Christy Chandra
Professor Sole Anatrone
Italian 170
Short-writing Assignment
7 November 2015
Moonstruck: Symbols and Music
As an American romantic comedy movie, Moonstruck entails the importance of family as an essential part of Italian-American culture. Moonstruck tells the love story of two American-Italian New Yorkers in the 80s, Loretta and Ronny. It’s a complicated relationship, however, because Loretta is committed to her engagement with Ronny’s brother, Johnny. Besides their affair, the plot also raises the issue on the older generations, particularly Loretta’s hopeless romantic parents. They are Cosmo, the cheating father, and Rosie, the passive, aging mother. Moreover, the idea of setting the movie during winter season indicates…show more content… At the beginning of the movie, before he left to Sicily to pay a visit to his sick mother, we can hear a slightly vivacious, clownish music plastering around his body language and personality. It suggests Johnny a more ignorant and less likely to be taken seriously as an adult as compared to his brother, Ronny. We don't get to hear the similar music until his return from Sicily to New York at the end of the movie. On the other hand, Ronny, not only more independent and mature, but also has a classier taste. His love for opera music suggests his passionate and serious personality, which we could see in the way he passionately babbling over his affection for Loretta. In fact, we hear Opera music throughout the movie while Johnny was away. The first time when Ronny takes Loretta out to watch opera, we see Loretta is crying as she watches the show. It suggests the audience that Ronny draws a bridge to pursue a better connection with Loretta in a form of Opera music. Furthermore, before the event, Loretta listened to a classic jazz music while preparing the dress and make up for her affair date with Ronny. That scene is very crucial because it is the moment when Loretta challenges her femininity and negotiates with her tough personality. Eventually, at the end, when things fall into places, we see the characters gather in the kitchen for an ultimatum. Ronny proposes to Loretta and Rose expresses her agony on Cosmo. After that, we again
