U Sicilianu O Cinema: Recent Episodes
U Sicilianu O Cinema
This is “U Sicilianu O Cinema - Mparamu u sicilianu chi film" (Let’s learn Sicilian with movies). In this podcast I select movies where the Sicilian language is spoken but Sicilian subtitles are not provided.
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Do you want to start studying the Sicilian language? Try my Udemy Course here: http://bitly.ws/y5D5
Ni sintemu prestu!
In this episode, we go to Turin in 1960, where many Sicilians, Calabrians, Apulians went to find a job. "The Way We Laughed," (Così ridevano) by Gianni Amelio, released in 1998, tells a story of this time.
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If you guys study Sicilian, it's almost certain that at some point you'll hear about the man who we meet in this episode. His name is Gaetano Cipolla. He wrote - among other things - the books "Mparamu lu Sicilianu" and "Mparamu lu Sicilianu II". This episode is for advanced Sicilianu speakers!
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In this episode of the podcast we meet "na cantantissa" a singer who does with Sicilian music what this podcast does with movie scenes in Sicilian. Translating them in English!
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In this episode you’ll hear a lot of spoken sicilianu and will have the chance to follow what I'll be reading. Have you ever heard of Harry Potter? Maybe you watched the movies or read the books by JK Rowling. Ever heard of Cademia Siciliana? It’s an association born to protect the Sicilian language. Gaetano Mazza had the idea to translate a bit of the 1st book, the “Philosopher’s stone” from English to Sicilianu. So I decided i’ll read it for you guys. This will be a 2 episodes job. Then we'll be back to movies scenes.
Spoiler alert if you haven't watched White Lotus, season 2!
You probably remember the Di Grassos, played by F. Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli, and Adam Di Marco. They’re in Sicily on a trip to find out more about their family. Here they finally reach the house where their cugini (cousins) live. And they find the amazing Aurora Quattrocchi.
In this episode we check e movie, inspired by a true, horrible story. The story of a gang in Palermo that would “help” people in need of cash by breaking their arms and legs so that they could claim they had an accident and obtain some money from the Italian social security. The movie is called “Spaccaossa” (bone breaker), it’s from 2022, director Vincenzo Pirrotta.
Salutamu! In this episode we learn sciddicàri, mpitugghiàri e arranciarisi! The movie is "La Stranezza" (2022), by Roberto Andò. L'aviti a vidiri! (You gotta watch it!). In this scene you'll listen to the voice of Santina - played by Giulia Andò - who is in her room, secretively reading a piece of paper that looks like a love letter. She hides it quickly and gets back to her sewing machine when her brother Sebastiano Vella - played by Salvatore Ficarra - opens the door. Both actors are native speakers from Palermo.
In this episode we listen to one of the most successful italian tv series ever made. It takes place in Sicily and is based on the books by Andrea Camilleri. I’m talking about Inspector Montalbano.
You’ll hear the voices of Luca Zingaretti, playing Montalbano and Rosario Minardi, playing Rimildo Bufardeci, the security guard.
In the movie "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso", 1988, by Giuseppe Tornatore. In this episode we'll find it and translate it! Spoiler alert! Don't listen to this episode if you haven't watched this movie yet! We’ll focus mostly on the voices of Alfredo, played by Philippe Noiret - but dubbed by Vittorio di Prima - and Leo Gullotta.
The movie in this episode (The Sicilian girl) was inspired by a true story. The story of a young victim of the mafia, her name was Rita Atria. She became a witness after her dad and her brother got killed in Sicily.
She was found dead on a sidewalk in Rome in July 1992, a week after mafia killed prosecutor Paolo Borsellino, with whom she had been working. But it’s hard to believe she killed herself jumping out the window of the apartment she was given as a witness, to hide from the mafia. She was 17. Her sister and an anti-mafia association have recently requested to reopen the investigations on her death.
Here you can find more (ITA only): https://www.ritaatria.it/
Today we listen to a great scene from a 2011 movie called “Terraferma”. The movie was directed by Emanuele Crialese and takes place in the small and gorgeous island of Linosa, which is right in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, between northern Africa and Sicily. The life of a small fishing community is disrupted as more and more often the fishermen find themselves having to rescue boats of migrants in distress. But for these men it is dangerous to save these people's lives because - according to the Italian law - they risk being accused of helping illegal immigration and having their boats confiscated.
In this scene a group of fishermen get together to decide what to do. You will hear multiple voices of native Sicilian speakers. Among them Mimmo Cuticchio, Beppe Fiorello and Nino Bellomo.
