Film Reviews

The Golden Door

• Rating:
• Director: Emanuele Crialese
• Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg
• Details: Italy/ Germany / France / 120mins (PG).

The story follows a family of naive 19th Century Sicilian peasants who, sold by rumours of money trees, gargantuan vegetables and massive animals in the New World, make the perilous trip from Italy to Ellis Island in the hope of making something of their lives. Along the way, the eldest son Salvatore (Amato) meets and falls in love with Brit Lucy (Gainsbourg), travelling alone and financing her trip by selling herself to rich businessmen. The Golden Door (Nuovomondo) takes its time to get going and once it does the pace isn't exactly Run, Lola, Run either. However, the snail's pace nature of the film (just imagine Sergio Leone directing Titanic, minus the iceberg) allows us to settle down and take a look around at the world of these people. It's certainly detailed, as a lot of screen time is given over to their way of life, the hopes, the fears, the dirt under the fingernails (the makeup department deserves a nod) and the rigorous inspections and humiliating procedures that await the protagonists at Ellis Island. Director Crialese keeps the audience on side with the peasants throughout, forcing us to look at the world through their eyes and this is the winning factor.

Review by Gavin Burke