L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 4 " My upbringing until the age of 10, in a certain sense, took p l a c e i n I t a l y because Little Italy w a s f i l l e d w i t h S i c i l i a n s , Neapolitans, and Campani- ans. Those memories have influenced me as an artist, so for me, returning to Italy is always a kind of return to my roots." These words come f r o m M a r t i n S c o r s e s e , who, in recent weeks, has been filming a documentary as an executive producer in "his" Sicily. The subject of the film, underwater archae- ology investigating ancient s h i p w r e c k s , m a y s e e m unusual, but it fits perfectly with his search for origins: "I've always been fascinated by the history of the ancient world, particularly Sicily's. I love the puppet theater, the adventures of Orlando and Angelica in Ariosto's works, s t o r i e s t h a t s t i l l h e l p u s today to understand who we are." S c o r s e s e s h a r e d t h e s e reflections while receiving t h e S t e l l a d e l l a M o l e A w a r d d u r i n g a s p e c i a l e v e n t o r g a n i z e d b y t h e N a t i o n a l M u s e u m o f Cinema in Turin, as part of a retrospective celebrat- ing the director who holds t h e r e c o r d f o r t h e m o s t Academy Award nomina- tions for The Departed, for which he also won an Oscar. The event featured screenings of some of his masterpieces, from Who's That Knocking at My Door (1968), which tells the story of a protagonist who spends his days in the bars of Little I t a l y , t o M e a n S t r e e t s (1973), set amidst the debts, b r a w l s , a n d n i g h t t i m e e s c a p a d e s o f L i t t l e I t a l y , leading up to the Feast of San Gennaro. Other films shown included Taxi Driver ( 1 9 7 6 ) a n d R a g i n g B u l l (1980), centered on the life of former boxer Jake LaM- otta, both starring fellow Italian-American Robert De Niro, with whom Scorsese has built a 50-year artistic partnership. Both Scorsese's maternal and paternal grandparents e m i g r a t e d f r o m S i c i l y , specifically from the small t o w n s o f C i m i n n a a n d P o l i z z i G e n e r o s a i n t h e Palermo metropolitan area. It was these roots that, in 2018, made him officially an Italian citizen. Staying with designer Domenico Dolce— himself born in Polizzi Gen- erosa—along with his three d a u g h t e r s F r a n c e s c a , Domenica, and Cathy, and t h e i r c h i l d r e n , S c o r s e s e returned to his grandpar- e n t s ' h o m e l a n d . H e a l s o held a masterclass with fel- low Academy Award-winner Giuseppe Tornatore (him- self from Bagheria, not far from Polizzi Generosa), and was honored with honorary citizenship. "My grandpar- e n t s e m i g r a t e d a t a t i m e when many left in search of a b e t t e r l i f e , " S c o r s e s e shar ed. " When I come to Sicily, I love seeing the land- scapes, the mountains, the v a l l e y s t h e y h a d t o l e a v e behind." B o r n i n N e w Y o r k i n 1942, Scorsese grew up in Manhattan's Little Italy, where he absorbed the Ital- i a n - A m e r i c a n c u l t u r e h e would later bring to life in some of his most famous films, such as Mean Streets and the documentary Ital- ianamerican. Scorsese first visited Polizzi Generosa in 1 9 7 9 w i t h h i s t h e n - w i f e Isabella Rossellini, in search of his family's roots, having i n h e r i t e d t h e n a m e "Scozzese," which was later Americanized to "Scorsese." He returned again in 1990 with his parents and again in 2018 for his Italian citi- zenship ceremony. " S i n c e I f i r s t w a t c h e d Rossellini's Paisà with my grandparents and parents over 70 years ago, Italian cinema has held a special place in my heart, guiding, sustaining, and inspiring me throughout my career as a filmmaker," said Scorsese. "Receiving such recognition at this point in my life, in this beautiful museum here in Turin, dedicated to one of my greatest loves—Italian cinema—is truly meaning- ful." Scorsese has often credit- ed Italian Neorealism as a major influence on his work. In 2006, he wrote the intro- duction to Cabiria & Cabiria, a b o o k p u b l i s h e d b y t h e National Museum of Cinema in Turin to accompany the restoration of Cabiria, the first Italian cinematic epic and the most famous film of the silent era. It is no sur- prise that they honored him with a Digital Cinema Pack- a g e c o n t a i n i n g n e v e r - before-seen scenes from the 1914 film directed by Gio- vanni Pastrone, which had even been screened at the White House. The tribute reflects Scorsese's lifelong commitment to preserving and restoring cinema's rich heritage. "Wherever cinema Scorsese's Italy: a director's search for his origins BARBARA MINAFRA NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONTINUED TO PAGE 6 Scorsese signs autographs in Turin. Photo © Berti Giuliano

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