[Joseonggwan's Global Humanities Journey] Some Thoughts on Sicily

Sicilia beckons from afar.

A place I have yet to visit, but have long cherished on my bucket list: Sicilia.

Palermo, Corleone, Gianpaldo, Cefal?, Bagheria, Siracusa ….

The Godfather series. The film 'The Godfather Part II' that thrillingly shattered the film industry's notion that sequels ruin movies.

Marlon Brando played the Godfather (Don Vito Corleone), and Al Pacino portrayed the youngest son Michael in 'The Godfather I,' released in 1973. It's already been 50 years.

A scene from 'The Godfather I.' Michael, hiding in his father's hometown in Sicilia, walks through the town center accompanied by bodyguards. However, there are no men on the streets, only women.

"Why are there no men in this town?"

The bodyguard replies,

"It's the result of blood vengeance."

Five years later, in 1978, 'The Godfather Part II' was released. It tells the story of youngest son Michael becoming the family successor and expanding the 'business' he inherited.

'The Godfather Part II' intercuts scenes of the Godfather's younger days. The father in his twenties establishing himself in New York's Little Italy (played by Robert De Niro).

Corleone revisits Sicilia, which he fled as a child, and takes revenge on Don Ciccio, the Godfather of the family who killed his parents and tried to kill him.

Movie poster of 'The Godfather'

In 'The Godfather Epilogue,' more than half of the film's setting is Rome and Sicilia. The Michael family gathers to watch the performance of their son, who has become a successful opera singer. Even Michael's estranged wife is by his side at this moment.

"Finally stepping on Sicilian soil."

"I'll show you the real Sicilia."

Michael takes his wife to his father's birthplace. While there, he speaks about Sicilians.

"These people have endured many terrible things for a long time. Many truly unjust things. Everything in Sicilia is dramatic. Sicilians never forget."

The Godfather series, originally written by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Recently, I binge-watched the Godfather series. I rewatched The Godfather I and II after several years. This was my first time watching 'The Godfather Epilogue.' Watching it slowly and leisurely, Sicilia finally came into focus. On the surface, this film deals with the Italian-American mafia, but from another perspective, it is a hymn to Sicilia.

Director Giuseppe Tornatore [Photo by Wikipedia]

Besides the Godfather series, the film that introduced Sicilia to the world is 'Cinema Paradiso.' Director Giuseppe Tornatore is from Palermo, Sicilia. In the film, Gianpaldo (now Lascari) is portrayed as the hometown from which the young Toto leaves. The scene where residents watch a movie from boats on the beach is unforgettable. That place is Cefal?.

In the film, Sicilia appears as a quiet and beautiful island. So, 'Cinema Paradiso' is Tornatore's hometown tribute. Released in 1990, this film engraved the bittersweetness of first love in the hearts of all youth. Those who cannot forget 'Cinema Paradiso' actually planned trips to Sicilia and visited the film's locations. An acquaintance who teaches Korean at a university also visited the film's locations and wrote a travelogue.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote 'Italian Journey' in 1816. In 'Italian Journey,' Goethe mentions Sicilia several times. Opening Goethe's diary entry from April 13, 1787, written in Palermo:

I have not yet mentioned eating and drinking on this island. A short essay is insufficient. The fruits of the orchards are sheer ecstasy. Especially the soft and delicious salads melt in the mouth like drinking milk. I understand why the ancients called Sicilian salad 'lactuca' (milk). Olives and wine are also truly excellent. If people paid a little more attention, they could produce even better olives and wines. The fish is top quality and extremely tender. The beef is also so excellent that it defies praise. …>

The Cefal? beach featured in the scene where they watch a movie while riding a boat in Cinema Paradiso.
[Photo by Seo Ji-yeon]

Film director Martin Scorsese. An American director counted among the greatest living filmmakers. He was born in New York to a poor Italian immigrant family. As a child, he witnessed his indebted uncle being chased and threatened by gangsters.

The recently translated and published book 'Martin Scorsese: Retrospective' richly explains Scorsese's cinematic world with abundant photographic materials. While reading a newspaper review, I felt as if I was hit on the back of the head by the following sentence.

"...In his films, the vilest and most intense violence clashes and mingles with the most sacred and pure spirituality."

'The Flower Killing Moon,' 'The Irishman,' 'Gangs of New York'... To understand Scorsese's cinematic world, one must dig into his roots. Both his paternal and maternal grandparents were born in Sicilia. His grandparents came from Polizzi Generosa, and his maternal grandparents from Ciminna. Both places are in the Palermo province in northern Sicilia. So, his grandparents and maternal grandparents immigrated to New York and married fellow Sicilians. In our terms, it is like meeting someone from the same province and county in New York. Meeting someone from your hometown across the Atlantic, in the New World, must have been so heartwarming and created a strong sense of kinship.

Martin Scorsese in 2010. [Photo by Wikipedia]

Between the Italian mainland and Sicilia lies a narrow strait: the Strait of Messina. The narrowest point is only 3.1 km wide. It connects the eastern and western Mediterranean seas.

One might think a bridge would have been built long ago, but there is still no bridge connecting the island and the mainland. The water depth is 200 to 250 meters, and the currents are strong. Shipwrecks frequently occur in the Strait of Messina. Greek mythology did not overlook this geographical environment. According to myth, sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis live in this strait. These sea monsters cause the sea to surge and sink passing ships.

This rough current has historically and culturally separated Italy and Sicilia. Italy is commonly divided into the wealthy north and the poor south. Sicilia is the center of the southern region. Sicilia once maintained an independent kingdom but was ruled and invaded for long periods by foreign peoples such as the Greeks, French, Spanish, and Arabs. Each change of ruling power was marked by bloodshed. Historian Eric Hobsbawm theorizes that the Mafia has its roots in local self-defense organizations formed to resist the massacres during these power transitions. Thus, Sicilia becoming the cradle of the Mafia is historically inevitable.

Sicilians abroad, when asked "Which country are you from?" answer "From Sicilia." They never say they are from Italy. This is similar to how someone from Marseille emphasizes being from Marseille rather than France.

Among Giuseppe Verdi's operas is 'Evening Prayer on the Island of Sicilia.' It has been staged at the Seoul Arts Center by the National Opera Company. The setting is 13th-century Sicilia under French rule. It depicts the uprising of Sicilians on Easter evening in 1282, timed with the evening prayer bell.

The conflict between the oppressed Sicilians and the ruling French, who mock and insult them, forms the main framework. A love line is inserted, bringing the historical event to life.

The recently released film 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' also features Sicilia. The hometown of the ancient mathematician Archimedes is Siracusa, Sicilia. Siracusa preserves the heritage of ancient Greek civilization. The film sets the 'Ear of Dionysius' in the Siracusa Archaeological Park as Archimedes' tomb. Now in his twilight years, archaeologist Indiana Jones walks the alleys of Siracusa with heavy steps.

Author and genius researcher Jo Seong-gwan

Operator of 'Genius Table,' former editor-in-chief of Weekly Chosun

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.