This time we go to Ellis Island, in New York, where until the 50s millions of migrants were inspected and processed in their attempt to enter the United States. Many Sicilians were among them and this movie spends quite some time in this location.The movie is “Golden Door” (Nuovomondo is the original title). It was directed in 2006 by Emanuele Crialese and tells the story of a Sicilian family on their journey to the promised land.
In this scene the father, Salvatore Mancuso - played by Vincenzo Amato - is with a group of men in one of the hallways of the center and they’re all curious to look out one of the windows to see what this promised land looks like. But the glasses are blurred.
We have a scene to finish from the previous episode. The movie is Godfather Part 2, from 1974. We'll learn how to say "to fight" in Sicilianu and how to say "malandrinu" (criminal) with a simple hand motion!
Back to the Godfather Part II. In this scene young Vito Corleone, played by Rober De Niro is having lunch with his friends and associates Tessio - played by John Aprea - and Clemenza, played by Bruno Kirby. In the previous scene the evil Fanucci approached him to threaten him and their business and now they have to decide whether or not to pay 200 dollars a month for Fanucci’s “protection”. Typical mafia style. But Vito has an idea!
In this episode we listen to a scene from a 1947 movie by Luchino Visconti, the title is “La terra trema” (the earth trembles). Nedda laughs about Ntoni's advice on who to marry!
So, many of you have been asking me about a Netflix series called “From scratch”. There’s some Sicilian there so in this episode I’ll be doing one short scene so I won't spoiler the whole story!
This is when Lino - played by the roman actor Eugenio Mastrandrea - calls on the phone his mom Filomena, played by Lucia Sardo, who's born in Francofonte, near Siracusa, Sicily. A native speaker!
Part 2 of the scene selected by my Patruna Blanca. Here's what happened to Sarina's dad and why she hates the mafia so much!
The scene you’ll hear in this episode was selected by my Patruna Blanca who has got all my gratitude for her support with this Podcast since day one!
It’s a dialogue between nanna Sarina, played by Angela Molina and her grandson Pietro, played by young Giuseppe Garufi. The kid is asking his grandma why she just voted for the socialists, the party of his dad Peppino. He knows that she never liked them nor Peppino very much. And she has a terrible story to tell!
In the #Godfather Part II there’s a great care of the Sicilian language. Only in one scene, in my opinion, the English subtitles don't match with what's being said in Sicilian. Want to know which one? Check this episode! But first let's listen to a great dialogue with Robert De Niro and Peter LaCorte as young Vito Corleone and Signor Abbandando.
Did you know the movie #Baaria (2009) was originally made in #Sicilian and then dubbed in #Italian for the italian theaters? Such a shame! In this scene we go to #Bagheria (in Sicilian Baaria) to hear the voices of two native speakers: Salvatore Ficarra and Luigi Maria Burruano. This movie is one of my Patruna Blanca's favorites! Have you considered becoming a Patruni for this podcast? Go to www.patreon.com/USOC . Thanks!
The movie in this episode is “due amici” (two friends), directed in 2002 by Spiro Scimone and Francesco Sframeli, from #Messina, #Sicily.
The voices you’ll hear in this dialogue are the two main characters on their way for a special delivery. Nunzio is in love with a girl and his friend Pino is walking with him to the shop where she works. Nunzio is holding a big bouquet of roses. He’s quite nervous and is asking his friend for advice.
Happy 2023 to everyone!
In this episode we go to Corleone, but it’s not the fictional Corleone we saw in the Godfather, this is the real story of Placido Rizzotto, a trade union leader murdered by the mafia - the real mafia - in 1948. The movie "Placido Rizzotto", directed in 2000 by Pasquale Scimeca, says a lot about what life was like in Sicily in the late ‘40s specially for the peasant workers.
World war 2 has just ended. Placido left the Italian army in northern Italy to join the resistance against the nazis and the fascists and just came back to his hometown Corleone. We’ll hear the voices of Placido, played by Marcello Mazzarella and young Saro, the son of the shepherd - who existed in real life too - played by Giuseppe Gennusa.
The movie in this episode is "Stromboli, Land of God" (Roberto Rossellini, 1950). The voices you'll hear, among the others, are Mario Vitale and Ingrid Bergman! No, she's not gonna speak Sicilian... Everyone else will! Btw, Merry Christmas!!!
In this first episode we visit Bar Vitelli. This is the only 100% Sicilian scene in the Godfather (1972). The voices you'll hear are Angelo Infanti, Franco Citti and Saro Urzì.