Golden Door (film)

Last updated
Golden Door
Nuovomondo.jpg
Directed by Emanuele Crialese
Written by Emanuele Crialese
Produced by Bernard Bouix
Tommaso Calevi
Alexandre Mallet-Guy
Luc Besson
Fabrizio Mosca
Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg
Vincenzo Amato
Francesco Casisa
Filippo Pucillo
Vincent Schiavelli
Mohamed Zouaoui
Cinematography Agnès Godard
Edited by Maryline Monthieux
Music by Antonio Castrignanó
Distributed by 01 Distribution
Release dates
  • September 8, 2006 (2006-09-08)(Venice Film Festival)
  • September 22, 2006 (2006-09-22)(Italy)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryItaly
LanguageItalian

Golden Door (Italian : Nuovomondo, literally "new world") is a 2006 drama film based on a family's migration from Italy to New York City, U.S.A. at the beginning of the 20th century. The film, written and directed by Emanuele Crialese, opens on location in Sicily and concludes in the United States. (The Ellis Island sequences were shot at a studio in Rome and in Buenos Aires, Argentina.) Vincent Schiavelli, whose character was originally planned to play a major part, died during the filming, forcing his role to become a supporting character.

Contents

The movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 8, 2006 to critical praise and seven nominations (with six wins) at the festival. Many praised the director's focus on sound and visual composition. Others focused on the lack of typical iconography of the time (such as the Statue of Liberty). Martin Scorsese was involved in the marketing, [1] and introduced the film at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Although selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 79th Academy Awards, it was not nominated.

Plot

The first major segment of the film introduces the poor Mancuso family (headed by the widowed Salvatore, Vincenzo Amato), from Sicily, Italy, at the turn of the 20th century residing in a rural mountainous region, who decide to emigrate to the United States after receiving a sign from God in the form of American postcards depicting giant produce and chickens. Their dreams about the land of opportunity where giant vegetables are grown, people swim in milk, and coins fall from the sky propel their decision, which gives the viewer insight into the unrealistic expectations that many immigrants held about America. Salvatore takes his family consisting of his two sons as well as his old mother, Fortunata, who we learn is the village folk healer and involved heavily in mystique (Aurora Quattrocchi). The dramatic scene that opens up the next segment of the film, the boat trip, visually depicts a sea of people being separated, those on the dock and those on the boat metaphorically representing the departure of the old and the new world respectively.

While aboard the ship to America, a red-headed British woman named Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who is traveling alone, stands out as both an attractive and elusive woman, catching the attention of the men for her beauty and the women for her classiness and independence. Salvatore is immediately smitten with this woman throughout the journey. Upon arrival at Ellis Island, Lucy asks Salvatore to marry her purely for administrative reasons, as being a woman she is unable to enter the United States alone. He agrees; he understands that she is not in love with him yet, but expects that will come with time. Their complex relationship highlights the troubling dynamic of the time, as women must still submit to male authority in the new world in order to even hope for the lesser freedom they so desire.

At Ellis Island, the final major segment of the film, the family join the rest of the immigrants on board to undergo extensive and humiliating physical and psychological examinations and questioning. The value of class that separated the immigrants on the ship becomes irrelevant in this final segment, as all of the immigrants' places in the new world are not guaranteed; they are all deemed equal. The ending of the movie reveals a surprising transfer of power between Pietro and Fortunata, as Pietro voices to Salvatore that his grandmother wishes to return home. After the tests are conducted, Salvatore is informed that Pietro (Filippo Pucillo) is about to be sent back for being mute, and Salvatore's mother for insufficient intelligence. The viewers are then left with the dilemma of whether Salvatore chooses to return home with his family or enter the United States.

Reception

Critical response

The film received generally favorable reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 72% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 86 review, and an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Slow-moving but ultimately rewarding, Golden Door is a profound drama with scenes of fantastical magical realism, lively humor, and stunning images" . [2] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 74 out of 100, based on 22 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews. [3]

Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post [4] and Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe [4] named it the 7th best film of 2007.

Awards and nominations

The film won six awards at the Venice Film Festival, including two awards for Best Film (the CinemAvvenire and Pasinetti Awards), along with the FEDIC, SIGNIS, Silver Lion, and UNICEF awards. It was also nominated for a Golden Lion award. The film was also nominated for a European Film Award, for the Film of the Year. The film was Italy's submission for the 79th Academy Awards, but was ultimately passed over in final nominations.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Im Not Scared</i> 2003 Italian film by Gabriele Salvatores

I'm Not Scared is a 2003 Italian crime mystery thriller film directed by Gabriele Salvatores. Francesa Marciano and Niccolò Ammaniti wrote the script, basing it on Ammaniti's successful 2001 Italian novel with the same name. The story is set during Italy's "Years of Lead", a time in the 1970s riddled with terrorism and kidnapping, and tells the story of a nine-year-old boy who discovers a terrible crime committed by the entire population of his southern Italian town. Although selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards, it was not nominated.

<i>Nomad</i> (2005 film) 2005 Kazakh film

Nomad: The Warrior is a 2005 Kazakh historical epic film written and co-produced by Rustam Ibragimbekov and directed by Sergei Bodrov and Ivan Passer.

<i>The Unknown Woman</i> 2006 Italian film

The Unknown Woman is a 2006 Italian psychological thriller mystery film, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore that depicts a woman alone in a foreign country, haunted by a horrible past. Although selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 80th Academy Awards and make the shortlist, it was not final nomination.

