‘Household Saints’ Blu-Ray Review – An Unpredictable Look At Family And Spirituality

Nancy Savoca’s star-studded indie gem Household Saints is a chronicle of a spirited Italian-American New York family that perfectly balances humor, tragedy, and pathos. Joseph Santangelo (Vincent D’Onofrio) is a butcher with a wicked sense of humor who “wins” his wife Catherine (a stellar Tracey Ullman) in a pinochle game. Over the protests of his mother (Judith Malina) who talks to ghosts and makes deals with saints, Joseph marries Catherine. When the old lady dies, her spirit is channeled into her granddaughter Teresa who yearns to serve God. Perfectly embodying a modern-day Bernadette, Lili Taylor imbues Teresa with a mix of dedicated innocence and naïveté. Executive produced by Jonathan Demme, with memorable performances from Michael Imperioli, Michael Rispoli, and Victor Argo, Household Saints showcases a unique voice in 1990s independent filmmaking. Household Saints has been digitally restored and remastered by Lightbox Film Center at University of the Arts (Philadelphia) in collaboration with Milestone Films with support from Ron and Suzanne Naples. Restoration Supervisor: Ross Lipman, Corpus Fluxus. Picture Restoration: Illuminate Hollywood. Sound Restoration: Audio Mechanics.

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Video Quality

Household Saints debuts on Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 from a new restoration conducted by Milestone Films. The remaster provides a sterling viewing experience that showcases the film admirably. The colors are deep and natural with incredible saturation. Black levels are robust with crush never emerging as an issue within the shadows. The natural film grain of the presentation is carefully maintained and resolves consistently. The source has been polished to eliminate virtually all nicks, specks, and scratches. Clarity and detail are in top form, and skin tones are natural with makeup providing texture in closeup. This presentation is a wonderful effort from the team at Milestone.  

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that executes the sonic intentions with deft precision. Dialogue emanates crisply and clearly as it never gets overshadowed by competing environmental elements. Any signs of age-related wear and tear or distortion have been eliminated for a consistent listening experience. The music and score accompany the visuals on screen favorably with no signs of weakness. Every element seems to be in top form. The film has been treated well. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided. 

Special Features

• Renata (1982, Nancy Savoca’s Student Film): A 16-minute restored film that focuses on an Italian American family and a young mother who is balancing her commitment to her family with her own well-being. 

• Bad Timing (1983, Nancy Savoca’s Student Film): A 24-minute restored film about two pre-teens who run away to Hollywood and face the realities of trying to achieve fame. 

• The Many Miracles of Household Saints (2023, Making-Of Documentary): A 58-minute making-of documentary from Martina Savoca-Guay featuring new and archival interviews with Savoca, author Francine Prose, and producer Rich Guay that takes you on a journey from the development of the script to the finished film. 

• Interview with Nancy Savoca and Star Lili Taylor A new 20-minute interview with the filmmaker and star is provided here that was captured during their session filming for the Criterion Collection release of Dogfight. These two have some lovely insights into how this film was developed following that prior outing, the unique facets of the character of Teresa, how Lili brought Vincent D’Onofrio to the project, the themes of the story, and more. 

• Archival Interview: There are well over an hour of archival interviews with the ensemble and members of the creative team in which they reflect on their experiences with the movie. 

• • Jonathan Demme (14:52)

• • Vincent D’Onofrio (10:43)

• • Richard Guay (17:20)

• • Judith Malina (24:44)

• • Peter Newman (4:24)

• • Francine Prose (6:48)

• • Nancy Savoca (12:16)

• • Lili Taylor (10:05)

• • Tracey Ullman (12:13)

• Re-Release Trailer: A minute-and-a-half-long trailer for the film is provided. 

Final Thoughts

Household Saints is a unique narrative from Nancy Savoca that takes a beat to get settled into but ultimately rewards once you do. The characters all feel authentic and take you on an emotional journey that explores family, spirituality, and mental illness. The performances from the three main leads along with the supporting players are terrific. Milestone Films has brought this one to Blu-Ray with a fetching A/V presentation and a robust selection of special features. If you appreciate atypical indie features from the ‘90s, this is one worth having in your collection. Recommended 

Household Saints is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Milestone Films and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.