"[24] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a normalized score of 37% based on 31 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". In New York, the elder employee of the post-office, Hector Negron, goes on a rampage killing a client by shooting him with a Luger. The real event behind the fiction was a Nazi massacre of more than 500 Italians, mostly women, children and older men. [16], Miracle at St. Anna grossed $7,658,999 in North America[17] and $1,404,716 from markets elsewhere—a worldwide total of $9,323,833 against a $45 million budget. A majority of the film was shot in Italy, on several locations affected by World War II. [11] Filming then took place in Rome for one month; in New York for four days; in White Castle, Louisiana for two days; and in The Bahamas for two days. Hector is brought to the Bahamas and is reunited with the Head of the Primavera, accompanied by its new owner who takes out a rosary and reveals himself as an adult Angelo. MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA is a very powerful movie showing the brutality of war, laced with a stunning, impressive, eloquent, and ultimately inspiring spirituality. More Americans arrive and secure the village before evacuating Negron. Matthew Libatique served as cinematographer, having previously collaborated with Lee on the films She Hate Me (2004) and Inside Man (2006). This film is our interpretation, and I stand behind it." In the midst of helping a customer, Negron suddenly seems to recognize the man and immediately pulls a World War II-era German Luger from under the counter and shoots the man in the chest, killing him instantly. While trapped in a village, Train rescues the eight year-old boy, Angelo Torancelli, who survived a massacre in St. Anna village, and they become connected to each other. While trapped in a village, Train rescues the eight year-old boy, Angelo Torancelli, who survived a massacre in St. Anna village, and they become connected to each other. Out of the blue, he starts talking about the 92nd Division "Buffalo Soldiers" in Tuscan, Italy, in World War II. I interviewed dozens of African-American soldiers who fought in the war, most who have since passed away. And the miracle? Libatique relied on the use of natural light, which proved challenging for scenes shot indoors. In the context of war, murder, and clashing passions--racism, sex, love, and intense sorrow--the miracles are as natural as a soothing summer rain. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. McBride, the novel's author, stated: "As a black American, I understand what it's like for someone to tell your history... unfortunately, the history of World War Two here in Italy is ours as well, and this was the best I could do... it is, after all, a work of fiction.”[36], In light of the film's controversy, Lee was awarded honorary citizenship by the mayor of Stazzema, Michele Silicani, who defended the film, stating, "It's true that the film depicts a partisan who betrayed civilians. Miller was a fan of McBride's novel prior to learning of the film adaptation by Lee. "I moved to Italy with my family for six months. [8][9] Lee's reputation as an acclaimed filmmaker in Europe, where he served as a jury member of the 2004 Venice Film Festival, also helped the filmmakers obtain two-thirds of the budget from Italy's RAI Cinema and France's TF1 ($30 million). The retreating SS soldiers rounded up 560 villagers and refugees, mostly women and children, machine-gunned them at the church and burned their bodies. "I studied Italian at The New Schoolin New York City," he explained. At a New York post office, an employee, Hector Negron, pulls out a German gun and shoots a customer at point blank range with no explanation. The Americans prepare to leave the village ahead of a German counterattack, but Sam refuses to leave Angelo behind. Set in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII.