REHEARSAL FOR A SICILIAN TRAGEDY – SLIFF Review

Several years ago American actor John Turturro traveled to Sicily in order to work on a motion picture and promptly fell in love with the land of his ancestors. He had never been to the birthplace of his grandparents before, and since that film shoot he’s made it almost a second home. With REHEARSAL FOR A SICILIAN TRAGEDY Turturro brings us along on a colorful tour while he takes a working vacation. He’s got an idea for a movie about a puppeteer, and we follow him during his research and side trips to explore his family history. One of the more interesting tidbits concerns their version of the Day of the Dead and its similarities to Christmas. Children would place baskets under their beds and the next morning would have to locate the basket filled with toys and candies that had been filled by deceased relatives. Of course after WWII Western forces brought with them the trees and Santa which replaced the ghoulish gift giving. The main thrust of the film is the puppetry tradition. Before cinema, the puppet shows were the main entertainment ( even above sporting competitions ). One of the last master puppeteers trains Tuturro and offers insight into one of the most famous stage stories, the love triangle of Orlando, Rinaldo, and Angelica. Via some old black and white footage from a Peter Ustinov film we see how this play worked up audiences many years ago. With the help of two local actors we’re told of the special candies made by the nuns and the big tuna fishing boats. Later we get to sit in on audition as Tuturro works with several local preteen girls who may play the role of the fourteen year old daughter of the old puppeteer in this proposed film project. All though this whether talking ( and singing ) with the nuns at the building where his grandparents met or conversing with local politicians and historians, Tuturro is an enthusiastic, curious tour guide. REHEARSAL FOR A SICILIAN TRAGEDY is both a colorful, informative travelogue and a touching portrait of a gifted artist’s delight in embracing his family roots.

Showtimes
Saturday, November 19th at 1:00pm – Plaza Frontenac Cinema