''Sparrow'' ( it, Storia di una capinera) is a 1993
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
.
It is an adaptation of
Giovanni Verga
Giovanni Carmelo Verga di Fontanabianca (; 2 September 1840 – 27 January 1922) was an Italian realist ('' verista'') writer, best known for his depictions of life in his native Sicily, especially the short story and later play ''Cavalleria ...
's novel, ''Storia di una capinera'' and was filmed in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
in 1993. It stars
Angela Bettis
Angela Marie Bettis (born January 9, 1973) is an American actress, film producer, and director. Following her breakthrough role as Janet Webber in the drama film ''Girl, Interrupted'' (1999), she earned acclaim for her portrayals of Carrietta Wh ...
, and premiered at the
Tokyo International Film Festival
The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...
in October 1993. It was the final film performance of
Valentina Cortese
Valentina Cortese (1 January 1923 – 10 July 2019) was an Italian actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in François Truffaut's ''Day for Night'' (1973).
Personal life
Cortese was bor ...
.
Plot
In the
Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and a ...
, in
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
-ridden
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
of 1854, Maria, a future
nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
, is evacuated from her
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
home in
Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
to her father's
Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina a ...
-shadowed
villa
A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...
. During her stay she falls in love with Nino, a family friend. But things fall apart when Catania is declared safe for her to return to Sicily, meaning she must renounce her love and concentrate on serving God.
Cast
*
Angela Bettis
Angela Marie Bettis (born January 9, 1973) is an American actress, film producer, and director. Following her breakthrough role as Janet Webber in the drama film ''Girl, Interrupted'' (1999), she earned acclaim for her portrayals of Carrietta Wh ...
as Maria
*
Johnathon Schaech
Johnathon Schaech ( ; born September 10, 1969) is an American actor and screenwriter. He has been working as an actor since the early '90s.
Early life
Johnathon Schaech was born in Edgewood, Maryland, in 1969 to Joe, a Baltimore City law enfo ...
as Nino
*
Vanessa Redgrave
Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...
as Sister Agata
*
Valentina Cortese
Valentina Cortese (1 January 1923 – 10 July 2019) was an Italian actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in François Truffaut's ''Day for Night'' (1973).
Personal life
Cortese was bor ...
as Mother Superior
*
Frank Finlay
Francis Finlay, (6 August 1926 – 30 January 2016) was an English stage, film and television actor, Oscar-nominated for a supporting role as Iago in Laurence Olivier's 1965 film adaptation of ''Othello''.
In 1983, Finlay was directed by Ital ...
as Father Nunzio
*
Sinéad Cusack
Sinéad Moira Cusack ( ) is an Irish actress. Her first acting roles were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, before moving to London in 1969 to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has won the Critics' Circle and ''Evening Standard'' Awards f ...
as Matilde
*
Denis Quilley
Denis Clifford Quilley, OBE (26 December 1927 – 5 October 2003) was an English actor and singer.
From a family with no theatrical connections, Quilley was determined from an early age to become an actor. He was taken on by the Birmingham Rep ...
as Baron Cesaro
*
Pat Heywood
Patricia Heywood (born 1 August 1931 in Gretna Green, Dumfriesshire, Scotland), is a Scottish character actress who has appeared in stage productions, films and television. She is married to Oliver Neville, the former principal of the Royal Acad ...
as Sister Teresa
*
Eva Alexander
Sara Jane "Eva" Alexander (born 9 August 1976 ) is a British actress and television presenter. Eva is pronounced "Ava".
Career
Until March 2007, she was a continuity presenter on the BBC preschool television channel CBeebies, joining as a rep ...
as Annetta
*
John Castle
John Michael Frederick Castle (born 14 January 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his film and television work, most notably playing Bill in Michelangelo Antonioni's ''Blowup'' (1966) and Geoffrey in ''The Lion in Winter'' (196 ...
as Giuseppe
*
Gareth Thomas as Corrado
* Andrea Cassar as Gigi
Awards and nominations
The film was awarded and nominated for awards in Italy and Portugal.
Awards for Sparrow
IMDB. Retrieved on 31 August 2010
David di Donatello Awards
The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award cat ...
* David Award for Best Costume Design (Migliore Costumista) - Piero Tosi
Piero Tosi (10 April 1927 – 10 August 2019) was an Italian costume designer.
Biography
Tosi's film credits include '' Senso'', '' Bellissima'', ''The Leopard'', ''Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'', ''Death in Venice'', ''The Night Porter'', and ...
(won)
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani ...
(Nastro d'Argento)
* Silver Ribbon for Best Costume Design - Piero Tosi
Piero Tosi (10 April 1927 – 10 August 2019) was an Italian costume designer.
Biography
Tosi's film credits include '' Senso'', '' Bellissima'', ''The Leopard'', ''Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'', ''Death in Venice'', ''The Night Porter'', and ...
(won)
Gramado Film Festival
The Gramado Film Festival ( pt, Festival de Gramado) is an international film festival held annually in the Brazilian city of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, since 1973. In 1992, the festival began to award Latin American films produced outside of Br ...
* Golden Kikito Award for Best Latin Film (Melhor Filme) - Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
(nomination)
References
External links
*
*
1993 films
Italian drama films
1993 drama films
1990s English-language films
English-language Italian films
1990s Italian-language films
Films based on Italian novels
Films shot in Italy
Films based on works by Giovanni Verga
Films directed by Franco Zeffirelli
Films set in Sicily
1993 multilingual films
Italian multilingual films
1990s Italian films
{{1990s-Italy-film-stub