The Leopard (2025)

 

 

If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change. ~The Leopard

The 1963 Visconti film The Leopard (Il Gattapardo), based upon the novel by Giuseppe de Lampedusa about his great grandfather, is an undoubted masterpiece. Both the novel and 1963 film depict the struggles of a princely Sicilian family, under the leadership of their patriarch Don Fabrizio, to navigate the Revolution, called in Italy Il Risorgimento. Il Risorgimento (1848-1870) also labelled the unification of Italy, involved the dominance of the House of Savoy over the other principalities of the Italian peninsula, including the ancient Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, likewise known as the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily. The unification was a violent process led by the masonic revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Red Shirts. Don Fabrizio, Prince of Salina, peer of the Sicilian Kingdom, must make some hard decisions in order to protect his wife and children, while salvaging his patrimony and preserving his honor. This is no small task in an era of war and of swiftly changing loyalties amid political upheaval. Luchino Visconti, in spite of being a Communist, crafted an authentic yet transcendent portrayal of a family in crisis, set to a magnificent score by Nino Rota. The 1963 film has become for many the defining depiction of Il Risorgimento. It certainly has been for me, until I recently decided to watch the Netflix series based on Il Gattapardo. The 2025 version is a masterpiece in its own right.

 

From The National Review:

The new series is in the grand tradition, with all the cinematic bells and whistles (no matter that I watched it on my laptop). Wikipedia says this:

Principal photography began in April 2023. Filming took place over 105 days and required the use of 5,000 extras; 130 carriages, carts and boats; 100 animals; and 12 animal trainers.

A friend of mine (Italian) said, “The real star of the show is Sicily.” She makes a good point. I’m not sure that Sicily has ever been more beautiful or alluring than in this show. The Netflix Leopard is a feast for the eyes. Almost indecently sumptuous. The flowers, the lemon groves, the palazzos — the food! And, of course, the people: the principal actors and actresses. Gorgeous people, on a gorgeous island, gorgeously shot. That is a commendation already.

The title character — the prince, the Leopard, also known as Don Fabrizio — is portrayed by Kim Rossi Stuart. (One of his grandparents was Scottish. He was named for Kipling’s title character.) Stuart’s prince is suave, worldly, world-weary, charismatic — every inch a prince, really.

Tancredi, that Garibaldian rascal, is played by Saul Nanni, born in 1999. I came to detest the character — not because the actor does anything wrong but because I wanted Tancredi to do right by Concetta and Angelica (and he does right by neither). Do you ever try to “edit” a movie, so as to make it come out right, by your lights? Life can be frustrating, onscreen as off . . .

Concetta is Benedetta Porcaroli, who reminds me of Lady Di, as we knew her, before she became a princess. Angelica is Deva Cassel, born in 2004. Signorina, or Mademoiselle, Cassel is the daughter of Vincent Cassel (the French actor) and Monica Bellucci (the Italian model and actress). How ugly can she be, I ask you? Angelica in this series is sex on wheels — a danger to young men, old men, and, you could say, herself.

 Don Calogero is portrayed by Francesco Colella. The character is supposed to be a villain of the piece, and in a way he is: he behaves badly. But many do. And he is a man born poor who is trying to rise in the world: trying to have some of the money, influence, and power that the likes of Don Fabrizio have dropped into their laps at birth. (Read more.)

One would think that a film about Sicilian aristocrats would have nothing to say to American audiences. Yet the story is essentially about family cohesion in a rapidly changing world, to which just about anyone alive today can relate. Dysfunctional dynamics can haunt palaces as well as cottages, with petty jealousies, spousal disagreements, infidelities. But devotion and sacrifice are also there, as well as shared jokes and effervescent joy. Most of all the roles of the father and the mother in keeping the family together, in spite of their personal issues, are inspiring.

