T.V. Review: ‘The Oratorio: A Documentary With Martin Scorsese,’ Nov. 5, PBS

Oct 28, 2021 832

BY: Chris Byrd

As “The Oratorio: A Documentary With Martin Scorsese” reminds us, the eponymous director’s deep attachment to the Little Italy neighborhood in which he was raised has endured throughout his life. Within that area of lower Manhattan, he observes in the film, one place retains paramount significance for him: the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. “Everything is in constant change,” the former altar boy says, “but this church, this basilica has been and remains a constant, an anchor.”

Charming and uplifting, “The Oratorio” recounts the efforts of those who help to run the 200-year-old St. Patrick’s, along with others, to remember and recreate a largely forgotten operatic performance that took place there June 22, 1826 — and that represented a milestone in the cultural history of New York City. The show premieres Friday, Nov. 5, 9–10 p.m. EDT on PBS.

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SOURCE: https://catholicreview.org/

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