Wednesday, August 12, 2015

The Immigrant 2013


Immigrant     This film is set in New York of 1921.  Ewa Cybulska and her sister Magda arrive for a new life in New York from their home country of Poland.  At Ellis Island, the doctors tell Ewa that they must quarantine her sister because of tuberculosis.  The immigration authorities also tell Ewa that the address she has for her aunt and uncle is fictitious.  This address doesn’t exist and the relatives were not there to meet the sisters.  Ewa is placed in a line of people to be deported back to their home country.  Bruno visits her in the line, he offers to help her, give her a place to stay and a job to earn money.  What Ewa doesn’t know is that this is not a life she would choose for herself if she had any choices.  She also later finds out the address for her aunt and uncle.
     There were many times I wanted to punch Bruno through my screen!!  He’s heartless, cruel and he’s supposedly in love with Ewa.  He had mental problems and the way he treats Ewa is no way to treat anyone you care about.  Ewa thinks she has found someone else when she meets Bruno’s cousin Orlando.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

120 min, Drama directed by James Gray with Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Renner, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jikcy Schnee, Elena Solovey, Maja Wampuszyc, Ilia Volok, Angela Sarafyan.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, 88% critic 60% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 3.4* out of 5* with 40 reviews.

Special Note:  In 1917, Charlie Chaplin made a movie also titled The Immigrant.  In this film, Chaplin's Little Tramp persona gives a secretive kick to the rear end of an immigration official.  The name Ewa is pronounced like it was spelled Ava.  The director James Gray has said this film is based on the stories he heard from his grandparents.  The working titles for this film were Low Life and The Nightingale.









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