At the core of the story is Don Fabrizio's daughter Concetta, a devout and disciplined principessa, convent-bred, who is in love with her cousin Tancredi. In the course of the series, Concetta is faced with painful choices, but in spite of being as passionate and headstrong as the men in the family, chooses the most noble courses of action. Both her suffering and contentment are projected in her jewel-like eyes, even while her modest and dignified bearing attempt to hide her emotions.

Fabrizio himself tries to follow the traditional code of chivalry. His patriarchal duties, especially the duty to protect his family, are second nature to him. When the mayor's daughter, the magnificent Angelica, hints that being his mistress would not be distasteful to her, the Prince lightly dismisses the idea, ignoring his own desire for the girl. He encourages her to marry his nephew, knowing that will be the best thing for everyone. He comes as close as he can to her in a single waltz, in which he maintains a gentlemanly reserve. Meanwhile, the new order has triumphed, as the characters dance in resplendent, frescoed rooms built by the old order.

There is one glimpse of boudoir activity which renders the series unsuitable for children. It would be odd to make a series about Sicily without scenes of religious faith. The Leopard is full of displays of piety, such as when the family prays the rosary together, although in the old film they were kneeling, not sitting. But there is certainly more Catholic imagery than there is sex. The family chaplain is in practically every scene, along with discussions of heaven and hell. The visuals are stunning on a life-changing level; the costumes prove that authenticity and artistry can work side-by-side. It shows what beauty Netflix can produce when willing to do so.

 

 

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Sanity Returning to ‘Boy Scouts’ of America

 From American Wire:

Common sense may be making a comeback. At least, sanity appears to be returning to what was once an American institution, the Boy Scouts of America — which is now called Scouting America. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that Scouting America will alter some of its woke policies to maintain support from the U.S. military, including overturning DEI policies that “crept in.” Among the changes, the organization will go back to separating males and females in showers, tents, and intimate spaces.

“Scouting America will modify its policy to make clear that membership will be based solely on biological sex at birth and not gender identity,” Hegseth said.

“Scouting will also make clear that biological boys and girls will not be allowed to occupy or share intimate spaces together. Toilets, showers, tents, anywhere like that,” he added. “Scouting America will honor those who serve by waiving the registration fees for children of active duty, guard, and reserve families. Should have happened a long time ago.”

Hegseth said Scouting America will also introduce a “new military service merit badge,” while discontinuing its Citizenship in Society merit badge.

“Scouting America’s leadership committed to, in that room right over there, will hopefully result in a rededication to the foundational ideals that have defined Scouting for generations. Duty to God and country, leadership, character, and service,” the Trump official said. (Read more.)

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A Review of 'The Heft of Promise' by Frederick Wilbur

 From poetess Maggie Quesenberry Smith:

Frederick Wilbur’s The Heft of Promise explores faith, doubt, and reason by recounting one man’s losses and setbacks, which he tries to endure throughout the labors of farm work, woodworking, and poesy. Many of these poems are meditations on submitting to the discipline of woodworking even though the art’s labor makes unruly clutter no one else understands—a host of tools, profuse wood shavings, deep scars marring his worn work bench. In the end, the poet experiences a watershed moment. He realizes that he will have to let go of his faith in the “dignity of labor” in the end. In “Asylum: Way of Being,” the poet says,

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...My hand tools
become mantle shelf antiques,
valuable to collectors in pristine uselessness:
my making made me.

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As the poems progress here, the poet’s “latch-bolt / snugs to its keeper.” The poet realizes that a man’s faith solely rooted in Earth cannot sustain him, even though the real world is sometimes all he believes in. In this collection, one man’s story unfolds as he learns from his labor that parables exist there, waiting to emerge as the natural world reveals them through his making.

