Christ Stopped at Eboli

Christ Stopped at Eboli

Brittani Bixler
Ital 365.30
Professor Calabritto
4 December 2008
Analysis #4-Christ Stopped at Eboli
#1- Both the filmmaker and the narrator portray the town of Gagliano differently in the beginning compared to the end. The beginning of the book portrays Gagliano as uninviting and dirty. The town was far behind outside societies in terms of social and economic development. The narrator does not speak about any positive aesthetic elements in the town. He, instead, focuses on what they lack and the boredom and disgust that hung in the air. At the end of the book, the narrator does not talk about physical aspects of the town, but rather on how he feels about leaving. He is sad to leave, just as he was sad to arrive there at the beginning.
At the beginning of the film, the scenes of the town are dark and the people’s faces are filled with despairing looks. People in the town walk around at a solemn and slow pace. They do not appear to be welcoming to outsiders, just as the town does not. At the end of the film, the scenes are brightly lit. The characters of the film are seen with smiling faces. They move quicker and even run after the car as Levi drives away. While it is raining, the sun shines brighter than it did at the beginning of the film.
I think the purpose of these changes is to further emphasize how much Levi’s feelings changed about the town throughout the brief course of his stay there. The town did not change at all, but it is defined based on how Levi saw it. At first, all his feelings of the town were dark and pessimistic, just as it is portrayed. At the time of his departure, his feelings towards Gagliano changed into feelings of hope and a bright future. These are the images the reader is left with and the viewer is left with when the movie and book both end.
#2- I do not think there is a major difference in the way the priest is portrayed in regards to his actions during the mass. When I read the book first, I imagined...

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