An Analysis of Family Dynamics in Italian-American Communities As Seen in The Godfather Warning: Videos attached contain blood, Animal Cruelty (dismembered body parts, timestamps listed) and gun violence “Corleone is Johnny’s Godfather. To the Italian people, that’s a very religious, sacred, close relationship.” Tom Hagen to Woltz, regarding Don Vito’s interest in helping his godson’s…
“I Seek Something More:” The Reality of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience in Novitiate
Novitiate (2017), directed by Margaret Betts, follows the life of Cathleen, a fictional American girl who enters a Catholic convent in the early 1960s at the age of seventeen. As a young girl, Cathleen’s mother took her to a Catholic church, even though she didn’t believe in religion; rather, she wanted her daughter to decide…
Saint, Saviour, Sinner, Sleazy Slut
Madonna as Blasphemous Icon Madonna was born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone in Bay City, MI on August 16, 1958. She was born to Madonna Fortin and Silvio Ciccone, who was a first-generation Italian immigrant. She was the middle child of six and grew up a devout Italian Catholic. Growing up Madonna attended Catholic school and…
The Little Hours
The Little Hours tells the story of a small convent in Italy in the year 1347. This movie revolves around the characters of Fernanda, Alessandra, and Ginevra. These three nuns act accordingly to their nun values. They follow the uniform, prayer ritual, and want to protect one another from the male gaze that annoys the…
Glory Be To Lady Bird.
Glory Be To Lady Bird. The Impact of Catholic Ritualism on Moral Development and Socialization “It’s not important to be right. It’s only important to be true.” McKinley Henderson, Lady Bird In Lady Bird, mom and daughter, Marion and Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, find themselves constantly at odds amidst the blitz between gratitude and aspiration,…
The Rite: Traditional, Subversive, and Modern Exorcists in Catholic Horror
The prominence of Catholic themes, namely Exorcisms, in modern horror films is not lost on even those who do not watch the genre. However, as a connoisseur of the Catholic horror genre, I have always wondered why I am so enamored by stories of Nuns and Priests fighting demons and the Devil himself as I…
Catholic Homage in Mexican Holiday Tradition
By: Olivia Cannizzaro Synopsis: In the Disney film Coco, a young Mexican boy, named Miguel Riviera, was born into a family that did not tolerate any kind of music or singing. Miguel’s family is part of Mexico’s working class and they have worked in the shoe-making industry for generations. On the night of Día De Los Muertos,…
Mi Familia: Devoción Incondicional
Introduction Gregory Nava’s Mi Familia is a story of a Mexican American family in the 1920s. The Sanchez family resides in East Los Angeles only after Jose Sanchez walks roughly 1500 miles from Mexico to Los Angeles. The Sanchez family consists of an ex-convict, a nun, a restaurant owner, a writer, a lawyer, and a…
Sister Act: Being Comfortable with the Uncomfortable
Introduction For a long time now, the Catholic church has had a complicated relationship with black Catholics and felt uncomfortable with the idea that black Catholics were capable of being a part of the clergy. While the church itself promotes values of love and peace the experience of the black community within the church is…
Silence (2016) Compared to the History of the Ban of Christianity in Japan (1603-1867)
Introduction Silence (2016), directed by Martin Scorsese, is a historical film based on the ban of Christianity in Japan. On January 27, 1614, an official order was initiated and enacted by Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Its main objective was to focus on eradicating Christianity in Japan. Shōgun was a title given to hereditary military leaders who were technically…
Catholics in the Americas 