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KIDNAPPED: A HISTORICAL MIRROR

From 19th Century Bologna to a Post-October 7 World

Giacomo Lichtner critically considers Marco Bellocchio's Kidnapped (Rapito, 2023). This talk is a deep dive into the infamous story of six-year-old Jewish boy, Edgardo Mortara, who was kidnapped from his Bologna home by Papal authorities in 1858. The reason? He was allegedly secretly baptised by a Christian member of the household staff.

The Mortara Affair, which unfolded during the Italian unification, attracted massive international attention and became a flashpoint for wider historical forces. Lichtner will contextualise this event, exploring how Bellocchio reconstructs and reinterprets it through his hallmark themes of power, family, and faith.

Beyond historical reconstruction, the talk asks what it means to watch a film like Kidnapped today. Did audiences see contemporary relevance in the Pope and young Edgardo's relationship? Did the film, released in Italy in May 2023, take on different meanings in countries where it was released after the October 7 kidnappings?

Dr Giacomo Lichtner

Associate Professor of History and Film, Victoria University of Wellington

Giacomo Lichtner is an Associate Professor of History and Film at Victoria University of Wellington. His research focuses on the history and representation of the Holocaust and World War Two, particularly in cinema. He is the author of several books, including Film and the Shoah in France and Italy and Fascism in Italian Cinema Since 1945. Lichtner also serves as Deputy Chair of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.

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