A St. Joseph's Day Italian Movie Marathon

Poor St. Joseph always seems to get the raw deal. And this year, I'm guilty too, of ignoring the March 19 commemoration.


Last March, a year ago to the day, I posted some interesting and amusing facts about the Feast Day of St. Joseph, which occurs soon after St. Patricks Day, and often gets lost amid the Irish festivities.  It's like having your birthday on Christmas. (St. Joseph's Day---Food, The Color Red, and Real Estate--March 21, 2010).

But in the more traditional Italian communities, St. Joseph's Day is still celebrated by wearing the color red, and cooking special delicacies like St. Joseph's Pants (cookies filled with sweetened ground fava beans).

So to give St. Joseph his cinematic due, and to give a nod to the Italian festival, I give you an Italian movie marathon.  It will be shorter than last Thursday's Irish film festival (because the holiday has already passed).  Also, I am leaving off the list a lot of extremely popular Italian-themed films like "The Godfathers" and "Goodfellas" because this is a celebration.  Good as these films may be as cinema, they have become a tired cliche of an Italian way of life that, frankly, isn't worth celebrating. 

What follows is a more representative sampling of films that are closer to my experience growing up with my Italian relatives.  Sentimental?  You bet.  But that's how we were....

"Moonstruck".  Of course. A warm homage to the extended family, and the comedy of the loud-talking, hard-eating, hand-waving joy that rises naturally from these humorous characters with hair-trigger tempers and love to spare.  The old man with his dogs is the quintessential grandfather, the one that  gentle Italian men eventually become.  Olympia Dukakis is the cynical wisecracker who knows who she is, and suffers through lovers complications and Vicki Carr records.  Vincent Gardenia is the perpetual bad boy who imagines he runs the household but knows he has to answer to his loving wife.  Danny Aiello is the superstitious mama's boy who believes in miracles.  Cher and Nicolas Cage are the impetuous lovers with the matching bedroom eyes.  Intoxicating, and not as exaggerated as one might think!

"Amarcord".  Federico Fellini's look at boyhood in a small Italian town during the reign of Mussolini.  Broader in scope than "Moonstruck", Fellini orchestrates a symphony of an entire town's antics, lusts, fantasies, and characters, all tinted with the forgiving light of memory.  More caricature than character, the movie still zings us with surprising emotion.  We are moved by the magical appearance of a peacock in the snow, or an impromptu dance of lonely schoolboys to the wonderful melodies of Nino Rota.  Laughs are plentiful, and so are the family arguments, naturally.

"Life is Beautiful".  A fairy-tale-turned-horror-story, few films in memory gave us a character with a head so full of opera and romance.  He exudes the best of what I have noticed about the Italian spirit: an almost naive happiness, and a fierce determination to protect his loved ones during bad times.  While Don Corleone protected his children by having the family "enemies" murdered,  Roberto Benigni's Guido helps his little boy survive a concentration camp, no less, by reducing it to a game of survival.  Narrated by the boy as a young man, it is a lovely tribute to the love of a parent.

"Marty".  Paddy Chayefsky had a perfect ear for the banalities of everyday Italian conversation, the automatic references to the Catholic Church, to family loyalty, and a kind of guilt that, combined with love, cements families together.  The butcher Marty is surprisingly eloquent (a "professor of pain"), which is a humorous counterpart to his friend Angelo, whose constant refrain of "So, whaddaya wanna do?" neatly sums up the modest aspirations of a particular community.  If you want to eavesdrop on one of those bungalows with the lace curtains and the constant aroma of tomato sauce, drop in on this film.

"8-1/2" and "Nine".  These must be seen together for full appreciation. Fellini's complex exploration of creative and romantic dissipation is nicely captured in Rob Marshall's contemporary musical vignettes.  Nothing can replace the depth of Fellini's dreamlike visions, but Marshall's musical has been unfairly reviled by those who either are unfamiliar with the original, or who are closed off to any re-interpretation.  "8-1/2" is Fellini at his most ambiguous and breathtaking, and the film is almost too fast-paced to catch it all in one viewing.  "Nine" I think accurately recognizes the Italian character, and is remarkably faithful to the idea of movie director Guido's macho dilemma and creative roadblock.

Feel free to bring a print of your own favorite "Italian" film to my marathon.... 