This collection of poems also explores the pitfalls today in pursuing truth and beauty through poetry rooted in rural, place-based romanticism. This is an age where expeditious consumerism and complex technologies threaten neo-romantic perspectives, well-divorced from Virginia’s rural landscapes, so Wilbur realizes it has become difficult to convince newcomers that homeplaces have enough value for one to invest the work in their husbandry and upkeep. Throughout life’s joys and lamentations, the speaker weighs his worldly blessings and eternal hopes dependent on his earthly possessions and discovers even homeplaces will be too heavy to remember until death. These poems unveil the poet’s slow embrace of simple poverty and the freedom it brings once the poet’s hope and faith are authentic and unfettered by all the substitute “blessings” the materially poor seek in coincidental “finds” throughout the world’s auction houses and salvage yards.

Even the poet’s promises become too heavy to bear, even “empty promises.” While hopeful, people plan and promise, but they are ignorant of their flaws, fragilities, and blind sides. Often, they do not understand the long-term endurance and sacrifices their promises make. Also, the poet shows that the world can “befuddle” our hopes. Sometimes, the world exposes the well-meaning messiness our shortsighted labor and industries engender, much like Wilbur’s hapless cardinal in “Dustwings,” which hits a storm-window and leaves traces from its wings’ prints in the window’s dust. Likewise, Wilbur explores the fact that real world interferences, distractions, and redirections ever thwart our promises, and the guilt of falling short of one’s promises to finish well-laid plans grows too heavy for the poet to bear, driving him to winnow what to keep from what to get rid of—what to get out of his dwellings, out of his memories. What will that engender, though? (Read more.)

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Gone for a Soldier

 
If you don a scarlet coat at the price of your conscience, the color will only remind you of the wound in your own soul! If you sign away the faith of your fathers, all lesser goods will be forfeited too! ~from Gone for a Soldier by Avellina Balestri

From Amazon:

Young Edmund Southworth could not have foreseen the path his life would take upon befriending Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne, British military veteran and parliamentarian. As Catholic recusants from the north of England, Edmund’s once noble family has struggled to survive for centuries in the shadow of the Anglican ascendancy. But General Burgoyne offers him the chance to put past humiliations behind him by joining the Church of England and donning a scarlet coat as an officer of King George III. Although his conscience is uneasy, Edmund embarks upon Burgoyne’s March to subdue the American revolutionaries by splitting the colonies in two. He finds unexpected love in the arms of Abby Vanderkamp, a supporter of American independence, who will do anything to free her father from a British prison hulk or, failing that, strike a blow for the hard-pressed rebel cause. As the British advance through the New York wilderness devolves into increasing brutality and instability, Edmund will have his already divided loyalties tested to the breaking point under the influence of this hostile land which presents him with new challenges and opportunities alike.

 

Gone for a Soldier is the first volume of a trilogy called All Ye That Pass By about the War for American Independence from the point of view of the young British soldier, Edmund Southworth. Edmund is from a devout Catholic recusant family in England, "recusant" being the name given to those who paid the exorbitant fines levied on all who refused participation in the Church of England. His father having died, Edmund is the head of his household, comprised of his bitter mother, his saintly sister and a few servants. Forbidden because of his Faith from any profession but that of country gentleman, Edmund's family struggles with poverty, while valiantly determined to fulfill their duties to their tenants and to the poor. Miss Balestri quite authentically depicts the hardships Catholics faced in eighteenth-century England, weaving into the narrative stories of saints, martyrs, Jacobites and highwaymen, so that the reader receives a glimpse of the larger picture.

Then the vibrant, unforgettable character of "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne sweeps into the story, taking Edmund under his wing. A womanizer and bon vivant, Burgoyne is nevertheless a loyal friend and a brave general. With a dollop of bullying and an ocean of charm, Burgoyne convinces Edmund that he needs to join Burgoyne in North America in the fight against the colonists by becoming a soldier. The problem is that military careers are only available to Protestants, so Burgoyne talks Edmund into renouncing his Catholic Faith and receiving the bread and wine in a midnight act of apostasy. Burgoyne dismisses it is as a small matter but Edmund is tormented by his betrayal of the Faith of his fathers, The author explores the anguish of violating one's conscience, making the reader pray and hope  never to be in Edmund's circumstances. It is, however, but the beginning of his adventures in America, where he and Burgoyne are joined by quite the colorful cast of characters. Miss Balestri once again proves her mastery of history, and her ability to bring it alive in intriguing storytelling.

