIO, Sig. Alberto
PERACCHIO, Sig. Sebastiano
PEROTTI, Mr Alfonso
POGGI, Sig. Emilio
PORTALUPPI, Mr Emilio Ilario Giuseppe
RATTI, Sig. Enrico
RICALDONE, Mr Rinaldo Renato
RIGHINI, Mr Sante
ROTTA, Sig. Angelo Mario
SACCAGGI, Mr Giovanni Giuseppe Emilio
SALUSSOLIA, Mr Govanni
SARTORI, Sig. Lazar
SCAVINO, Sig. Candido
SESIA, Sig. Giacomo
TESTONI, Sig. Ercole
URBINI, Sig. Roberto
VALVASSORI, Mr Ettore Luigi
VIONI, Sig. Roberto
ZARRACCHI, Mr Leopoldo
Resources:
- The Italian Guy Deserved To Be Crushed By The Smokestack In Titanic [SlashFilm]
- HOW MANY ITALIANS WERE ON THE TITANIC? [Italics Magazine]
- Italian Titanic Passengers and Crew [Encyclopedia Titanica]
