The Blinking Madonna & Other Miracles 1996
Distributed by New Day Films,190 Route 17M, P.O. Box 1084, Harriman, NY 10926; 888-367-9154 or 845-774-7051
Produced for the Independent Television Service (ITVS) with funds provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Directed by Beth Harrington
VHS, color, 56 min.
Adult
Religious Studies, Popular Culture, Anthropology, Sociology
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Charles Burkart, Head, Audiovisual Library, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505The Blinking Madonna & Other Miracles is a strange film-- part documentary, part magical realism. It chronicles the personal journey of a writer/director, Beth Harrington. Ms Harrington's personal adventures include whimsical remembrances of Catholic school, her difficult and funny quest for acceptance in Boston's Italian North End, and her battle with depression after her boyfriend moves out.
The Blinking Madonna refers to an anomaly on a videotape the author made of the annual Fisherman's Feast in Boston's North End. The director had previously made a film about the Italian religious festivals of the North End and their counterparts in Sicily. The statue of the Virgin Mary appeared to blink on the recently made videotape. Despite her lapsed religion, the filmmaker admits that her life has been transformed by this video curiosity.
This film reminds me of the 1989 British feature film, The Queen of Hearts, which was about the life of an Italian immigrant family in London. It seems to have the same combination of romance, melodrama, fantasy, and humor.
This is a superbly constructed film. There were a variety of compositional shots (close ups, medium shots, extreme close ups etc.) that made the film visually fast-paced and interesting. The clarity of the picture is really outstanding. Sound quality is clear and unobtrusive.
This film is a beautiful coming-of-age film for anyone growing up ethnic Catholic during the fifties and early sixties. While some may be put off by this personal narrative style of film making, I really enjoyed it. In fact, it's one of the most enjoyable documentaries I've seen in years.
For several days I've been thinking about how this unusual film could be used in the classroom. It occurs to me that it could be used in college classes on religion in America. It could also be used in anthropology or folklore classes on the anatomy of miracles. Public Libraries will find this a good addition to their documentary collections, particularly in areas with large Italian-American populations. Highly Recommended.