From Pompeii to Salerno
By Steve Herte
This
week I lost RoseAnn, a very dear friend of at least 38 years. I met
her through the Barbershop Quartet I sang in with her husband in 1976
and the three of us became infamous. One year Tony bought the car of
his dreams, a big silver Cadillac (not the ones they make now, this
one was huge) and it was quartet competition time. Tony, RoseAnn and
I decided to dress in black, white ties on the men, black hats and
super dark sunglasses. At every stoplight we’d look suspiciously
side-to-side and sometimes we were noticed by passers-by who quickly
averted their gaze. When we arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in
Washington, D.C., and slowly got out of the car we had to keep from
laughing when the bus-boys nearly fell over each other to get our
luggage and open the door for RoseAnn. At the time, Tony’s and my
quartet was “Bound for Sound” and I was the only non-Italian
with Jim Galima, Frank LaRosa and Tony Molaro - later, when Frank
left to get married, Phil Provenzano joined and I was still the only
German. We had a lot of fun and RoseAnn was always in on it. Boy,
could she cook. I still remember her stuffed artichokes. No one made
them comparably since. I know I have a photo of her someplace and
will scan it onto my Facebook page as a memorial.
All
this Italianissimo (yes, we dined at the restaurant of the same name
on a pier off Brooklyn) brings me to this week’s selections, both
Italian and both from the same location on the Italian boot, on the
Gulf of Naples. I’ve been to Pompeii (with Tony and RoseAnn) and
seen the plaster casts of the people who once were vibrant citizens
of a thriving resort. It was a sobering experience and yet
fascinating. See what you think. Enjoy!
Pompeii (Film
District/Tri-Star, 2014) – Director: Paul W.S. Anderson. Writers:
Janet Scott Batchler, Lee Batchler & Michael Robert Johnson
(s/p). Cast: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland,
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica Lucas, Jared Harris, Joe Pingue,
Carrie-Anne Moss, Currie Graham, & Dylan Schombing. Color and 3D,
105 minutes.
Ever
since Pliny the Younger reported his eye-witness account of the
eruption of Vesuvius back in AD 79, the story of the total
destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum has become legendary and told
from several angles. But simply reading his impressions in high
school Latin class does not prepare one for the eye-popping newest
version directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. This edition begins with a
quote from Pliny and views of the plaster casts made from the
vaporized citizens of the doomed resort town. Then it opens onto a
battle scene in Britannia during the “Celtic Rebellion” (for some
strange reason the Germanic pronunciation with a hard “C” is used
throughout the film). Actually it was more like the Celtic massacre,
as the Romans on horseback and on foot under Senator Corvus
(Sutherland) cut down every man, woman and child, heaping them into a
death pile. Saved only by his instincts, young Milo (Schombing) plays
dead, digs his way out from under the bodies, and somehow survives
until being taken into slavery. However, he remembers Corvus slaying
his entire family.
Milo
grows to adulthood (Harrington) as a slave and is trained as a
gladiator for the arena. His skills and his speed help him to survive
all opponents no matter the size, and he is dubbed “The Celt.”
His owner brings him to Pompeii for the spectacle of setting him
against the reigning champion Atticus (Akinnouye-Agbaje), a mountain
of a man who believes that with this victory he will gain his freedom
from slavery (poor misguided soul).
Meanwhile
in Pompeii, prominent citizen Severus (Harris) and his wife Aurelia
(Moss) eagerly await the arrival of their beautiful daughter Cassia
(Browning) from a stay in Rome. Along the road to Pompeii one of the
horses pulling Cassia’s coach stumbles and breaks a leg just as
they are passing the line of slaves being led on foot. She notices
Milo immediately and he asks to help the horse, being from a tribe of
horse-people. With Cassia’s insistence, he is allowed to put the
horse out of its misery and Cassia is impressed. So is her
handmaiden, Ariadne (Lucas), who sees the chemistry between these two
from the start. The crowds arriving for the celebration of the
Vulcanalia (appropriately) delay Cassia’s coach and, impatient to
be home in her beloved Pompeii, Cassia drags Ariadne out of the
coach. They take in the town before arriving at her parents’ villa
on foot.
