Catholicism and Marian imagery in WTC

Last updated on: October 12, 2006 at 9:58 am by Peter T. Chattaway

Catholicism and Marian imagery in WTC 2006-10-12T09:58:00-07:00 Peter T. Chattaway

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Jerome Joseph Gentes at Sightings has an interesting sidebar on Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center:

Throughout the movie, various scenes establish a profound, almost psychic connection between spouses; one spouse remembers a shared experience, while the other seems to be simultaneously recalling it from his or her own perspective. That McLoughlin would “see” his wife, played by actress Maria Bello, is, under the circumstances, understandable. What gives pause is the fact that she is shown wearing the same shirt she wears in other scenes — and yet, McLoughlin had left for work before she woke, and would not have known what she was wearing that day. Sky blue, the shirt does more than complement Bello’s complexion and blond hair; it also visually facilitates the transitions between the murkiness under the rubble and the sunlight elsewhere. But there is religious significance to the shirt and its appearance in McLoughlin’s vision, as well.

Catholics like McLoughlin and Jimeno, and like the director’s own mother, would likely see in this blue shirt connections with Mary, Christ’s mother. Since the earliest days of the church, the blue of her garments has symbolized Mary’s humanity, and for Catholics, she is an intercessor between humans and God. A husband believing himself on the brink of death would naturally think of his wife; perhaps only a Catholic would fuse her image with that of Christ’s mother. Stone’s decision to clothe the actress in a blue shirt resonates all the more in light of the fact that the wife’s name, Donna, might here be read as an abbreviation of “Madonna.” Meanwhile, the actress’s name, Maria, is, of course, the name by which the Virgin is known in many parts of the world.

Alas, it ain’t so easy to find non-close-ups of Bello in character. I guess I’ll have to wait for the DVD to do some screen captures!

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