Film’s Use of ‘Fuggedaboutit’ and Mafia Sharks Upsets Italian-Americans

The Mafia sharks in the upcoming animated feature “Shark Tale” have Italian-American groups in a frenzy over what they see as negative stereotyping.In the film, being produced by Dream-Works SKG, the sharks stand in for an underwater crime organization complete with Robert De Niro playing a godfather-type figure as the head Mafia shark, “Don Lino,” and director Martin Scorsese voicing another fishy character.Groups representing Italian-Americans, notably the Columbus Citizens Foundation and the Order Sons of Italy in America, worry the film will establish negative stereotypes of Italians in children’s imaginations.“DreamWorks has created a children’s Mafia movie,” said the deputy executive director of the Sons of Italy, Dona De Sanctis. “Children will think people with Italian last names are menacing outlaws.”Ms. De Sanctis has not seen the film, and is basing her comments on trailers from the Web and selected scenes shown at the TriBeCa Film Festival in May. The president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, Lawrence Auriana, saw the film at the Toronto Film festival, and remained critical.Both groups are part of a coalition of Polish-, Italian-, and Arab-American groups that has petitioned DreamWorks to change the names of characters and such “pseudo-Italian Mafia language” as “fuggedaboutit,” Ms. De Sanctis said. DreamWorks told the group it had “nothing to worry about.”A spokesman for DreamWorks, Andy Spahn, disagreed with the coalition’s analysis of the film.“There’s nothing in this movie that is demeaning or mean-spirited or that presents negative stereotypes of any kind,” he said. “It is a family comedy that pokes fun at several film genres.”Mr. Spahn noted the film has a “diverse cast.” Will Smith co-stars, and Renee Zellweger and Ziggy Marley voice fish in the film. Mr. Spahn said some of the characters, including some of the Mafia-themed villains, come out in a positive light by the end of the film.Coalition members note that Steven Spielberg, who has gone on the record against bias and stereotyping, is one of the directors of DreamWorks and stands to reap financial gain from a film they see as discriminatory.“Spielberg has allowed Dream-Works to create the first children’s film in the last 25 years, if not longer, that promotes bias,” Mr. Auriana said.The film is being produced by one of Mr. Spielberg’s partners, Jeffrey Katzenberg.“Shark Tale” will open in New York in October.

Film’s Use of ‘Fuggedaboutit’ and Mafia Sharks Upsets Italian-Americans

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