NipPierce Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

lastliberal An interesting look at the immigrant experience, told as a fable with some very weird imagery.I got drawn to this movie because it tells of immigrants from Sicily who traveled to America. I imagine much the same as my Grandfather did at that time. Travelling in steerage to provide ballast for the ships, I cannot imagine it was very comfortable, as shown in this film.Laws restricting immigrants existed. I would guess that these laws were more strict on those who came from the Mediterranean and Africa. Immigrants had to be free from contagious diseases or hereditary infirmities. In the film, we see physical and mental exams, the latter because of the view that low intelligence is heritable. Single women could not enter the country, on the presumption that they would become prostitutes, so most married single men already in the country, as arranged beforehand, at Ellis Island before entry.This is the story of a British immigrant (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who arranges to marry a poor Sicilian (Vincenzo Amato). He is trying to get his family through with a son that is mute and a mother (Aurora Quattrocchi) that is considered feeble-minded. She was fantastic in the role, by the way.You will also see character actor, Vincent Schiavelli, in his next to the last appearance. I don't know if his last film has been released. He plays a matchmaker, and is also very good.It was a strange, but enjoyable film. It's not for everyone, as I imagine those who don't have some interest in the immigrant experience would find it rather slow.

dallas_viewer ***POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW*** What a long and mostly uninteresting movie! Who were these characters? Why didn't I care about them? If I'm going to watch a movie for two hours, I'd like to care about somebody or something. We know that Salvatore dreamed of the riches to be found in the new world. Beyond that, though, we learned little about most of his family's hopes, fears, etc., as they embarked on an adventure into the unknown.And why was Lucy even in this movie? She said little; we knew little about her or what she was doing (was she forced to service men in exchange for being allowed to board the ship?) or what her plans were upon reaching New York. To those who might suggest that she was needed to underscore the point that a single woman, however cultured, could not get into this country alone, I say that that fact is not enough justification to give her so much screen time. That point could have been made in five minutes, with Lucy as a momentary character.More questions: Why wasn't the twin brother at the boat to meet the family? We heard about the brother, and some closure on that point would have been helpful in giving the movie some cohesiveness. Also, how long was the journey from Italy to New York? Given the conditions on the ship, it makes a difference to the viewer if the voyage took five or 10 or 50 days. (Someone said something about seeing land a "week" at one point, but I think that was when they were already en route.) I needed these types of details to better appreciate what they were going through.The only scene I really liked was when the boat, filled with passengers, left the dock. If you choose to rent this movie, do so with remote in hand; you may want the Fast Forward button handy.Finally, may I suggest that, with the right voice-over providing helpful information about the times and the circumstances for immigrants--particularly during the slow stretches of endless shots of the countryside, people walking, etc.--this movie might have made an interesting public TV documentary.

yuwei-lin Although there are some beautiful cinematographic moments, witty scripts, morally benign intention, and promising acting here and there in the film, I regret to say that the film is not good enough to win a Silver Lion (but I have to admit that I haven't seen all films in the competition).I was impressed by the initial and the ending scenes. In the beginning, the magnificent mountain in Sicily shows how tough it is to live there; in the end, the milk river shows how difficult it is for the Italian immigrants to struggle in a murky stream full of uncertainties. Another brilliant scene is when the boat was leaving the harbor, splitting the crowds on the land and on the boat into two, with the rhythmic noise of the boat engine in the background.Apart from these well-framed visual presentations, the film also shows some witty conversations from the Mancuso family (e.g. the dad's hack on the blocks IQ examination), and strong acting from Vincenzo Amato (as Salvatore Mancuso) and Aurora Quattrocchi (as Fortunata Mancuso).The director, however, did not handle the time on the boat well. The nebulous feeling between the Mancuso family and Lucy Reed did not sweeten up the unpleasant experience of immigrants on the boat. Instead, it spoils and endures the difficult time on the boat. Or, perhaps even worse, the existence of Lucy Reed is not necessary at all. This character weakens the whole plot, making everything alienated and inconsistent.Despite the unsatisfactory arrangements, the issues presented in this film do show that immigration policies haven't changed much through time and space. Today, immigrants, particularly those who want to enter the border of the US, Canada, Australia, the EU, all need to go through the equally, if not more, painful and prolonged process. This film certainly mirrors the inhumanity in immigration policies across time and space.

Tumey Golden Door is a miniature epic, tracking a Sicilian's family emigration to the USA. It starts much too slowly, and although characters are established, it is ill thought out - particularly the dream sequences, which could have provided an added insight.Once the action moves onto the voyage, however, and Charlotte Gainsbourg's character is introduced, an interesting story emerges, and this, combined with humorous touches, are what make the film bearable. It is well directed and shot, with the other lead character, Vincenzo Amato, also impressing.3 / 5