This book offers a vivid account of how Italian cinema circulated and was received in the United States from Neorealism to today. It examines the distribution networks, exhibition spaces, and industrial dynamics that brought Italian films to American audiences, while also tracing the critical debates and cultural narratives that emerged in the North American press. From the early success of Neorealist masterpieces, Italian cinema quickly became the most influential foreign-language tradition in the United States. The book explores this rise through the golden age of Italian arthouse cinema (Rossellini, Fellini, Antonioni) and expands the picture by considering the impact of popular genres such as comedies, Italian westerns, poliziotteschi, and horror films. It also highlights the ways in which Italian movies, starting from the '80s, were adapted for American audiences. The volume concludes with an analysis of the declining visibility of Italian cinema in the U.S. over the last two decades and its evolving cultural legacy.

Damiano Garofalo is an Associate Professor in Film & Media Studies at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, where he teaches Cinema History and Television History. His research topics include the social and cultural history of Italian cinema and television, film distribution and reception studies, and the relationships between history, memory, and visual culture.