Golden Door
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Movie Reviews of Golden Door
Movie Review: An eye-opening look at the Ellis Island experience
Summary: 4 Stars
As the granddaughter of Polish immigrants (my grandmother immigrated to the US from Zamosc, Poland in 1917 when she was four years old), I grew up hearing stories about Ellis Island from my grandmother (who had quite a large collection of books on Ellis Island), and also read a number of novels and watched documentaries (Ellis Island) on the immigrant experience.
However, reading first-hand accounts of the events and seeing them brought to life on the big screen made quite a difference. Golden Door (released as New World in Italy) follows the Sicilian Mancuso family, headed by persnickety grandmother Fortunata, her son Salvatore, and his sons Angelo and Pietro. Salvatore is barely able to scratch a living from the rocky, unforgiving landscape (shown to perfection in haunting aerial shots), and after many false starts, begins to make arrangements to go to America. Fortunata has no desire to join them, and Pietro, a deaf-mute, identifies more closely with her. The first third of the film involves Salvatore's selling of his goods to finance the voyage, and the preparations that have to be made. Along the way, Salvatore meets the beautiful, mysterious Englishwoman Lucy, who is traveling in Sicily by herself and attempts to travel with the Mancusos.
The middle of the film chronicles the ocean steamship crossing, with its cramped, segregated male/female quarters, and a rough storm at sea. To be honest, the scenes of the living arrangements seemed too quiet from what I've read; when Lucy gets up at night, there's nary a peep (no young children on this ship, apparently). Also slightly disappointing was the fact that when they finally arrived in New York, there was no (standard) shot of the immigrants glimpsing the Statue of Liberty for the first time.
The final third deals with the Mancuso's fairly typical experience at Ellis Island, and this is where the film shines. Director Emanuele Crialese really did his homework on the battery of physical and psychological tests performed on prospective immigrants in order to determine their "fitness" for life in the United States, and it's slightly shocking by modern standards to see the humiliation that some were subjected to. The American Ellis Island staff in the film come off as cold and unconcerned, particularly with the heartbreaking situation of some of the "mail-order brides" forced into marriage after a dangerous ocean crossing. However, Crialese did include (brief) glimpses at other immigrants, including Eastern European Jewish, Middle Eastern, and other European countries. Small touches of wonder at their new situation are alternately funny and touching, such as immigrants scaling the frosted glass windows to look across the harbor, where they contemplate living in a skyscraper, or Salvatore's result of a block puzzle.
Crialese chose to shoot the film in Buenos Aires and personally chose all 700 extras, most of whom are descendants of Italian immigrants to Argentina. The scenery is effective, and the film was digitally colored to leach out bright hues, resulting in an appropriately washed-out, aged look (although not as garish as Tim Burton's use of digital coloring in Sweeny Todd). The Golden Door soundtrack includes folk songs, a hint of tango, and symphonic interludes, and works well with the visuals. An in-depth making-of features interviews in French and Italian (funny to hear the Italian lead Vincenzo Amato interviewing in French rather than his native Italian, but his French is quite good).
My only dislike of the film was the inserted "dream sequences" that featured hallucinations of giant vegetables and rivers of milk (the end sequence was downright creepy in an Andy Warhol kind of way). As Salvatore didn't strike me as lighthearted, these "hallucinations" come across as forced rather than a natural extension of his personality and took away from some of the gravity of the immigrant experience presented here.
Overall, this is a lushly realized look at the immigrant experience, including the many sacrifices and dangers along the way that are sometimes overlooked due to the romanticized view of the immigrant experience. Crialese has created a timeless tribute to the sacrifice of our grandparents who gave up everything (not just family living in the Old World, but often their language, culture, and customs) at the chance for a better life in America.
Movie Review: The Golden Door - A Time Capsule of the Immigrant Experience In The New World
Summary: 4 Stars
Golden Door provides a glimpse into what it was like to be an immigrant to the New World. In certain ways, this movie is not designed for casual viewing or for those looking for entertainment value alone. Rather, this movie captures the harsh realities immigrants faced in that period and serves as an education for those who may not be aware of the great obstacles that many European immigrants had to overcome in order to come to the New World. On the other hand, this film provides a subtle character development. There is also tremendous expertise displayed in the amazing sets, impressive wardrobes and beautiful cinematography. Along with an impressive score, those elements add a sense of realism and a beauty to the film that will be appreciated by those who respect the work needed to recreate such a story. So if you don't mind a slow and nuanced period drama, this movie is well worth your time.
