Golden Door

Essentially a triptych, Emanuele Crialese's flamboyantly rhapsodic Golden Door follows the immigrant journey of a turn-of-the-century Sicilian family to Ellis Island. The first third depicts the family readying themselves for the trip to America. The second act chronicles the voyage itself, juxtaposing scenes set in the harsh confines of steerage with sequences on deck, where the third-class passengers periodically emerge either to glimpse the sunlight or carry the bodies of those who've died overnight for burial at sea. The final section plays out at Ellis Island, where the arrivals undergo tests to determine whether they'll be allowed entrance (eugenics being a powerful influence at the time) and unattached women and men are paired for wedding ceremonies. The film ends with the chosen going through the “golden door” to the New World. Domestic history told on a grand scale, Golden Door adopts an almost operatic style, with florid settings and slow, solemn pacing, but while some of the images are stunning, the human drama—even a halting romance between the widowed father (Vincenzo Amato) and an English-speaking lady (Charlotte Gainsbourg)—remains opaque, with the actors overshadowed by the virtuoso visuals. Telling this rather mundane period tale in dreamlike terms meant to suggest mythic status is interesting on an artistic level, but the film turns out to be more affected than affecting. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include an introduction by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, a 26-minute “making-of” featurette, and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)