Page 3 - Italian-American Herald - April 2024

ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
ACHIEVER
Wolfington: Cabrini an ‘organizational genius’ Continued from front page
APRIL2024 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 3
Vol. 11 No. 4 – April 2024
A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER SERVING THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
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Contents
History...................................... 10, 13-14 Books .................................................. 12 Did You Know? .................................... 15 It’s All Good.........................................16 Wellness.............................................. 18 News from Italy ................................... 19 Pagina Italiana.....................................20 The Chef’s Perspective........................22 Dining In and Out.................................23 Faith..............................................24, 29 Per I Bambini.......................................26 Local ............................................. 27, 29 Language ............................................ 31
that’s what her story deserved.
“She went anywhere and everywhere there
was a need from the Italian immigrant,” he told the Delaware Valley Italian-American Herald. “And her philosophy was very simple. She said, ‘You’re in a new country and you’re going to be great American citizens, and you’re going to do it through education, and you’re going to do it on your own.’ And she also built up their dignity. She said ‘You know you come from a great country, and now you’re in another great country. And you’re going to become great citizens.’ ”
That’s why Francesca Cabrini is now
the patron saint of immigrants. And the
film, Wolfington hopes, will speak to
today’s society, torn by immigration issues worldwide, in the same way that the 1942 film “Mrs. Minniver” was “more powerful to the war effort than the combined work of six military divisions,” according to the British prime minister Winston Churchill. In every age, a film comes along that catches the spirit of the time, he believes.
Wolfington set two conditions on his involvement: it “has to be a story about a great woman who just happens to be a nun” and “all the net revenues earned from the film go to charity.”
The seed grew when he reconnected with Alejandro Monteverde, who directed “Bella” and Eduardo Verástegui, who played the lead in “Bella.” Monteverde is back as director, with Verástegui, Wolfington and the saint herself credited as executive producers of the $50 million production.
He and the writer, Rod Barr, went on
a three-year pilgrimage for research and scriptwriting, including trips to Sant’ Angelo Lodigiano (her Lombard hometown),
the Vatican (for her beatification and canonization records) and places where
she had founded some of her 67 hospitals, orphanages and schools. He read 21 books and spoke to Sister Ursula Infante, founder of Cabrini College and the last nun to get her veil from Cabrini herself. “We probably knew more about Mother Cabrini than any else,” he said.
Wolfington was also hands-on while the film was made, for example, making the final decision just before shooting began to shoot it in full color. He also ventured to
Premier Digital Partners
Buffalo, New York (37 locations, with more architecture preserved from the period, with filming running nine weeks) and Rome (with filming running 10 days). A third of the movie is in Italian, with subtitles.
The result is compelling and inspiring, but definitely not preachy: a 2-hour 25-minute film that earned a 96% rating on RottenTomatoes.com before its release on March 8, International Women’s Day. It stars Cristiana Dell’Anna as Cabrini and co-stars American TV and movie actors John Lithgow and David Morse (the latter a Philadelphia resident) and Oscar nominee Giancarlo Giannini as Pope Leo XXIII. “Dare to Be,” the song written for the closing credits, is a duet by tenor Andrea Bocelli and his daughter Virginia Bocelli, who is also making her acting debut in the film.
Wolfington also likes to quote an Edgar Guest poem about the style of the film: “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.”
When interviewing Wolfington for La Voce two years ago, Stefano Vaccaro predicted the film would be “a masterpiece for hope
in the world.” Wolfington told Guadalupe Radio Network’s Keith Downey this year that theatergoers come in saying they are upset about today’s “broken world” and “walk out
on fire again about life. They just can’t wait to go out and do something and make this a better place.”
It also echoes what Wolfington’s brother Alex told Main Line News when “Bella” was made: the family wanted to make “quality films that not only entertain, but inspire people to live better lives, to love more and to be light in an often dark world.” And judging from the early reaction, “Cabrini” is.
His deep emotional connection to Cabrini has come out in interviews. When talking
to Downey, for instance, he teared up when he told how Mother Teresa, just days after Cabrini’s canonization, decided to model her life on Mother Cabrini.
“We want to make Mother Cabrini known and understood,” he told La Voce. “She was probably one of the greatest Italian women
of all times. She had the skills of a John
D. Rockefeller, a J.P. Morgan, a Winston Churchill with her never-quit attitude. ... We think Mother Cabrini is a walking sermon, without words. No one taught more about the pride of being an Italian than Mother Cabrini.
“She was an organizational genius,” She
Continued on next page
RENAISSANCE ESTATES OF PACKER PARK
Natalie Pantaleo's wine column will return next month.