About the author:

Avellina Balestri is a Catholic author and editor based in the historic borderlands of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Her stories, poems, and essays have been featured in over thirty print and online publications. She has published two books: "Saplings of Sherwood", the first book in a Robin Hood retelling series, and "Pendragon's Shield", a collection of poetry. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Fellowship & Fairydust, a magazine inspiring faith & creativity and exploring the arts through a spiritual lens. Under its auspices, she hosted a literary conference at Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford, England, commemorating the legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien. She also has the honor of representing the state of Maryland at The Sons of the American Revolution National Orations Contest. Avellina believes that the Trinitarian divine dance and Incarnational indwelling mystery are reflected in all things good, true, and beautiful, and that the image of God is wondrously woven into every human heart. These themes are at the forefront of the stories she chooses to tell.

For more information about the author and her various projects, please visit the following websites:

www.fellowshipandfairydust.com 

www.avellinabalestri.com

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Illegal Aliens Commit More Crime Than Citizens, The Data Democrats Are Hiding

 From Amuse on X:

Public debate over immigration and crime often proceeds as if one empirical claim has been decisively settled. We are told, with confidence and repetition, that illegal immigrants commit crime at lower rates than American citizens. The claim is treated as a conversation stopper. Once uttered, it is meant to end inquiry. If the data show lower rates, then immigration enforcement is unnecessary, even unjust. Yet this posture assumes something that has not been demonstrated. It assumes that the data measure what they purport to measure. When all crimes committed by illegal aliens are counted, including immigration offenses, crimes obscured by deportation, and offenses suppressed by systematic underreporting, the rate of criminality attributable to illegal immigrants far exceeds that of citizens. The apparent lower rate is not a discovery about behavior. It is a byproduct of selective counting.

Policymakers are trained to ask a simple question before accepting any statistical claim. What exactly is being counted? Consider an analogy. Suppose a hospital wishes to know whether a new medication reduces heart attacks. It counts the number of patients currently in cardiac wards. If, however, a substantial number of patients who suffer heart attacks are immediately transferred to another facility and removed from the hospital’s census, then a snapshot of current ward occupancy will systematically undercount the true incidence. The hospital will report success, but the apparent success will be an artifact of removal, not a reduction in harm.

Almost all immigration and crime literature relies on an analogous snapshot. The most widely cited studies use incarceration data from the Census or the American Community Survey. They ask who is in prison at a given moment and then compare incarceration rates across native born citizens and noncitizens. But incarceration is a stock measure, not a flow measure. It tells us who is physically present in custody at the time of the survey. It does not tell us who committed crimes and was then removed from the country. (Read more.)

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Why Do Bagels Have Holes?

 From Mental Floss:

The toughest bagel question might seem like what cream cheese to choose, but there’s a bigger mystery baked right in: Why the hole? It can feel like wasted real estate; prime carb territory that could easily hold more dough—or at least stop your toppings from falling through. As it turns out, that empty center isn’t an accident, and it’s not just a stylistic flourish. The bagel hole has been linked to medieval monarchs, religious restrictions, and some surprisingly practical kitchen science. In other words, there’s a lot more to that little circle than meets the eye.

Marie Antoinette may not have actually said “Let them eat cake,” but Queen Jadwiga, a powerful Polish monarch, might well have said something like “Let them eat bagels.” Jadwiga, whose reign shifted the balance of power in 14th-century Europe, is credited with popularizing obwarzanek—a traditional Polish ring-shaped bread and the precursor to today’s bagel. The story goes that she chose this simple bread over decadent pastries during Lent, and her people followed suit.