<i>Silent Light</i> 2007 Mexican film

Silent Light is a 2007 film written and directed by Carlos Reygadas. Filmed in a Mennonite colony close to Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua State, Northern Mexico, Silent Light tells the story of a Mennonite married man who falls in love with another woman, threatening his place in the conservative community. The dialogue is in Plautdietsch, the Low German dialect of the Mennonites. The film was selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 80th Academy Awards, but it did not make the shortlist. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 24th Independent Spirit Awards. It gained nine nominations, including all major categories, in the Ariel Awards, the Mexican national awards.

<i>Gomorrah</i> (film) 2008 crime film directed by Matteo Garrone

Gomorrah is a 2008 Italian crime drama film directed by Matteo Garrone, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Roberto Saviano, who also collaborated in the screenplay. It deals with the Casalesi clan, a crime syndicate within the Camorra — a traditional criminal organization based in Naples and Caserta, in the southern Italian region of Campania.

Tyulpan is a 2008 Kazakh drama film. It was directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy and distributed by Zeitgeist Films. Tulpan was Kazakhstan's 2009 Academy Awards official submission to Foreign Language Film category, but it didn't make the final shortlist. It won the award for Best Film at the 2nd Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

<i>Baarìa</i> (film) 2009 Italian film

Baarìa is a 2009 Italian historical drama film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. It was the opening film of the 66th Venice International Film Festival in September 2009. Although selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards, it was not nominated.

<i>The First Beautiful Thing</i> 2010 film

The First Beautiful Thing is a 2010 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Paolo Virzì, produced by Medusa Film, Motorino Amaranto and Indiana Production, released in Italy on 15 January 2010. The film stars Micaela Ramazzotti, Valerio Mastandrea, Claudia Pandolfi and Stefania Sandrelli. On 9 November 2010 the film opened at the Cinema Italian style Film Festival in Los Angeles. Although selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, it was not nominated.

<i>Terraferma</i> (film) 2011 film

Terraferma is a 2011 Italian drama film directed by Emanuele Crialese, who co-wrote the screenplay with Vittorio Moroni. The film chronicles the intensification of the refugee crisis in Insular Italy in the beginning of the 2010's.

<i>Caesar Must Die</i> 2012 film

Caesar Must Die is a 2012 Italian drama film directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. The film competed at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Golden Bear. The film is set in Rebibbia Prison, and follows convicts in their rehearsals ahead of a prison performance of Julius Caesar.

<i>Childs Pose</i> (film) 2013 film

Child's Pose is a 2013 Romanian drama film directed by Călin Peter Netzer. The film premiered in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Golden Bear. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Luminița Gheorghiu was nominated as the Best Actress at the 26th European Film Awards and the film won the Telia Film Award at the Stockholm International Film Festival 2013. The film was selected as the Romanian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

<i>Xenia</i> (film) 2014 Greek film

Xenia is a 2014 drama film directed by Panos H. Koutras. It was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. It was the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 88th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. Xenia has won six awards from the Hellenic Film Academy. At the award ceremony, Koutras refused to receive two of them until the law on granting Greek citizenship to second-generation immigrants is changed.

<i>A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence</i> 2014 film by Roy Andersson

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence is a 2014 internationally co-produced black comedy-drama film written and directed by Roy Andersson. It is the third installment in his "Living" trilogy, following Songs from the Second Floor (2000) and You, the Living (2007). It premiered at the 71st Venice International Film Festival where it was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Film. It was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated. It was released in Sweden on 14 November 2014, by TriArt Film.

<i>Fire at Sea</i> 2016 film

Fire at Sea is a 2016 Italian documentary film directed by Gianfranco Rosi. It won the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards. It was also selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the awards but it was not nominated in that category.

<i>Paradise</i> (2016 film) 2016 film

Paradise is a 2016 Russian drama film produced and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. At Venice Konchalovsky won the Silver Lion for Best Director. It was selected as the Russian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. In December 2016, it made the shortlist of nine films to be considered for a nomination at the 89th Academy Awards.

<i>The Traitor</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Marco Bellocchio

The Traitor is a 2019 internationally co-produced biographical crime drama film co-written and directed by Marco Bellocchio, about the life of Tommaso Buscetta, the first Sicilian Mafia boss who was treated by some as pentito. Pierfrancesco Favino stars as Buscetta, alongside Maria Fernanda Cândido, Fabrizio Ferracane, Fausto Russo Alesi and Luigi Lo Cascio.

<i>Vitalina Varela</i> 2019 film

Vitalina Varela is a 2019 Portuguese drama directed by acclaimed director Pedro Costa. It won the Golden Leopard and Best Actress Award at the 2019 Locarno Film Festival. The film follows Vitalina Varela, a character who previously appeared in Pedro Costa's Horse Money.

<i>Tigers</i> (2020 film) 2020 international film

Tigers is a 2020 international co-produced sports drama film written and directed by Ronnie Sandahl and based on the autobiography I skuggan av San Siro by Martin Bengtsson. It was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

<i>Unclenching the Fists</i> 2021 film

Unclenching the Fists is a 2021 Ossetian-language Russian drama film directed by Kira Kovalenko. In July 2021, the film won the Un Certain Regard award at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the Russian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

<i>Nostalgia</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Mario Martone

Nostalgia is a 2022 Italian-French drama film co-written and directed by Mario Martone, based on a 2016 novel by Ermanno Rea.

References

  1. Scorsese on the Immigrant Experience on Film NPR interview with Liane Hansen, 10 June 2007
  2. "Golden Door". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  3. "Golden Door". Metacritic . Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  4. 1 2 "Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-01-05.