U Sicilianu O Cinema - Learn Sicilian with movies

Topolino is the Italian name for the comic book Mickey Mouse, and for the first time in its history, it has published an entire story in Sicilianu . Professor Salvatore Menza, a researcher in glottology and linguistics at the University of Catania, was responsible for the translation and is our guest in this episode. We speak Sicilianu in the 1st part and English to translate a few lines from the comic book!

There aren’t many Sicilian songs as famous as the one we’ll discuss in this episode. The song, titled “Vitti na Crozza” (I Saw a Skull), has a history that is both enigmatic and deeply connected to a classic film: “Il Cammino della Speranza” (Path of Hope) by Pietro Germi. Here are the lyrics we’ll be translating in this episode: Vitti na crozza supra nu cannuni fui curiusu e ci vosi spiari Idda m’arrispunnì cu gran duluri murivi senza toccu di campani Si ni eru si ni eru li me anni si ni eru si ni eru un sacciu unni ora ca su rivatu ad ottant’anni lu vivu chiama e a morti ci arrispunni Cunzatimi cunzatimi stu lettu ca di li vermi su manciatu tuttu si nun lu scuntu cca lu me difettu lu scuntu a chidda vita a sangu ruttu

This time we talk about the "fuitina"! Maybe you heard the romantic version of it. When a couple runs away because his or her family is against the marriage. But unfortunately, it wasn’t always like that. In Sicily until the end of the 70s, it could happen that a woman could be kidnapped by someone who wanted to marry her against her will. In this episode, we hear the story of a kidnapping that ended badly. It happened in Sicily in the 1960s and it’s told by someone who knew the guy who wanted to get married and -that time he didn’t succeed. The movie I recommend to know more is "La ragazza del futuro" (2022).

In this episode, we go to Turin in 1960, where many Sicilians, Calabrians, Apulians went to find a job. "The Way We Laughed," (Così ridevano) by Gianni Amelio, released in 1998, tells a story of this time.

This scene comes from the movie “Nuovomondo” (The golden door), directed in 2006 by Emanuele Crialese. It follows a sicilian family on its journey to America. In this scene Lucy, a mysterious woman traveling on the same boat with them, asks Salvatore to marry her.

If you guys study Sicilian, it's almost certain that at some point you'll hear about the man who we meet in this episode. His name is Gaetano Cipolla. He wrote - among other things - the books "Mparamu lu Sicilianu" and "Mparamu lu Sicilianu II". This episode is for advanced Sicilianu speakers!

In this episode we check a 2019 movie by Paolo Licata. The title is “Picciridda”, the English title is “Alone with her dreams”, and it takes place on the beautiful island of Favignana. Have you ever tasted n'ossu i mortu? It's a typical Sicilian Halloween sweet!

It’s been a few months since the last time we played a #Godfather scene. So i figured let’s listen to la Signora Colombo who goes to young Vito Corleone to ask him for help.

In this episode of the podcast we meet "na cantantissa" a singer who does with Sicilian music what this podcast does with movie scenes in Sicilian. Translating them in English!

Salutamu! In this episode we learn sciddicàri, mpitugghiàri e arranciarisi! The movie is "La Stranezza" (2022), by Roberto Andò. L'aviti a vidiri! (You gotta watch it!). In this scene you'll listen to the voice of Santina - played by Giulia Andò - who is in her room, secretively reading a piece of paper that looks like a love letter. She hides it quickly and gets back to her sewing machine when her brother Sebastiano Vella - played by Salvatore Ficarra - opens the door. Both actors are native speakers from Palermo!

So, many of you have been asking me about a Netflix series called “From scratch”. There’s some Sicilian there so in this episode I’ll be doing one short scene so I won't spoiler the whole story! This is when Lino - played by the roman actor Eugenio Mastrandrea - calls on the phone his mom Filomena, played by Lucia Sardo, who's born in Francofonte, near Siracusa, Sicily. A native speaker!

Vuiautri u sapiti unn’è a prima università nto munnu ca offri nu corsu di lingua siciliana? A Tunisi! E u funnau nu trapanisi, u prufissuri Alfonso Campisi. #USicilianuOCinema u ncuntrau a Bruxelles e ci fici na para di dumanni. In sicilianu.

Spoiler alert if you haven't watched White Lotus, season 2! You probably remember the Di Grassos, played by F. Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli, and Adam Di Marco. They’re in Sicily on a trip to find out more about their family. Here they finally reach the house where their cugini (cousins) live. And they find the amazing Aurora Quattrocchi.

If you liked the "Inspector Montalbano" series you will probably love "Il Giovane Montalbano" (the young Montalbano). It takes place in the imaginary town of Vigàta, when all the characters of the original series were young. This scene is from the 6th episode of season 2. The Italian title is “l’albicocca”. Here the young Montalbano - played by Michele Riondino - goes to "spiarici na para di dumanni" (ask a few questions) to the fruttivendola the fruit seller, played by Rosa Canova.

