Lygon St, Si Parla Italiano

Image: A still from the film

Shannon Swan and Angelo Pricolo’s gem of a documentary Lygon St, Si Parla Italiano, is a beautifully packaged homage to the contribution of the Italian migrants of the 50s and 60s to Carlton’s Lygon Street, to Melbourne and ultimately to Australia.

The history of Carlton’s ‘Little Italy’ is presented by  a handful of elderly men who established businesses in the then run-down suburb of Carlton by giving the locals what they needed: good coffee and good Italian food, neither of which was available in Australia when they arrived. The interviews and an historical long lunch, filmed with three RED cameras, make for lovely viewing – the cinematography in the film, especially the use of colours and lighting, is ravishing. There’s an appealing use of animation in showing the changes in Carlton; the documentary’s overall style and aesthetic ought to satisfy any discerning designer, Italian or otherwise.

The European immigrants of the 1950s, one in six coming to Australia from southern Italy, found themselves in a country where olive oil was used for medicinal purposes and no-one knew how to cook pasta – the lack of good cooking caused a riot in at least one migrant camp where the detainees demanded the run of the kitchen.

It’s easy to forget how suspicious Australians were of their new neighbours in the middle of last century. Racism, general misunderstanding and media misrepresentation of new arrivals caused a demand for more selective immigration policies and many of the businesses in Lygon St were under police scrutiny and regularly raided for gambling and illegal alcohol trade and consumption. Along with transforming Melbourne into a city with a passion for coffee and food, we can thank the Italian community for Carlton retaining its character: at one stage the suburb itself was threatened by state government moves to demolish its old houses in favour of high rise estates; thankfully public opposition narrowed the ‘development’ to a small block.

There’s plenty of history in Lygon St, Si Parla Italiano, with fascinating footage of a giant cheese being hoisted into a shop window, the exuberant celebrations when Italy won the Soccer World Cup in1982, and the dark side of the partying the following year when Australia ‘sank the Yanks’ with our America’s Cup win – a telling example of the differences between the two cultures.

The film manages to celebrate the stories of migrant achievement while eschewing sentimentality; the aged interviewees are matter of fact yet quietly proud. You get a strong sense of their work ethic and anti-authoritarian stance. The early gambling days are remembered fondly. (A taxi driver whose migrant dad had been a brickie back then told me how the Italians would double brick the walls of their establishments to muffle the noise of their late night gatherings.)

The question everyone asks about a mafia presence in Melbourne is also touched on (and perhaps glossed over). The short answer to that question, from l’Alba Cafe’s Mario Maccione: ‘it’s shit.’ Mick Gatto appears in the film to say there isn’t an organised mafia based in Melbourne; he should know. Gatto also has a few things to say about the television series Underbelly and its veracity or lack thereof.  

The joy in this film is the time travel involved, from the establishment of the first cafés and the introduction of the first espresso machines, to the appearance of the University Cafe, Jimmy Watsons Wine Bar, King and Godfrey’s, Donatti’s butcher and La Mama Theatre, Il Globo newspaper, early coffee producers such as Mocopan… It’s all here.

We see the Italian influence claim a street then a suburb, a city and, in some ways a nation: the result of resourceful people with a strong sense of self recreating what they missed from home.

The film will be opening in Sydney exclusively at Dendy on Feb 13 with a special Gala Event on Feb 12, 6.45pm at Dendy Newtown, and in Perth at Cinema Paradiso on March 6. Please see Facebook page for further release dates and information.