Part of Weekend Classics
Nancy Savoca’s star-studded indie gem 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 overtakes the film with her yearning to serve God. Perfectly embodying a modern-day 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.
"Director [Nancy] Savoca (TRUE LOVE, DOGFIGHT) is one of our great American storytellers. There is so much detail here that she gets just right and so much more that she has the courage to simply present without making a scene. The performances she gleans from her players are always impeccable; in HOUSEHOLD SAINTS she starts with some of the best talents around and inspires them to new heights.” —Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle (Dec 3, 1993)
“A warm, rueful, thoroughly peculiar tale set in Little Italy. The story is filled with strange, homespun miracles, and this single-minded little film could be counted as one of them… Ms. Savoca underscores certain quirky details — the sudden resuscitation of house plants, the amazing importance of sausage in the lives of the Santangelos — without overexplaining them. The film, like its fundamental subject, works in mysterious ways.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times (Sep 15, 1993)
“Transcendent... HOUSEHOLD SAINTS is a wonderful movie, without a second that isn't blessed by the grace of its special humor and tenderness." —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (Oct 1, 1993)