Another possible origin story takes place in 17th-century Poland, but with different key players. The country was a cultural melting pot, and Jewish immigrants faced restrictions, including bans on making bread, a holy Christian food. Once legally allowed to bake again, Jewish bakers had to find a way to distinguish their loaves from Christian bread. Their solution? Boil the dough and put a hole in the middle. (Read more.)

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Mary Henrietta of England

The daughter of Charles I and mother of William III.

Wishing to imitate the French tradition of the firstborn daughter of the King being known as Madame Royale, the French-born Queen consort wanted to do something similar for her own daughter. So, in 1642 King Charles I gave Princess Mary the title of Princess Royal, establishing a new tradition in the British Royal Family. Even as a tiny child, the new Princess Royal was immediately the center of marriage negotiations. Originally, King Charles had wished his daughter to marry into the Spanish Royal Family to secure a long-lasting alliance between Britain and Spain. His own father had tried to see him married to a Spanish princess as King James had hoped that Britain could act as the great peace-maker between the Catholic and Protestant powers as the wars between the two sides were tearing Europe apart. This was a long-standing ambition of the House of Stuart, to emerge as the monarchy that restored peace, if not unity, to Christendom. (Read entire post.)

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President Trump Brilliant in Fourth State of the Union Address

 From AMAC:

President Donald Trump delivered his fourth State of the Union Address and the first of his second term Tuesday night before a packed House chamber, minus several dozen Democrats who chose to boycott the speech. In just under two hours, the longest State of the Union in modern history, Trump laid out a sweeping case that America is not simply recovering from the chaos of the Biden years, but entering what he repeatedly described as a “Golden Age.”

From his opening line, the tone was unmistakable. “Our Nation is back – bigger, better, richer, and stronger than ever before,” Trump declared, setting the stage for a speech that was equal parts report card, policy blueprint, and patriotic revival.

With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence just months away, Trump framed the moment in historic terms. “This July 4th, we will mark two and a half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of this earth,” he said. “And you’ve seen nothing yet, because we are entering the Golden Age of America.”

That sense of momentum carried through the first half of the address as Trump ran through what could fairly be called his second-term “greatest hits.”

One year ago, he reminded the country, he inherited “a nation in crisis—with a stagnant economy, inflation at record levels, a wide-open border, horrendous recruitment for military and police, rampant crime at home, and wars and chaos all over the world.” Today, he argued, the turnaround is undeniable.

“Today, our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast, the economy is roaring, our enemies are scared, our military and police are stacked, and America is respected again,” Trump said. (Read more.)

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The Madrid Codices

 From Euro News:

Every year Spain celebrates one of the most significant discoveries of the 20th century for studies on Leonardo da Vinci. On 13 February in 1967 the National Library of Spain conserved among its collections two original manuscripts of the Renaissance artist and engineer that had remained unnoticed for more than a century. The so-called Madrid I and II codices (source in Spanish),identified as Mss. 8937 and Mss. 8936, are part of a set of scientific notebooks written by da Vinci between the end of the 15th and the start of the 16th century. They were rediscovered when the American researcher Jules Piccus, who was working on the revision of the inventories of the institution's manuscripts, identified the relevance of some volumes that had not been correctly attributed.

According to official information from the National Library, the codices contain hundreds of pages of annotations and drawings devoted to statics, applied mechanics, gear systems, hydraulic machines, geometry and fortification studies. Unlike his paintings, these manuscripts allow us to observe Leonardo's intellectual process:calculations, diagrams, hypotheses and corrections that show his experimental method. Codex Madrid I, dated mainly in the 1490s, is considered one of the most important treatises on mechanics by Leonardo, with detailed studies on the transmission of motion and the functioning of mechanisms. Codex Madrid II, dated slightly later, brings together research related to civil and military engineering, as well as topographical studies and hydraulic projects. (Read more.)

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