We just watched the movie “Rocco and His Brothers” last night — fabulous, by the way. But I’m curious about something the mother in the movie said. She had come with her sons to Milan from the south, and they were all struggling to make a go of it. A couple of times when her sons had done something that reflected favorably on her, she commented that people were now calling her “Signora.” So what would they have called her before that, if they didn’t call her “Signora”? Was there some more derogatory form of address, especially in that period (the movie came out, I think, in 1961) for women from the South?

Probably nothing. It would be dismissive not to use any salutary greeting. If they addressed her by her name it would be lowering indeed.

Plus in the past you only got to be called a signora if you were welthy or prestigious. Otherwise you where just referred to by name. I think in this case she is talking about the way in which people refer to her rather than about the way in which they would address her.

I think there's a difference between being called "Signora" as an honorific and Signora as the title of a married woman, before her family name, just as there's a difference between referring to il Signor Bellini vs. referring to Jesus as Signore - Lord. Can someone correct me on this? I think the lady was saying, 'now people speak of me as if I'm a "lady"' - that is, an important lady.