In Which Disney, St. Joseph, San Juan Capistrano, and Birds Are Connected

Yesterday, I wrote anecdotes about the traditions, and personal recollections, inspired by the Feast of St. Joseph. Many of these traditions about food and helping the less fortunate are still observed by Italians and others all over the world.

There is one other legendary tradition connected to St. Joseph's Day, and that is the annual return of the Cliff Swallows from their winter home in Argentina to  the San Juan Capistrano Mission near San Diego, a migration of over 6,000 miles. This is a cause for a week-long celebration in its own right, as reported in stories such as this one from Wikipedia:

"According to legend the birds, who have visited the San Juan Capistrano area every Summer for centuries, first took refuge at the Mission when an irate innkeeper began destroying their mud nests.....The Mission's location near two rivers made it an ideal location for the swallows to nest, as there was a constant supply of the insects on which they feed, and the young birds are well-protected inside the ruins of the old stone church..."

In 1939, a live radio broadcast of the swallows' return inspired Leon René  to write a song, "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano", and over the years it became a popular standard:

           "When the swallows come back to Capistrano

           That's the day you promised to come back to me
           When you whispered, "Farewell," in Capistrano
           'twas the day the swallows flew out to sea"

Not to be outdone, the tiny city of Hinckley Ridge Ohio celebrated its own annual migratory homecoming: the return of the Buzzards on March 15.  According to this amusing recent story in USA Today:

"There will be free tours, live bird presentations and buzzard-themed activities, such as throwing stuffed birds through a hole, says Cleveland Metroparks marketing specialist Dan Crandall. 'It's kind of like Groundhog day … it's really cool.'

"No one knows for sure why buzzards flock to Hinckley from their southern sojourns. Some say it results from an 18th-century hunt that produced tons of carcasses; others believe it has more to do with a hospitable habitat for the scavenging birds."

By way of update, it appears that the swallows are beginning to abandon their tradition of returning to Capistrano (almost none showed up in 2009 according to the Boston Globe) but the buzzards did not disappoint, as reported in the above-referenced USA Today piece.

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This all brought to mind a 20-minute Oscar-Winning Short Film from the year (you guessed it) 1969, called "It's Tough To Be A Bird."  I wonder how many readers have ever seen it, or remember it.  Here's an article devoted to the film.

Although it had a great deal of live-action footage, Disney took home the Oscar for this film in the Short --Cartoon category.  I seem to recall it double-featured with a Kurt-Russell Disney Feature called "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes".

"It's Tough To Be A Bird" was part bird-documentary and part animated comedy.  It succeeded brilliantly in providing huge amounts of information about bird history, anatomy, and ecology and delivered it with great humor, at times silly and often surprisingly sophisticated.  To me it's one of Disney's most entertaining efforts in the short animated film form.  Today, it seems to be all but forgotten and unavailable. 

Happily, I found the entire thing on line, in three parts, and I have included the links below so you can share in the fun (embedding was not allowed, just click on each link).

Informative and good natured, it certainly inspired more respect and affection for our feathered friends (whose reputation at the time was still reeling from the Hitchcock treatment).  In typical Disney fashion, great live nature footage (for its day) was combined with breakneck animation, especially from our hapless narrator, pictured, coincidentally here, in St. Joseph's Day red.  The final animated montage is breathtaking in its hilarity, its animated images from pop culture and mischievous musical score positively Python-esque!

The film is very much a part of its time (the styles, the technology, the music, should produce groans and giggles) but the sentiment, and the fascination with these creatures, is timeless, and universal.

What I seem to recall most clearly, what stuck in my child's brain all these years, is the segment of the film devoted to the buzzards' return to Hinckley Ridge, accompanied by a song performed by Ruth Buzzi (of "Laugh-In") in a Mrs. Miller-style tremolo. 

Here are the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al_Zxx6HUG0&feature=related    PART 1 --Why birds have it tough

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv6Z6m2WCM4&feature=related  PART 2--History, and flight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtQ1etI3zhA&feature=related  PART 3 --Buzzards, etc.

ENJOY THIS LOOK BACK AT MOVIE AND OSCAR HISTORY!

St. Joseph's Day---Food, The Color Red, and Real Estate--A Humorous Saturday Journal

Buon Giorno di San Giuseppe!!

This will not be a devout history, but a lighthearted look at  St. Joseph's Day, a little-known holiday, always right after St. Patrick's Day, and its connection to my family of origin. 

