the first glimpse of Spencer Tracy after nearly being lynched in Fritz Lang's Fury." A reviewer for the publication Bright Sights wrote that the film had a powerfully downbeat conclusion with a social message:"Projecting overwhelming grief, Beban reveals some hefty acting chops, and The Italian certainly gets its liberal point across, a model of how American movies dress social consciousness in the garb of melodrama. Even here, in its infancy, feature film was eager to pick up the call for social reform that sounded out in urban America before the First World War." In his 2004 historical book on the depiction of Italians in Hollywood movies, Peter Bondanella praised the film:"A number of elements sets The Italian apart from the other films treating the Italian immigrant experience. ... Its melodramatic plot reflects a serious sense of artistic construction, aimed at milking the last bit of emotion out of the audience. George Beban's outstanding performance shows his roots in the dramatic theater. ... Finally, the depiction of the tragic story of Beppo shows a certain sympathy for the character of the poor Italian bootblack but also includes a callous disregard for depicting Italian immigrants in a stereotypical manner, an attitude that no doubt reflected the opinions of the majority of Americans at the time. Its plot is simple and compelling." Despite its occasional use of patronizing stereotypes, Bondanella concludes that Beppo "is represented with great dignity and even comic twists, making Beppo a far more lovable figure than one might expect." He concludes his chapter on the film with the following comment: "In short, what emerges from The Italian is an unusually complex view of tenement life and multiethnic immigration in America, and the film consequently retains its value not only as social history but also as a work of art." In his book about the history of film editing, Don Fairservice credits The Italian'''s director, Reginald Barker, for his early use of editing to maintain story continuity and for his use of multidirectional camera positioning and variable framing to emphasize character development and psychological motivation rather than plot. A review in DVD Talk concluded that Beban's performance was able to overcome the film's melodramatic premise:"Beppo is a delightful character ... His rage after being robbed was another standout moment. The camera does a very tight closeup, one of the closest I can recall for a film from 1915, and his