''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 ...

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'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, 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.

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 all ...

, in cholera-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 Anglic ...

home in Catania to her father's Mount Etna-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 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 enf ...

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, tw ...

as Sister Agata * Valentina Cortese as Mother Superior * Frank Finlay as Father Nunzio * Sinéad Cusack 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 Re ...

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'' (19 ...

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 * David Award for Best Costume Design (Migliore Costumista) - Piero Tosi (won) Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Nastro d'Argento) * Silver Ribbon for Best Costume Design - Piero Tosi (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) -

(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