"I hear you are showing the kids a film about sex with animals!"

"I hear you are showing the kids a film about sex with animals!"

gallianoparfait

Sheepish.

Subscribe

July 13 2006, 11:49

Listens: Egisto Macchi: Music for Padre Padrone

01

00000000

"I hear you are showing the kids a film about sex with animals!"

Encouraging bestiality in high school!

After class one day, my department head came in with a grim look on his face. "I hear you are showing the kids a film about sex with animals," he said. He wanted me to explain why.

Now, when I used to teach high school Italian, I generally showed students one feature film of merit each quarter. A number of years ago I showed to a class of mature juniors (oxymoron?) the celebrated film by the Taviani Brothers by the name of Padre Padrone. The movie is based on the autobiographical story of Gavino Ledda, raised by a tyrannical father who removed him from school to tend sheep in the Sardinian countryside. Later, as an adult and with the education he received in the Italian military and beyond, Ledda rebelled against his father and the patriarchal authoritarianism endemic to that society. The ignorant boy ultimately became a professor of linguistics and wrote a book detailing this life-altering story of rebellion and self-discovery.

The film by the Taviani brothers follows the book and story of Ledda from childhood to after his college education. Part of the narration deals with the secluded life of the shepherd boys, and there is a scene, which though not pornographic, clearly depicts boys having sex with donkeys and other animals. One young lady in the class complained to the administration and my department head relayed all this to me.

My salvation came when the class dean said to me, "Oh yes, my wife was talking about that movie. It's a great work of art. Don't worry about it."

Case settled, but I never risked showing this sublime film again. Actually, I had taken a class to see it in a movie theatre over a decade earlier. Not one parental or studental eyebrow had been raised then. Anyway, if you haven't yet seen it, run out and rent Padre Padrone, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. The film won a top prize at Cannes and I saw the North American premiere at the 1977 Montreal World Film Festival, with the directors on hand to introduce their acclaimed creation.