At The Movies

AT THE MOVIES (August 31, 2023)

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Welcome, my friends, to the final installment of At The Movies. I have enjoyed every moment sharing my thoughts with you about great songs and the movies that featured them.

It’s no secret I’m Sicilian; my parents were born there and I’m very proud of my heritage. That is why I chose the most important motion picture in my lifetime to showcase in my final segment of At The Movies. This is a very personal post for me.

In 1972, my husband and I went to see “The Godfather” and in many little ways that movie changed my life. The film chronicles the Corleone Family under patriarch, Vito Corleone, while focusing on the transformation of Vito’s youngest son, Michael, from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss. That’s the Reader’s Digest abridged version; there’s much, much more going on in that movie to write about here.

When the movie was over, I turned to my husband and said “This movie is going to win the Academy Award”.

I remember reading that director Francis Ford Coppola knew he was going against the grain with “The Godfather” and wasn’t expecting it to be anything but a “special failure”, certainly not a hit. With a screenplay co-written by Coppola and Mario Puzo (who wrote the 1969 best-selling novel of the same name), and stars such as Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duval (and later, Robert De Niro in Part 2), the result was anything but a failure; it was an astounding blockbuster.

When the Academy Award nominations were announced, “The Godfather” received an incredible eleven nominations but won only three – Best Picture, Best Actor for Brando, Best Adapted Screenplay. According to popular opinion poll results released just days after the awards ceremony, three wins out of eleven nominations was considered a travesty and a personal snub by the Academy. I agree.

But that’s only half the story. We cannot forget the music. The raw beauty of the soundtrack with music composed by Nino Rota brings me to tears every time I hear it.

In January 2018, The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) aired a concert called “The Morricone Duel” performed by The Danish National Symphony Orchestra and The Danish National Concert Choir conducted by Sarah Hicks. Named for the great Italian composer Ennio Morricone (1928-2020), the music performed included titles from a wide range of “spaghetti” westerns and mafia films reflecting different perspectives on the Italian-American movie and film music styles.

From that concert, here is “The Godfather – Orchestral Suite” composed by Nino Rota.

I have seen “The Godfather Trilogy” (especially Parts 1 & 2) so many times, I can listen to this suite and picture exactly what’s going on in the movie. I have Sicilian friends who refused to watch “The Godfather”, saying it shows all Sicilians in a bad light; that’s ridiculous. While the vast majority of Sicilians are not connected to the mob, some are. This film is an accurate depiction of that lifestyle. I am as proud this groundbreaking movie as I am of my heritage.

For me there is only one other movie that rivals “The Godfather” and that is “The Godfather Part II”. These films will always remain in my heart as the greatest movies ever made.

One final very special memory before closing. I raised my sons in an American home sprinkled with the flavor of Sicily; they had no doubt where their ancestors came from. A great highlight for me was hearing my then 13-year-old son David playing the theme from “The Godfather” in recital as a solo on the bass trombone – not a rendition you hear often. When his time in the spotlight was over, there was a moment of terrifying silence before the chaos of applause broke out. I smiled knowing that was my boy and he played that piece for me.

Well, kids, it’s time to bring the curtain down At The Movies for the final time. I hope you found my posts these past six months to be entertaining, interesting, enlightening and fun. It has been a delight bringing these great movies and songs to you every week.

You’ll still be able to find me on Tuesdays in an all new re-vamped In The Groove and right here in this same slot on Thursdays with a totally different laidback program I think you’ll enjoy. I’ll be looking for you!

That’s a wrap. Turn off the lights on your way out.

I’ll see you on the flip side.

I’m The Sicilian Storyteller

NAR © 2023

16 thoughts on “AT THE MOVIES (August 31, 2023)”

  3. Who are we if we forfeit our roots, Nancy?
    Some prefer to say Best we forget but, sorry folks, it’s Lest we forget.

    Godfather is a masterpiece… I love all three ( btw, all summer I’ve been ordering at the beach bar a freddo Al Pacino 😉)

    It is always a bittersweet moment when curtains go down… but the applause makes the effort and love poured into, worth it.

    Mille grazie, Nancy. 👏💐

    See you at the next table of Rhythm Hold’em as the cards are shuffled & dealt for the next round!

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    1. Lest we forget. Absolutamente!
      You remembered the Al Pacino story? Hahaha!! How many people gave you the malocchio?
      Bittersweet, yes. But the beauty of a topic like At The Movies is being able to pick it up again at any time. I certainly haven’t used up all my resources.
      Buongiorno, Nick! Mille grazie! ☺️ ❤︎

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  4. Good morning! ☀️ The first one is still, in my mind, a brilliant movie. Every time I see it, it feels fresh. Like when I listen to ”Graceland” -it never feels old. I remember watching a few episodes of The Sopranos. What are your views on that show?

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    1. Good morning to you! If I had to choose between Parts 1 and 2, 2 gets my nod because of the gorgeous settings and traditions of Sicily and the amazing stories of immigrants in NY. Brilliant!
      The Sopranos was on TV for 6 seasons so when someone tells me they “remember watching a few episodes”, I realize pretty quickly it wasn’t a fave of theirs. 😂
      Here’s the thing, Misky: that’s not an easy question so bear with me.
      The Sopranos was brilliantly made, groundbreaking in the sense that it didn’t shy away from anything, especially people’s perceptions of the ‘Mob’ in general and mobster Italians specifically. It captured the early 2000s in a way few shows did. It was unafraid to comment on the uncertainties and anxieties that defined life in America at the turn of the millennium.
      There are definitely real people like those in The Sopranos … the violently coldblooded, morally bankrupt, power driven individuals who inhabit our world. They’ve existed for centuries; look at Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Hitler, just to name a few. Thanks to today’s technology, shows like The Sopranos and movies can be streamed into our homes in a matter of seconds.
      To answer your question, I asked myself some questions:
      Did I think the Sopranos put Italians in a bad light? No, it’s pretty damn accurate for that element who puts themselves in a bad light.
      Do I think it was necessary to be made? Absolutely; no story, no matter how ugly, should be covered up.
      Did I hide my eyes a few times? You bet I did!!
      Did I like the show? Definitely; it made me think, it made me laugh, it shocked me. I knew I wasn’t watching pablum.
      The Sopranos was horrifying in its ruthlessness, it’s language, it’s treatment of people. However, it wasn’t the first to depict that lifestyle (look at Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, Last of the Mohicans, Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Roots, Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, etc). It wasn’t the first, it won’t be the last, but it definitely was among the best.
      Thanks for a scintillating question, luv! ❤︎

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      1. We loved the few episodes that we watched. And then we moved to China. They didn’t show The Sopranos in China. Tut tut. Assumptions. 🤣 I asked the question because I was interested in whether the premise and detail of it felt bruising to your identity and family history, in much the same way that my German friends flinch at the mention of WWII or Hitler.

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        1. Mea culpa for assuming you may not have liked The Sopranos. Never, never assume and I am thrilled to know that you loved it. Honestly, should I have been surprised, sorella mia? No! 🥰 It definitely did hit home, deeper than I even knew.
          Try to find it streaming somewhere, then let me know what you thought of the ending. It’s only 56 episodes in total, FFS! 😂

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          1. Would you believe that I never watched one episode of Game of Thrones? You can assume that it’s true, and then I’ll say “Oh you are soooo right!” LOL!

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