Counter-Currents
2,104 words 
Netflix has released a new adaptation of Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), the 1958 novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa about a noble Sicilian family living through the tumultuous era of Italian unification. The first and most famous depiction of The Leopard was Luchino Visconti’s 1963 film, starring Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon.
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4 comments
“… and finally transforming into a democratic republic.” I was going to make a quip about the latest transformation, which you left out, but I know you know it all too well, and sometimes it’s better not dwelt upon… Thank you for this review.
A quarter of my family descends from Sicilian immigrants who came to the US 150 or so years ago, though they’ve all integrated sufficiently well that we can’t even pretend – at least, not credibly – to be Italian anymore. All I’ve got left is the name and some of the genes. Some people have suggested that I go visit my ancestors’ town in Sicily. I used to feel like it’d would just be foreign to me, but now I fear it’d look like the Congo.
True that Sicily has been forced to experience third world diversity but the island is still overwhelmingly Sicilian inspite of the previous governments dumping of SSA/ MENA migrants there.
Areas like those around Trapani are spectacular and for the most part you will only see fellow Euros there.
And for all the mafia folklore most likely the only issue you will have is from Gypsy pickpockets and lazy migrants milling around.
The Sicilians are of course very warm folk.
Cheers
Likewise, deItalicized by time and distance from the Old World but nonetheless the blood root remains in sufficient enough quantity to not mistake me as black nor arab. This is why the ethnic bond is just as important as the racial, living one level below. Within the upside down pyramid on down, race, ethnicity, nation, region, neighborhood, family, and you, in the Russian doll manner to ensure the continuity thread of “us-ness” remains strong in diasporas.
I only recently saw the 1963 version and will also view the current series on the strength of this review.
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