Doesn't sound very Jewish. Why do you think they gave one of the main Jewish characters such a typical Italian last name?
Even though it's a letter off, I couldn't help but think of this the whole time:
http://mybrands.com/images/products/xlarge/marzetti_italian.jpg
You know there are Italian Jews, right?
shareYes of course, but it still seems like an odd choice given the film was set in the United States and the vast majority of American Jews are not of Italian descent.
shareI think it's there intentionally, to make a point. Consider the dialogue where Danny introduces the topic:
LINA: So what Jew would you kill first?
DANNY: Ilio Manzetti...former Ambassador to France. Managing partner at Damon, Schwarzchild.
LINA: He's Jewish? Manzetti?
DANNY: Totally. The family emigrated from Bulgaria when he was eleven.
Notice that Lina is surprised that Manzetti is Jewish, probably since he doesn't have a Jewish-sounding name. Earlier in the same scene, Danny introduces himself with his real surname, Balint, and Lina immediately says "Balint?" to which Danny quickly replies, "It's German." The movie implies that Lina suspects what Danny is from the start, partly because she pays close attention to names and has preconceptions about which names go with which ethnicities.
Interestingly, the real guy whose story inspired the film was named Daniel Burros, which doesn't sound stereotypically Jewish at all.
Yes of course, but it still seems like an odd choice given the film was set in the United States and the vast majority of American Jews are not of Italian descent.
Well, the writer/director of this film (who also plays Manzetti) Henry Bean, is Orthodox Jewish, and Bean isn't a Jewish sounding name either
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