movie
It's One Family: Knock on Wood
Director: Tony De Nonno
Year: 1982
Plot: Orlando Furioso is a five foot tall performer living in Brooklyn, and is made of wood. Fifty years ago he was carved from oak and given a suit of armor by Papa Manteo and his children, Orlando's sword still flashes on a stage. In It's One Family: Knock On Wood, we meet puppeteers Mike and Aida Manteo, their children and grandchildren, a family bound together by a Sicilian folk tradition that dates back to the 16th Century. Mike still builds marionettes; Aida sews capes and gowns; on stage, Orlando woos Angelica in the court of Charlemagne, as the entire family works together to entertain audiences across America.
Original Title:
It's One Family: Knock on Wood
Director:
Tony De Nonno
Writer:
Tony De Nonno
Producer:
Tony De Nonno
Type: movie
Year: 1982
Genres: Documentary, Short
Cast:
Runtimes:
24
Countries:
United States
Languages:
English
Color Info:
Color
Original Air Date: 1982 (USA)
Production Companies:
De Nonno Productions
Distributors:
De Nonno Productions
Synopsis:
Orlando Furioso is a five foot tall performer living in Brooklyn, and is made of wood. Fifty years ago he was carved from oak and given a suit of armor by Papa Manteo and his children, Orlando's sword still flashes on a stage. In It's One Family: Knock On Wood, we meet puppeteers Mike and Aida Manteo, their children and grandchildren, a family bound together by a Sicilian folk tradition that dates back to the 16th Century. Mike still builds marionettes; Aida sews capes and gowns; on stage, Orlando woos Angelica in the court of Charlemagne, as the entire family works together to entertain audiences across America. Merle English in Newsday in 1982 called it "... a charming portrait of a Sicilian family in Brooklyn whose life work is creating life-size marionettes in the style of the Middle Ages." She concludes "Filmmaker Tony De Nonno has created a gentle old-fashioned film, a look into lives rooted in the Italian Renaissance"--And oh, the caring, the tender respect for craft in this family." Bowling Green University Professor of Theater and Film, Bradford Clark in 2012 exclaimed "It's One Family: Knock on Wood" is the finest documentary on the subject of puppetry that I have ever seen." Professor Clark who also serves as the and Curator of Collections, Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta, Georgia concludes-- "Beyond introducing the viewer to the beauty of the puppets, their construction and how they are used in performance, De Nonno uses traditional Sicilian Opera dei Pupi as a way of discussing the immigrant experience, by revealing the importance of maintaining a sense of identity, wholeness and familial solidarity in a new land. As a result, the experience of the Manteo family becomes applicable to all families, regardless of ethnicity."
Cinematographer:
Jonathan David
Producer:
Tony De Nonno
Editor:
James Burgess