austraLasia 1268
Mamma Margaret gives Good Night at the Pisana
ROME: 30th September 2005 -- While it sounds a bit hard to believe, it's true. Mamma Margherita gave her traditional Good Night, her own invention, last night at the General House, Via della Pisana, in Rome. Lina Sastri, who played the role in the recent mini-series titled Don Bosco, was back in town as part of the filming for another TV series, filming taking place precisely at 'The Pisana', and filling its hallowed halls and walkways with scenes of high hospital drama.
Lina accepted, we think willingly, to use the Good Night genre, limited as it is to three (!) minutes, to speak of her role as Mamma Margaret. She is an actorknown much more widely than Italy, though she is undoubtedly prominent in that country. Film viewers in other parts of the world would know her for her lead role in Falcone (Excellent Cadavers), and, many years ago, a film version of Orient Express. More recently she has played some religious roles involving mothers (natural) and Mothers (religious), but it was the natural mother she wanted to talk to the Salesiasnns about last night.
Lina noted that in the current filming on location at La Pisana, she is an obstetrician unable to have children but helping others to do so, quite strange by contrast with her role as Don Bosco's mother. She described 'Margaret' as a strong and practical woman - in short, a mother like all mothers hope to be. But she found herself playing in a key she had not quite played before: she began as a young mother of the child Giovannino, but then as the series progressed became the old mother who accompanied him in his 'fatherhood' and genersoity towards poor youngsters. She became their mother as he became their father.
While she has played mothers before, she had to work hard to play Margaret in a way that rang true - the latter's command of the situation, her strength yet her tranquility, her faith, and...well, just her being a mother.
Something that did come through in the context of the Good Night was something perhaps that Lina was not aware of, in the glare of flashlight and standing behind an unaccustomed ambo - the humility wrapped up with the woman and the actor, before 'the miracle of motherhood' (her own words) and the warmth and authenticity with which she then said, 'Good Night'.
VOCABULARY
hallowed: word deriving from 'holy', often used more generally for what is regarded as honoured
actor: the word's meaning is clear, but should we not be using 'actress'? Not in a world of politically correct English we don't.
obstetrician: medical doctor who assists woman before, during, after childbirth.
ambo: lectern
_______________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list. RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat. Think about it!
Mamma Margaret gives Good Night at the Pisana
ROME: 30th September 2005 -- While it sounds a bit hard to believe, it's true. Mamma Margherita gave her traditional Good Night, her own invention, last night at the General House, Via della Pisana, in Rome. Lina Sastri, who played the role in the recent mini-series titled Don Bosco, was back in town as part of the filming for another TV series, filming taking place precisely at 'The Pisana', and filling its hallowed halls and walkways with scenes of high hospital drama.
Lina accepted, we think willingly, to use the Good Night genre, limited as it is to three (!) minutes, to speak of her role as Mamma Margaret. She is an actorknown much more widely than Italy, though she is undoubtedly prominent in that country. Film viewers in other parts of the world would know her for her lead role in Falcone (Excellent Cadavers), and, many years ago, a film version of Orient Express. More recently she has played some religious roles involving mothers (natural) and Mothers (religious), but it was the natural mother she wanted to talk to the Salesiasnns about last night.
Lina noted that in the current filming on location at La Pisana, she is an obstetrician unable to have children but helping others to do so, quite strange by contrast with her role as Don Bosco's mother. She described 'Margaret' as a strong and practical woman - in short, a mother like all mothers hope to be. But she found herself playing in a key she had not quite played before: she began as a young mother of the child Giovannino, but then as the series progressed became the old mother who accompanied him in his 'fatherhood' and genersoity towards poor youngsters. She became their mother as he became their father.
While she has played mothers before, she had to work hard to play Margaret in a way that rang true - the latter's command of the situation, her strength yet her tranquility, her faith, and...well, just her being a mother.
Something that did come through in the context of the Good Night was something perhaps that Lina was not aware of, in the glare of flashlight and standing behind an unaccustomed ambo - the humility wrapped up with the woman and the actor, before 'the miracle of motherhood' (her own words) and the warmth and authenticity with which she then said, 'Good Night'.
VOCABULARY
hallowed: word deriving from 'holy', often used more generally for what is regarded as honoured
actor: the word's meaning is clear, but should we not be using 'actress'? Not in a world of politically correct English we don't.
obstetrician: medical doctor who assists woman before, during, after childbirth.
ambo: lectern
_______________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list. RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat. Think about it!
