L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2014 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 8 Family, the idea, its values are often associated with Italian Culture. Family is where an Italian can always lean to in moments of despair, it's what holds us together. Sometimes we Italians are even criticized for being too much attached to our families. For director David O. Russell family has played an important role in both his profes- sional and personal life. His films often revolve around a family and the relationships within, which is a reflection of his upbringing. Russell was born in New York City to Bernard Russell and Maria Muzio, who both worked at the publishing house "Simon & Schuster". It was being around books at a very young age that pushed David towards the dream of becoming a writer. His mother was Italian American whose parents both came from small towns in province of Matera, in the south- ern region of Basilicata. The two towns where Russell's grandpar- ents were from are Craco and Ferrandina and the director him- self told me he makes a point to visit both places at least every other year, bringing his wife and kids along. The relationship with his mother, who passed away a few years ago, was never easy, he reveals, but he still feels a strong connection to his roots, MIchAEL TRAVERSA her traditions and that bond inspired his work since it's very first film, the controversial Spanking the monkey. One of his strengths has been writing strong females characters, which were always inspired by his mother. "My mother was a very powerful person," he said at this year's Golden Globes, where his latest film, American Hustle won best motion picture comedy. "She was one of my greatest teacher, God bless her soul. I realized with The Fighter, which I based much on what my experience was with my mother, strong woman characters are the gateway to a very powerful movie. And I did that again with Silver Linings and American Hustle." His father was the Jewish son of a butcher, his mother was an Italian Catholic from Brooklyn; although no particular religion was imposed on young David, he recalls visiting relatives for reli- gious occurrences and witnessing loud arguments that in the end always revealed a great love for each other. In his adult life he would find himself having ani- mated arguments with his mother as well, that often escalated into shouting and screaming. A com- plicated relationship than can be explained with the intensity typi- cal of a passionate Italian. That heated approach characterized also Russell's behavior on set at the beginning of his career. Prior to The Fighter, Russell was known as difficult to work with. Many actors clashed with the director and nasty details of fits of anger have leaked to the press, such as an alleged fight with George Clooney on the set of Three Kings or an intense dis- agreement with Lily Tomlin while shooting I Heart Huckabees. The latter was well publicized by an infamous behind the scenes video on Youtube. He was known in the industry as a brilliant but tem- peramental director. Then came the transition. Pretty much like the characters he was bringing to the screen, Russell had a person- al growth, which allowed him to become the acclaimed director and human being he is today. His latest three pictures have been both a critical and public success. The process that started with The Fighter got him several nomina- tions at the Academy Awards and in the case of Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle it was a rare case of securing a nomination for both the film and all four acting categories. That shows a great deal of trust and collaboration between the direc- tor and his actors. Silver Linings Playbook was a project that had been circulating for a while before Russell came on board and made it his own. At one point the late Sydney Pollack was supposed to direct it but he couldn't figure out the right angle. Russell, who has a son with bipolar disorder, was able to connect personally with the story and find a way to bring it to the screen with the right balance and respect to the illness. Part of the solution was developing the rela- tionship between the main char- acter and his family, making the roles of mother and father as important as the protagonist. During the creative process he talked to Robert De Niro and thinking of him as the father prompted him into making the whole thing an Italian-American family. That's when all fell in place. "I find human beings heartbreaking but also funny, my own relatives, everybody I know," and in fact the neighbor- hood, the community portrayed in his films always seem very real. Once again family repre- sented the key to success. There's been a significant arch from the cynical take in his first films, like in Flirting With Disaster, to a more optimistic and genuine approach to the material, which led to a great film such as American Hustle. David O. Russell is now consid- ered one of the greatest directors of his generation, something that albeit the often discord, would have made his mother very proud. Russell Family Values David O. Russel

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