Severus
has grand plans for Pompeii – a new chariot race arena, new bath
houses, etc. (a real urban planner) – but needs funding from Rome
to accomplish it. He invites Senator Corvus to a party at his villa
along with his right-hand man Graecus (Pingue) to hopefully gain his
backing on this huge enterprise. He doesn’t know Corvus has met
Cassia in Rome and that he desires her in marriage but Cassia will
have nothing of it. Another guest at the party, the slave owner, has
brought his contestants as a kind of window dressing and sets them on
pedestals in the main dining area with Milo facing Atticus. Ariadne
sees Milo first and points him out to Cassia. Their eyes meet again
and we in the audience immediately know where this is going.
Vesuvius
and the god Vulcan have other plans, of course, and the volcano
rumbles and shakes the town, momentarily interrupting the partying,
but the Pompeiians shake it off. (“It always does that.”) The
quaking ground terrifies Cassia’s horse and no one, except Milo,
can calm it down. Again, under her insistence, he performs his
horse-whispering talent and convinces Cassia to join him on the horse
as they ride off to the slopes of Vesuvius chased by Roman soldiers.
For this little adventure she gets a reprimand while he gets 50
lashes.
Milo
and Atticus share a cell and though each knows he must kill the other
they eventually become friends, especially when Corvus changes the
order of events in the arena. The slaves are chained to a pylon in
the center of the arena and set upon by Roman soldiers as a
re-enactment of the “Celtic Rebellion.” It is then Atticus
believes that he will never be set free, as he and Milo are the only
ones left standing at the end of the battle. When Corvus orders
another detachment of soldiers to slaughter them, Vesuvius blows an
enormous cloud of black smoke and starts hurling lava bombs
helter-skelter. The quake is destroying the arena and the audience is
clearing out in terror. One lava bomb collapses the pillared viewing
stand where Corvus, Severus and Aurelia sit, and all are knocked
unconscious. Aurelia, knowing of Corvus’ designs on her daughter,
begs the recovering Severus to kill the still-unconscious Corvus.
However, he’s too slow on the uptake and Corvus kills him.
The
volcano takes center stage for the rest of the movie as people try to
get to the harbor only to find the seriously quaking ground has
caused a tidal wave, sending one of the largest ships careening down
a city street. A well-placed lava bomb hits and sinks the ship just
recently boarded by the slave owner. Corvus has Cassia locked in a
room in her villa. Atticus has a final battle with Graecus in the
arena after Milo retrieves her. Corvus arrives and snatches Cassia,
chaining her to his chariot, Milo chases after them on Cassia’s
horse as lava bombs and pumice stones continue to rain down on the
city.
If
it’s action you want, Pompeii has got it.
Forbidden romance? Check. Dazzling special effects? Double check. A
great new way of telling a tale that already is universally known?
Check. How about historic and scientific accuracy? Well, some license
has been taken, but I was very much impressed by the design of the
volcano and how they built up the cone at the beginning only to have
it disintegrate into the final pyroclastic flow at the end. Pliny
never mentioned a tidal wave but it probably happened (he was
watching from the other side of the Gulf of Naples). And I loved the
ending. Just when you think the two lovers would survive, they
realize that the horse cannot outrun the pyroclastic flow carrying
both of them. They dismount and embrace as the flow envelops them.
Beautiful!
Pompeii is
well-constructed, beautifully photographed (the aerial views were
breath-taking), and with novel insight into occurrences that could
have been on the August 24, AD 79 (or November 23, depending on who
you believe). It is a serious film, no intentional comedy at all
(except for two scenes when the volcano stops erupting for the
lovers’ dialogues – twice), and definitely worth a second
viewing.
Rating:
4 ½ out of 5 Martini glasses.
