I would imagine that if you have a close connection to Ellis Island immigrants, you will be similarly touched by this movie.
Golden Door (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 81
Fresh: 57
Rotten:24
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Consensus: Slow-moving but ultimately rewarding, Golden Door is a profound drama with scenes of fantastical magical realism, lively humor, and stunning images.
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Theatrical Release: May 25, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $948,809
Synopsis: Set in 1913, GOLDEN DOOR begins in a treacherous, barren, and rocky area of the Sicilian countryside. On advice from a stranger, a widowed father named Salvatore Mancuso (Vincenzo Amato) decides to make the difficult voyage to America... Set in 1913, GOLDEN DOOR begins in a treacherous, barren, and rocky area of the Sicilian countryside. On advice from a stranger, a widowed father named Salvatore Mancuso (Vincenzo Amato) decides to make the difficult voyage to America with his two sons (one of whom is deaf and mute) and his stubborn, highly superstitious mother, Fortunata (Aurora Quattrocchi). Just before boarding the boat, they meet Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a mysterious and refined British woman who pretends to be with the Mancuso family while their pictures are being taken. During their journey, Lucy tells Salvatore she needs to find a man to marry before arriving in New York. The reasons are never fully explained, but Salvatore is attracted to her, and so he agrees. After arriving at Ellis Island, the family must endure the long battery of tests that are part of the standard entrance procedure. The plot of GOLDEN DOOR is simple, but the film is not, thanks to interesting stylistic choices. What differentiates GOLDEN DOOR from other films of its genre are the surrealist, imaginative avenues it takes most unexpectedly. Amid a sea of authentic costumes and realistic sets, director Emanuele Crialese places playful scenes of stunning beauty. This gives the film an open feel and an optimism one would never expect from the opening sequence, which is bleak, to say the least. As the characters travel to America, their minds open up to a new way of seeing. The experience of the journey is presented as difficult, but never horrific, and the strength of the characters is in their ability to remain dignified, even under potentially humiliating scenarios. [More]
Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato, Aurora Quattrocchi, Vincent Schiavelli
Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato, Aurora Quattrocchi, Vincent Schiavelli, Andrea Prodan, Ernesto Mahieux, Aurora Quattrocchi
Director: Emanuele Crialese
Director: Emanuele Crialese
Screenwriter: Emanuele Crialese
Studio: Miramax Films
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Reviews for Golden Door
The film's cinematography by Agnès Godard is breathtaking at times, especially early on during exterior scenes.
Crialese presents enough historical detail to give many 2nd and 3rd generation Americans today an idea of what physical and mental scrutiny their grandparents might have been subjected to in order to be accepted through the "Golden Door."
The journey to America by an Italian peasant and his family, conveying their yearning for a new life in scenes of magical realism.
Although the movie's plot line is rather flimsy and its characters somewhat distant, the movie's images are hard to forget.
The early parts require some patience, but the film richly rewards that patience. I know of no film that so patiently and so completely documents the Ellis Island experience.
So enjoyable and visually stimulating is the experience, it's tough to knock Crialese's Door.
Although it has a gorgeous, lyrical visual style, it contains no stirring speeches or sentimentality.
Golden Door belongs to(Vincenzo) Amato (Respiro). He makes this tale of woe and wonderment the charmer it turns out to be.
[Director] Crialese's talent for poetic illusion, and for finding the general within the microcosm, is reminiscent of Steven Spielberg.
There's a certain remoteness to the story that might keep some members of the audience at bay.
Yes, the details are spot-on and realistic in the extreme. But we've seen them before. It's the story Crialese hangs this detail on that's weak.
At its best, The Golden Door generates the excitement to be had whenever a historical movie achieves the shock of the new.
[Director] Crialese establishes moods beautifully, whether in surreal visions (such as Salvatore swimming in the river of milk flowing in California) or in hardscrabble realities.
Thanks to the director’s own mix of fantasy and social commentary, there’s nothing quite like Golden Door.
Latest News for Golden Door
June 14, 2007:
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June 12, 2007:
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May 24, 2007:
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May 19, 2007:
Rarely has a film penetrated beneath the usual stereotypes to the private fears and conflicted dreams of immigrants of whatever time. ![]()
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