Household Saints (DVD)
Nancy Savoca’s star-studded indie gem Household Saints is a chronicle of a spirited Italian-American New York family that perfectly balances humor, tragedy, and pathos. Joseph Santangelo (Vincent D’Onofrio) is a butcher with a wicked sense of humor who “wins” his wife Catherine (a stellar Tracey Ullman) in a pinochle game. Over the protests of his mother (Judith Malina) who talks to ghosts and makes deals with saints, Joseph marries Catherine. When the old lady dies, her spirit is channeled into her granddaughter Teresa who yearns to serve God. Perfectly embodying a modernday Bernadette, Lili Taylor imbues Teresa with a mix of dedicated innocence and naïveté. Executive produced by Jonathan Demme, with memorable performances from Michael Imperioli, Michael Rispoli and Victor Argo, Household Saints showcases a unique voice in 1990s independent filmmaking. Household Saints has been digitally restored and remastered by Lightbox Film Center at University of the Arts (Philadelphia) in collaboration with Milestone Films with support from Ron and Suzanne Naples. Restoration Supervisor: Ross Lipman, Corpus Fluxus. Picture Restoration: Illuminate Hollywood. Sound Restoration: Audio Mechanics.
- Renata (1982, Nancy Savoca’s student film)
- Bad Timing (1983, Nancy Savoca’s student film)
- The Many Miracles of Household Saints (2023, making-of documentary by Martina Savoca-Guay)
- Archival interviews with Jonathan Demme, Vincent D’Onofrio, Tracey Ullman, Lili Taylor,
Nancy Savoca, Richard Guay, Judith Malina, Peter Newman - New interview with Nancy Savoca and Lili Taylor by Richard Guay (Courtesy of and © The Criterion Collection)
- Nancy Savoca - Director
- Nancy Savoca - Writer
- Richard Guay - Writer
- Lili Taylor - Actor
- Tracey Ullman - Actor
- Vincent D’Onofrio - Actor
- Michael Imperioli - Actor
Reviews
“Transcendent... Household Saints is a wonderful movie, without a second that isn't blessed by the grace of its special humor and tenderness."
“An offbeat, involving story told with perfect confidence... Savoca has a way of magnifying small, unglamorous events until they become unaccountably magical.”
“Director Savoca (True Love, Dogfight) is one of our great American storytellers...Household Saints restores one's faith in miracles while teaching us how to invent them ourselves.”
"A comically tragic tale of unwavering faith... Household Saints is indeed a love story, encapsulating the many ways love shows itself and withholds, keeping the mystery alive."
"Mixing comedy, drama, religious parable, and family saga… moviegoers can rejoice, for a small, independent film gem from the ’90s, Household Saints, is being revived.… A celebration of belief and tradition…. "
" A lovely slice-of-life picture, stacked with performances beaming low-key urgency."
"The renewed availability of Nancy Savoca’s Italian American family saga Household Saints is a gift from God."
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