How much Sicilianu is spoken in the movie "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso" (1988)? In this episode we'll find it and translate it! Spoiler alert! Don't listen to this if you haven't watched this movie yet! We’ll focus mostly on the voices of Alfredo, played by Philippe Noiret - but dubbed by Vittorio di Prima - and Leo Gullotta.

Today we listen to a great scene from a 2011 movie called “Terraferma”. The movie was directed by Emanuele Crialese and takes place in the small and gorgeous island of Linosa, which is right in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, between northern Africa and Sicily. The life of a small fishing community is disrupted as more and more often the fishermen find themselves having to rescue boats of migrants in distress. But for these men it is dangerous to save these people's lives because - according to the Italian law - they risk being accused of helping illegal immigration and having their boats confiscated. In this scene a group of fishermen get together to decide what to do. You will hear multiple voices of native Sicilian speakers. Among them Mimmo Cuticchio, Beppe Fiorello and Nino Bellomo.

In this episode we listen to one of the most successful Italian TV series ever made. It takes place in Sicily and is based on the books by Andrea Camilleri. I’m talking about Inspector Montalbano. You’ll hear the voices of Luca Zingaretti, playing Montalbano and Rosario Minardi, playing Rimildo Bufardeci, the security guard.

Nta sta puntata annamu a Brussell, unni u Parlamentu Europeo, pi sentiri na picca di vuci di chiddi ca vonnu sabbari lu sicilianu pi li prossimi generazioni. #USicilianuOCinema fu ddocu cu iddi e ci fici quacchi dumanna, in Sicilianu.

In this episode we learn about a sicilian tradition. U strattu! Featuring me mamma! U film La siciliana ribelle, 2009 was directed by Marco Amenta and inspired by the true story of Rita Atria. Learn more about her on Ritaatria.it In the scene you'll hear the voices of Lucia Sardo, playing Rita’s mom, Miriana Faja, playing rita, and Marcello Mazzarella, playing her dad, Don Vito Mancuso.

Second and final episode with Cademia Siciliana's Harry Potter chapter one in Sicilianu. Sintiti ccà!

In this episode you’ll hear a lot of spoken sicilianu and will have the chance to follow what I'll be reading. Have you ever heard of Harry Potter? Maybe you watched the movies or read the books by JK Rowling. Ever heard of Cademia Siciliana? It’s an association born to protect the Sicilian language. Gaetano Mazza had the idea to translate a bit of the 1st book, the “Philosopher’s stone” from English to Sicilianu. So I decided i’ll read it for you guys. This will be a 2 episodes job. Then we'll be back to movies scenes.

Did you know the movie #Baaria (2009) was originally made in #Sicilian and then dubbed in #Italian for the italian theaters? Such a shame! In this scene we go to #Bagheria (in Sicilian Baaria) to hear the voices of two native speakers: Salvatore Ficarra and Luigi Maria Burruano.

In the #Godfather Part II there’s a great care of the Sicilian language. Only in one scene, in my opinion, the English subtitles don't match with what's being said in Sicilian. Want to know which one? Check this episode! But first let's listen to a great dialogue with Robert De Niro and Peter LaCorte as young Vito Corleone and Signor Abbandando.

Happy 2023 to everyone! In this episode we go to Corleone, but it’s not the fictional Corleone we saw in the Godfather, this is the real story of Placido Rizzotto, a trade union leader murdered by the mafia - the real mafia - in 1948. The movie "Placido Rizzotto", directed in 2000 by Pasquale Scimeca, says a lot about what life was like in Sicily in the late ‘40s specially for the peasant workers. World war 2 has just ended. Placido left the Italian army in northern Italy to join the resistance against the nazis and the fascists and just came back to his hometown Corleone. We’ll hear the voices of Placido, played by Marcello Mazzarella and young Saro, the son of the shepherd - who existed in real life too - played by Giuseppe Gennusa.

The movie in this episode is “due amici” (two friends), directed in 2002 by Spiro Scimone and Francesco Sframeli, from #Messina, #Sicily. The voices you’ll hear in this dialogue are the two main characters on their way for a special delivery. Nunzio is in love with a girl and his friend Pino is walking with him to the shop where she works. Nunzio is holding a big bouquet of roses. He’s quite nervous and is asking his friend for advice.

In this episode we have a movie that’s part documentary about an extremely controversial and - for some - mythical character in sicilian history. Salvatore "Turiddu" Giuliano. The movie was directed by Salvatore Rosi. 100% Palermo accent!

In this episode we listen to a scene from a 1947 movie by Luchino Visconti, the title is “La terra trema” (the earth trembles). Nedda laughs about Ntoni's advice on who to marry!

The movie in this episode is "Stromboli, Land of God" (Roberto Rossellini, 1950). The voices you'll hear, among the others, are Mario Vitale and Ingrid Bergman! No, she's not gonna speak Sicilian... Everyone else will!

In this first episode we visit Bar Vitelli. This is the only 100% Sicilian scene in the Godfather (1972). The voices you'll hear are Angelo Infanti, Franco Citti and Saro Urzì.