Nuovomondo (2006)

The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century in Sicily. Salvatore, a very poor farmer, and a widower, decides to emigrate to the US with all his family, including his old mother. ... See full summary »

Director:

Emanuele Crialese

Writer:

Emanuele Crialese

Stars:

Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato, Vincent Schiavelli

22 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Lucy Reed
Vincenzo Amato	...	Salvatore Mancuso
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Marriage Broker - on board ship
Aurora Quattrocchi	...	Fortunata Mancuso
Francesco Casisa	...	Angelo Mancuso
Filippo Pucillo	...	Pietro Mancuso
Federica De Cola	...	Rita D'Agostini
Isabella Ragonese	...	Rosa Napolitano
Filippo Luna	...	Don Ercole
Andrea Prodan	...	Mister Del Fiore
Ernesto Mahieux	...	Dottor. Zampino
Marcelo Benassi	...	Il Gatto (as Paride Benassai)
Giuseppe Sangiorgi	...	Uomo Olive
Alessandra Fazzino	...	Santa
Giuseppe Culino	...	Dottore (as Giuseppe Cutino)

Storyline

The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century in Sicily. Salvatore, a very poor farmer, and a widower, decides to emigrate to the US with all his family, including his old mother. Before they embark, they meet Lucy. She is supposed to be a British lady and wants to come back to the States. Lucy, or Luce as Salvatore calls her, for unknown reasons wants to marry someone before to arrive to Ellis Island in New York. Salvatore accepts the proposal. Once they arrive in Ellis Island they spend the quarantine period trying to pass the examinations to be admitted to the States. Tests are not so simple for poor farmers coming from Sicily. Their destiny is in the hands of the custom officers.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | farmer | sicily | 20th century | widower | 

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Taglines:

A remarkable vision. A dream of a better life. A romance that would change their lives forever.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief graphic nudity

Details

Official Sites:

goldendoor Official site [France]

Country:

Italy France Argentina

Language:

Italian English Sicilian

Release Date:

22 September 2006 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Golden Door

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Box Office

Budget:

€10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$37,947, 27 May 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,063,647, 26 August 2007

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,226,020, 30 August 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rai Cinema,Respiro,Memento Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Emanuele Crialese personally chose every one of the 700 extras who appeared in the film. He said he was looking for people who could evoke the same facial expressions of the actual immigrants whose photographs Crialese came across when he was researching the film.

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Quotes

Lucy Reed: Madam? Madam. Could you lower your voice? I have a headache.
Fortunata Mancuso: Then have one! What do I care? Who does she think she is? This is the last thing I need. A journey like this ahead and she has a headache.

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Connections

Referenced in OffStage - Interviste dal Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia: Episode #1.3 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Sinnerman
Traditional, arranged by Nina Simone
Performed by Nina Simone

User Reviews

The Land of Plenty

Some days ago, in Rome, a young Romanian man with criminal precedents assaulted and tortured to death a middle-age lady coming back home after an afternoon of shopping. A Romanian girl, who had seen everything, reported what happened.

Therefore, it started a debate about the too much intense flow of immigrants from Romania, generalizing them as criminals, everyone, indiscriminately.

I'm only 15, but I thought: what idea of affluence does Italy give to these poor people? How ever do they regard us as the Land of Plenty? Yesterday evening I finally saw NUOVOMONDO, and my question had an answer. When you have only a donkey and some goats, those propaganda postcards showing United States as a land with milk rivers and huge vegetables, makes such an impression.

NUOVOMONDO is really a must-see film. It balances an ethereal symbolism (milk rivers, glances' play, hard and rocky mountains, the name and character Lucy/Luce) and a cruel realism (the mass of hopeful people on the ship, the procedures at Ellis Island). There's a mixed cast, going from the angelic Charlotte Gainsbourg to the realistic Vincenzo Amato, till a bitter and smashing Aurora Quattrocchi as the mother. But was it really so hard to enter in the New World?