Word: romanization
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Although successful at pointing out weaknesses in others' theories concerning upward mobility among ethnic groups. Thernstrom is less successful at suggesting alternative theories. He contends that some aspect of Irish culture or Roman Catholic doctrine discourages Irishmen from striving to achieve material success and from investing in their children's education. Yet, as Thernstrom admits, such a theory explains little. Instead of looking for the reasons Irishmen held these values, the theory uses the fact that the Irish moved up the occupational scale less rapidly than other groups as "proof" simply that they did hold to such principles...
During a very few moments of the film, however, Bertolucci's visual style sparkles sufficiently to overshadow the shallowness of the film as a whole. A few shots of books stacked in mounds in Jacob I's room are satisfying in terms of the parallel they make with the Roman ruins outside. The landlord Petrushka (Sergio Tofano) who wants to be treated like a servant, is a fascinating minor character. These are the sort of minor elements with which Bertolucci built his better films, but in Partner they come to no avail...
...sacrament of penance, known more familiarly to Roman Catholics as "confession," has fallen on lean days. Where quiet lines of penitents once gathered to wait near the confessional boxes on a Saturday, a priest may now sit on the church steps waiting wistfully for even one sinner to show up. The reasons for the sacrament's neglect are probably many: a severe drop in church attendance, a new theology of sin that does not stress the damning "mortal" sins of pre-Vatican II days, an avoidance of confession by some who practice contraception, or an increasing reluctance to enter...
...Stoke-on-Trent, C.O.G. pitchmen greet the uninitiated temptingly: "Want to read something sexy, something that'll turn you on?" Elsewhere, they take a different line: recent C.O.G. immigrants to France, where their name is les Enfants de Dieu, have taken Berg's advice to woo Roman Catholics, whom he admires as doctrinaire soul mates. ("Kiss the Pope's foot if necessary," he advises.) It has apparently worked: a priest at Notre Dame found them lodgings near the famed cathedral, and Le Monde's religion writer lauded the spontaneity and faith of "the missionaries in blue...
They are descended from Robert the Pious and Gontran the Rich, from Suleiman the Magnificent and Cathal Crovedearg of the Wine-Red Hand. They belong, variously, to the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Moslem and Orthodox-both Greek and Russian-churches. They are, almost without exception, reasonable, personable -and, it goes without saying, well-bred. They consider themselves the legitimate claimants to the thrones of 14 European countries where royalty has gone out of business...