Yes, I am continuing my brief series to commemorate my late Grandparents' 100th year.  Some might find this to be empty sentimentality.  To me, it's a way to keep the two of them alive, in the minds and hearts of new friends....perhaps the giddy sense of happiness they gave me will rub off on some unwary reader, who might come away with the same sense of energy they inspired in me...They would have enjoyed knowing that.

The custom, the devotion and the feast, originated in my Grandfather's country of origin, Sicily. It is not a totally solemn occasion, but one of much revelry, food, and gently humorous rituals. It brings to mind childhood feasts, relatives, the reminder that we need to laugh at ourselves affectionately, for keeping traditions long after we remember why (if we ever knew in the first place!)

BRIEF HISTORY:

The Italian community the world over celebrates St. Joseph's Day as ardently as Irish (and many others) celebrate St. Patrick's Day. St. Joseph is the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In the Middle Ages, the people of Sicily, faced with a severe drought and famine, asked their patron Saint Joseph to intercede with God to bring rain. When the saving rains came, the people promised to show their appreciation with a series of feasts, festivals, feeding of the poor, and the Wearing of Red.  Why red?   Some think it's the closest color to the vestments worn during lent; others claim it's a lighthearted challenge to the Irish and their Green. Again, we're not REAL sure, but it feels right, and the tradition is comforting, so we keep it.

LOOKING BACK ON FOOD:

Entering the Arizona Condo where Sam and Lucy lived their final years, one notices their absence, the unusual quiet in the rooms;  yet, the two of them are everywhere there.  They are at once there and not there, like the optical illusion of the goblet morphing into two silhouettes....

In my imagination, the air is still filled with the warm scent of tomato sauce simmering, pungent and sweet. My mouth still waters at the mellowness, owing to their secret concoction of garlic and onion, tomato sauce and paste, a heady blend of seasonings, tender neck bones, a pinch of baking soda to take out the bite and extra acid, and the pinch of sugar to enhance the sweetnes of the tomato.


Under that aroma would be the all-pervasive, summery scent of greens with a simple dressing of olive oil, sweet red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and oregano.


Lucy, my grandmother was the Queen of sauce and salad, and the recipe known as bracciole, the rolled round steak stuffed with breading and hard boiled egg, wrapped in bacon and tied with string.

When Sam, my Grandfather, was in the kitchen (he spent a lot of time there), he was the Master of Baking.  Pizza crust made from scratch always had the warm smell of beer as the dough was being punched and kneaded.  He even ground his own sausage, and stuffed the casings, which looked like enormous condoms when they were strewn across the cooking table.  Sam was also known for his cream puffs, and all kinds of breaded vegetables, like squash, and mushrooms.  (Later I'll relate his experiences as a 30-year employee of Nabisco.)


Sam and Lucy didn't have to wait until St. Joseph's Day to celebrate its spirit all year. The fact is, they never went to anyone's house empty-handed.  They lived to feed the ones they loved, and those who loved them, and we were an army.

One of the Sicilian staples was (and is) fava beans, which are still used in the Minestrone and other dishes for this holiday.  (See?  even Hannibal Lecter is in the spirit of the holiday, wearing his red..... )  Fava beans were considered lucky because during the drought, they thrived while other crops failed.  Using bread crumbs on top of certain pasta dishes brings to mind sawdust, to commemorate Joseph the Carpenter.


In fact St. Joseph  is the Patron Saint of carpenters, house buyers and sellers, fathers, pastry chefs (appropriately), wheelwrights, and working people.

St. JOSEPH  and REAL ESTATE

Maybe due to his being a carpenter, home-sellers have asked for his intercession to bring on buyers.
One of the goofiest traditions connected to St. Joseph is the burying of a statue upside down in the yard of a home that is for sale. You can even buy a kit for this purpose!

"When petitioning St. Joseph for help in selling a home, a believer is expected to bury a small statue of the saint upside down in the ground, facing away from the house but near the "For Sale" sign....The statue is dug up once the home has been sold and then taken to the seller's new home, who then must place the statue in a location of honor, in recognition of Joseph's help in making the successful move possible. According to some, failing to take that final step will have future repercussions, making it difficult to sell the new home when the seller decides to move again."

What are St. Joseph's Pants?  Click on this link for a recipe for special cookies filled with ground sweetened chick-peas (fava beans), a St. Joseph's Day staple in Sicily and elsewhere. 


Next up:  Another St. Joseph's Day tradition that nature lovers appreciate...and how it reminds me of an old Academy-Award-winning Short Film.....