Trattoria
Zero Otto Nove
15
West 21st Street (between 5th and
6th Avenues), New York
Chef
Roberto Paciullo, a native of Salerno, Italy, opened the first Zero
Otto Nove on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx in 2008. The newest venue in
the Flatiron District of Manhattan opened in May 2011. The
whitewashed exterior stands out on dark 21st Street
and the vermillion banner sporting the seahorse logo announces the
restaurant’s presence. Inside, the décor is all arches in shades
of pale coral, sky blue and sea green constructed to look like a
seaside trattoria complete with street lamps. The bar takes up the
space in the front windows and the dining area is just beyond it. The
young lady at the Captain’s Station led me to a table for four in a
central location. Eventually it became a table for two, as they
needed the chairs for another party.
My
smiling waiter appeared soon after, noted my tap water preference and
presented me with the menu. I saw several inventive cocktails on the
last page along with the “wines by the glass” and beer menu. I
chose the Zeal Martini, a bewitching mixture of Stolichnaya Oranj
Vodka, Peach Schnapps, Triple Sec, Cranberry and Ruby Red Grapefruit
juices, an intriguing start to Southern Italian feast.
When
I mentioned I wanted to have an appetizer, pasta, and a main course
my waiter didn’t flinch. I told him I like the exotic and unusual.
He listed the specials of the day and got my attention with the
Ravioli stuffed with Mortadella, Sopressato and other Italian cold
cuts. But after a thorough read through 11 appetizers, 5 salads, 2
soups, 9 pastas, 14 main dishes, 3 sides, 14 pizzas and 2 calzones I
chose the Zucca, Salsiccia e Gorgonzola – sautéed sweet sausage
crumbled under butternut squash and crowned by Gorgonzola cheese –
sizzling in its own little iron frying pan. The combinations of the
sweet squash, the tangy cheese and the savory sausage made it a
delightful experience. It was all I could do to eat it slowly. The
breadbasket had both focaccia and large, tasty crusty bread slices to
allow me to enjoy every last bit.
My
waiter suggested the Super Tuscan – a 2008 Brunello di Montalcino
from Centine vineyards – as a possible match for the flavors I
chose and gave me a taste. It was a beautiful deep ruby red wine,
fruity in flavor and light on the tannins – an excellent
accompaniment to the meal.
The
pasta I chose was the most exotic (for me) on the menu and also the
most difficult to eat. It was Linguini al Nero di Seppi – fine
linguini pasta with cuttlefish meat sautéed with garlic, oil and
black squid ink (frankly, I don’t think it comes in any other
colors). A server came over to my table offering fresh black pepper.
Looking at the already black mass in front of me, I wondered if he
could tell where he peppered it, but I let him do it anyway. The
cuttlefish was tender and almost invisible in the black mass of
linguini on the plate. The flavor was subtly fishy, delicately
garlicky and another temptation to devour it too quickly. After the
first few bites I wiped my chin and the black stains on the napkin
reminded me to eat this dish carefully. Again, the bread helped clean
the plate upon finishing it.
My
main course has been a flagship dish on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx
for the original Zero Otto Nove, but I didn’t know it at the time.
The Coniglio Cacciatore (Rabbit - Hunter Style) was described on the
menu as a rabbit stew in tomato sauce with fresh rosemary but it was
more than that. The ample portion of tender, slightly dry rabbit
meat, on the bone was cloaked in a rich tomato sauce with just the
right hint of rosemary (I usually worry about rosemary as it is a
very powerful herb) and sat there begging me to tear into it, which I
did. The sauce made up for the dryness, as did the wine, and in time
there was nothing left but bones. I guess my waiter never tired of
saying it but for a third time he said, “Good job!”
Though
I definitely had room for dessert and had read about Chef Robert’s
famous cannoli, I took one look at the time and 10 o’clock was
coming soon. Knowing the length of my commute home I ordered a Double
Espresso and a glass of Berta Gavi di Gavi Grappa and called it a
night. Many other dishes on the menu were still calling me to try
them as well as some of the specials and of course, dessert. I will
just have to find another occasion to return to Trattoria Zero Otto
Nove. Maybe next time I’ll learn my waiter’s name and the meaning
of Zero Otto Nove (089) – it sure isn’t the address either in
Manhattan or the Bronx.
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