Golden Door (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Sicily, early 20th century: Salvatore (Vincenzo Amato), a poor farmer, decides to emigrate to America with his 2 sons, Angelo & Pietro (Francesco Casisa, Filippo Pucillo), and mother (Aurora Quattrocchi). On their journey, they meet Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a British woman who's looking to marry someone upon arrival in Ellis Island. 'The Golden Door', an Italian docudrama directed by Emanuele Crialese, is divided into 3 highly detailed Acts: Sicily, aboard the ship to America, & the Ellis Island procedurals. Sometimes dramatically inert, the movie will leave you with far more positives than negatives to think about.
Act 1, Sicily: Salvatore decides to go to America ('the place where streets reputedly flow with milk, and coins fall from trees') after he receives what he thinks is a sign from God ... you know Italians & their curses/signs/prophecies. What we experience here is a basic who's who of the plot. They struggle with the consequences of leaving. And we then watch them exiting the rural village that they've always called home. Although we don't get 3 dimensional depictions of these characters, we get their essence. And though it verges on tedium, this first Act feels very authentic. I actually felt like I was watching the hopeful, but sad departure of these human beings. I envisioned being one of them, looking backwards onto the village as they rode away (probably never to see it again).
Act 2, The ship: Watching what these people had to endure on the journey across the ocean was quite interesting. As you would imagine, everybody is pressed-in like sardines (no pun intended). They sleep on small cots, one on top of the other. A violent storm thrashes down upon the ship, causing many passengers to go slamming into the bulkheads. The anticipation of their arrival mixed with the despair (aboard) makes tensions high. It's during the journey that the mysterious Lucy asks Salvatore if he can marry her once they reach the mainland. She's British, but speaks fluent Italian. He's very attracted to her, so the union seems quite feasible. We don't know why she's looking for marriage in America; it's up to us to decide her hidden intentions.
Act 3, Ellis Island: In an interesting switch, we DON'T get to see them gliding past the Statue of Liberty; I quite liked this, it lets you know you're not watching your typical, sentimental immigration story. Once they all exit the boat, the men & women are split up. The customs officers put the immigrants through a fairly grueling examination process to decide who's sick, who's healthy, who's smart, & who is dumb (aka, who is of no use in this country). Brace yourselves Middle America, they show Salvatore & his 2 teenaged sons naked (in an examination). Also in this segment, we learn that many women who traveled from Italy are receiving American or Italian American husbands onshore. This entire Act is both enlightening, humorous, & at times, astonishing.
I liked the sense of curious wonder & feeble hope that these characters have. They're all very ordinary, & speak very little (one of the downsides of the film). Even with the downsides (quiet, ponderous, lacking dramatic drive), it's a film that has resonated with me some 2 days after viewing it; it's almost otherworldly. Charlotte Gainsbourg is wonderful. The cinematography is beautiful. And I liked how this immigration story is much more about the emotions that tie-into 'leaving' for America, rather than actually 'living' there. The film ends (in a sort of whimsical, dreamlike sequence) with various characters swimming in milk. Whether they're happy or not, rich or poor, they've made it to America ... only God knows what would be in store for them in the coming years & generations.
Act 1, Sicily: Salvatore decides to go to America ('the place where streets reputedly flow with milk, and coins fall from trees') after he receives what he thinks is a sign from God ... you know Italians & their curses/signs/prophecies. What we experience here is a basic who's who of the plot. They struggle with the consequences of leaving. And we then watch them exiting the rural village that they've always called home. Although we don't get 3 dimensional depictions of these characters, we get their essence. And though it verges on tedium, this first Act feels very authentic. I actually felt like I was watching the hopeful, but sad departure of these human beings. I envisioned being one of them, looking backwards onto the village as they rode away (probably never to see it again).
Act 2, The ship: Watching what these people had to endure on the journey across the ocean was quite interesting. As you would imagine, everybody is pressed-in like sardines (no pun intended). They sleep on small cots, one on top of the other. A violent storm thrashes down upon the ship, causing many passengers to go slamming into the bulkheads. The anticipation of their arrival mixed with the despair (aboard) makes tensions high. It's during the journey that the mysterious Lucy asks Salvatore if he can marry her once they reach the mainland. She's British, but speaks fluent Italian. He's very attracted to her, so the union seems quite feasible. We don't know why she's looking for marriage in America; it's up to us to decide her hidden intentions.
Act 3, Ellis Island: In an interesting switch, we DON'T get to see them gliding past the Statue of Liberty; I quite liked this, it lets you know you're not watching your typical, sentimental immigration story. Once they all exit the boat, the men & women are split up. The customs officers put the immigrants through a fairly grueling examination process to decide who's sick, who's healthy, who's smart, & who is dumb (aka, who is of no use in this country). Brace yourselves Middle America, they show Salvatore & his 2 teenaged sons naked (in an examination). Also in this segment, we learn that many women who traveled from Italy are receiving American or Italian American husbands onshore. This entire Act is both enlightening, humorous, & at times, astonishing.
I liked the sense of curious wonder & feeble hope that these characters have. They're all very ordinary, & speak very little (one of the downsides of the film). Even with the downsides (quiet, ponderous, lacking dramatic drive), it's a film that has resonated with me some 2 days after viewing it; it's almost otherworldly. Charlotte Gainsbourg is wonderful. The cinematography is beautiful. And I liked how this immigration story is much more about the emotions that tie-into 'leaving' for America, rather than actually 'living' there. The film ends (in a sort of whimsical, dreamlike sequence) with various characters swimming in milk. Whether they're happy or not, rich or poor, they've made it to America ... only God knows what would be in store for them in the coming years & generations.