vernon film society
Bringing the best in world and Canadian film to film lovers of Vernon and the North Okanagan
GOLDEN DOOR
Director: Emanuele Crialese
Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato, Aurora Quattrocchi,
Vincent Schiavelli, Francesco Casisa, Filippo Pucillo
Run Time: 112 minutes
Country: Italy/France
Language: Italian, English with English subtitles
Rating: PG (Nudity)
Reviews: www.metacritic.com/film/titles/goldendoor
The epic narrative of immigration – of journeying far from home – embodies ideas of hope for a better future, of taking large risks with no guarantee of success, of shedding the skin of the past and creating a new person. This tale has been the inspiration for many works of art – think of Francis Ford Coppola’s GODFATHER trilogy, or Elia Kazan’s magnificent AMERICA, AMERICA.
Emanuele Crialese’s sweeping new film, a Special Presentation at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival® and multiple award-winner at the 2006 Venice Film Festival, is a fine addition to this genre. Beautifully shot and conceived, GOLDEN DOOR also boasts a radiant, nuanced performance from the wonderful Charlotte Gainsbourg (21 GRAMS, THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP) and Crialese’s singular storyteller’s finesse.
Set in 1913, the film begins in rugged, rural Sicily, where weather-beaten peasants have eked out a living working the same land for generations. One day, the monotony of their lives is interrupted by the arrival of a stranger from America, who passes along stories of wealth and good fortune, potatoes as big as train carriages, carrots as long as canoes and trees dripping with gold coins. The Mancusos, a Sicilian peasant family, decide to chase the dream of a new beginning. GOLDEN DOOR tells their story as they pack up family and possessions and, despite the objections of their grandmother, turn their backs on their country. The trip will not be an easy one. Physical hardships are certain, but the voyage will also require a new way of thinking – and this is what Crialese is so interested in depicting.
The Mancusos, all of whom must tentatively confront their hopes and fears, are beautifully portrayed. They become a microcosm of all those stoic travellers who left their homelands in search of a better life on this continent. Their journey – by cart to the port, by ship across the ocean, culminating in arrival at New York’s Ellis Island – becomes a captivating story of steely endurance and unanswered questions that does not end once their boat reaches land.
"AAn imaginative, intelligent and attractive [Italian film] precisely when the country needs it most, Emanuele Crialese’s GOLDEN DOOR [represents] a solid piece of cinema that neither panders nor preaches." – Jay Weissberg, Variety
"What makes Mr. Crialese's telling unusual, apart from the gorgeousness of his wide-screen compositions, is that his emphasis is on departure and transition, rather than arrival.” - A.O. Scott , The New York Times
