. Big Night
Big Night is about two Italian brothers who immigrated from Italy in order to follow their dream of opening up a restaurant. This film relates to many Italian-Americans as many Italians are fiercely passionate about their culinary traditions from back home. The restaurant and the food in the film represent Italian tradition and artistry. According to Iammarino, Big Night puts a huge “emphasis on the artistry that the humble Italian immigrants brought with them to this country” (Iammarino, pg.184). Primo specifically sees the food he makes as his art. Cooking is a process; there are ingredients, and it takes time. You never rush an artist when he/she is at work, and you should never rush a chef when he/she is at work. Primo sees money as secondary to his art in food. He takes art as currency instead of taking money. When the artist says he “wishes he could give Primo money”, Primo responds with “What would I do with it?”. Primo was ahead of his time when it comes to cooking pure, authentic Italian cuisine, compared to the compromised, contamination that Pascal makes in his restaurant. Primo tries telling Secondo this when he says “Give people time, the will learn”, with Secondo responding “This is a restaurant! This is not a fucking school!”. Secondo does not fully understand the artistry in the food, as he is trying to grasp the American Dream and own a successful restaurant. We know from the very beginning that Primo is highly connected with his food as “Primo’s first look of expectant outrage, which is also, and not coincidentally, our first view of his face, when Secondo asks him to make a side order of spaghetti” (Ferraro, pg.190).
Another aspect of the film is the aspect of religion. According to Anderson, “food and eating are essential to self-identity and are instrumental in the definition of family, class, and ethnicity” (Anderson, pg.1). This include religion. Throughout the film, the food is often talked about as if it is a religious term. Primo even says “to eat good food is to be close to God”. Eating good food is a religious and sensual experience. Another religious example is when Primo calls the women with the risotto a Philistine. The Philistines were wanted out of the promised land because of their pagan worship and their corrupted ways. When Primo takes a look at the women, he says “No. She’s a philistine. I am not gonna talk to her. She no understand anyway.”. She does not understand the artistry of Primo’s cooking as she has been corrupted with the Americanized Italian cuisine.
An important aspect of the film is precisely the distinction between immigrant culture and Americanized culture, what the brothers' restaurant represent vs Pascal's. After this film came out, there was an American dining revolution. Restaurants were changing with the word "authenticity" as their watchword. How we thought about and looked at food changed in minor and major ways. This film was a cultural milestone. For a long time now, the "Primos" of the restaurant business have been prevailing, not just in the form of authentic cuisine, but with lengthy and tasting menus, and an overall sense that diners should submit themselves to a chef's vision.
