Tarantella
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Helen Demichiel
Mira Sorvino
Rose Gregorio
Matthew Lillard
Frank Pellegrino
Stephen Spinella
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
An ambitious young Italian-American photographer returns to her childhood home after her mother's death and finds herself face-to-face with her own history of contradictory family and social identities. The Tarantella, a traditional dance popularly thought to be a remedy for the supposed poisonous bite of the tarantula and the warding off of evil spirits, serves as a metaphor for Diana's personal struggles to overcome her Italian past and to assimilate into American melting-pot culture. The story unfolds when Diana finds a big bound book belonging to her mother that includes recipes, a journal and a story handwritten in Italian, a language Diana no longer remembers. Her mother's best friend, Pina, translates the story which is beautifully and innovatively recreated through the use of traditional Italian puppetry.
Director
Helen Demichiel
Cast
Mira Sorvino
Rose Gregorio
Matthew Lillard
Frank Pellegrino
Stephen Spinella
Antonia Rey
Melissa Maxwell
Maryann Urbano
James Georgiades
Magda Lang
Sean Baldwin
Derek Contreras
A J Lopez
Frank Pellegrino
Crew
David Baldwin
Kip Bogdahn
Jim Calabrese
Sylvia Caminer
Helen Demichiel
Helen Demichiel
Laura Gabbert
Richard Gordon
Richard Gordon
Richard Hoblock
Richard Hoblock
Tina Khayat
George Lavoo
Diane Lederman
Teodoro Maniaci
Norman Noll
Ellen Parks
Suzanne Schwazer
Sandy Spieler
Sandy Spieler
Adrienne Stern
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1995
Released in United States October 1995
Released in United States on Video October 6, 1998
Released in United States Spring March 15, 1996
Shown at Mill Valley Film Festival October 5-15, 1995.
Shown at Seattle International Film Festival May 18 - June 11, 1995.
Feature directorial debut for Helen de Michiel, an award-winning independent film and video producer and director. De Michiel has produced series for KTCA-TV, The Learning Channel's "Independents Showcase," and "Declaration of Independents." Her video work has been exhibited in numerous museums including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
Released in United States 1995 (Shown at Seattle International Film Festival May 18 - June 11, 1995.)
Released in United States Spring March 15, 1996
Released in United States October 1995 (Shown at Mill Valley Film Festival October 5-15, 1995.)
Released in United States on Video October 6, 1998