Every aspect of the immigrant experience is portrayed: the homelands they are leaving, the trials of their long overseas journey and their experiences at Ellis Island. There are also some dream sequences that highlight the hopes and wishes that the immigrants held for their arrival in the New World. Each portion of the film is compelling in its own way, but the section on Ellis Island is the most poignant in my opinion.
An incredible cast provides depth and atmosphere. There are so many characters, we really get a sense for how vast an undertaking such a journey must have been. It truly feels like we are experiencing the journey along with thousands of other people from all walks of life.
One theme of the movie that I particularly appreciated was the emphasis on relationships between men and women making their way across the Atlantic. Women have very little rights without a male escort. Men are placed in categories based upon their perceived worth, usually based on race and wealth.
Our central characters are a Sicilian widower named Salvatore (Vincenzo Amato) travelling with his mother and two sons in tow, and a young English woman Luce, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. While Luce has other suitors and the prevailing prejudices of the day to justify keeping her distance from Salvatore, she still takes the time to get to know him and his family. They are drawn to each other despite their vastly different backgrounds. Watching their relationship unfold is touching. It's also a good indication of just how unlikely it was for two such people to even meet during that time period.
The movie displays how some immigrants were viewed as less desirable than others. The standards and requirements that some are held to is noticeably harsher. The board also subjects them to tests that seem to be based more on prejudice and misinformation than on fairness. This aspect of the film, while bleak, provides a critical insight into the immigrant experience for many during that time.
Perhaps unbeknownst to many on the journey, entry in the New World was often conditional upon many factors including marital status. This led to forced marriages and marriages of convenience for many whose only other option was to be repatriated to their home countries. For those who had already spent most or all of their wealth making the journey, that option was unacceptable.
Yet the resolution of the film produces a better outcome for our main characters than for some others. Not all were allowed to enter. And the extended quarantine they were subjected to also had consequences that were even more dire than being denied entry.
This is a wonderful film that should appeal to those who love history and period dramas. The film should also be particularly of interest to those of Italian decent. Finally, I can see teachers of history and other social studies sharing this film with their classes. This film has tremendous value for students and breathes life into a period in a way that textbooks simply cannot. I recommend this movie to everybody who wants to learn more about the immigrant experience.
Enjoy.
Movie Review: Poetic and full of unforgettable images
Summary: 4 Stars
This poetic movie full of unforgettable images follows an immigrant family from the harsh barren hills of Sicily to Ellis Island in the early 20th century.
The movie is divided into three sections: the first in Sicily depicts the tough life of these peasants who climb mountains barefoot and rely on sorcery for their medical treatment. We meet Salvatore, a widowed father of two sons including one who is mute, and his aged mother. They make the difficult decision to leave for a land where they imagine money literally grows on trees.
The second section takes place on the ocean liner bringing them across the Atlantic. Salvatore meets a mysterious traveler, Luce, played by the enigmatic Charlotte Gainsborough. We're not sure who see is or where she comes from -- she speaks English as well as Italian -- but she needs a husband in order to enter the United States.
The third section is on Ellis Island itself where prospective immigrants are subject to humiliating medical and intelligence tests to see if they are worthy to enter the New World.
Each section is full of poetic cinematography. Not all the images work. One recurring image of characters swimming in a river made of milk and grabbing on to giant-sized carrots left me a bit mystified. Some plot elements also remain unexplained. We never learn who Luce is and how she reached Sicily in order to embark on the ship. But overall, this movie is a feast for the eyes and for the imagination.
Movie Review: A Sicilian American looks back
Summary: 4 Stars
It was interesting to see what my ancestors had to do to become Americans. Although my ancestors from Sicily came through New Orleans rather than Ellis Island, I am certain it was similiar. Because they had such courage and bore so much, I am in their debt and must do my best every day to repay them for coming here and giving me this chance. The movie did a great job of pointing that fact out.Movie Review: 3 stars out of 4
Summary: 4 Stars
The Bottom Line:
Coupling the gritty and dirty details of immigration to elaborate and extravagent metaphors, Golden Door is nothing if not ambitious; thankfully for the audience's sake, I can report that most of Crialese's risks pay off--this is an interesting film on immigration that should appeal to history buffs and casual moviewatchers alike.