On DVD: Golden Door

Written and Directed by Emanuele Crialese

Starring Vincenzo Amato, Charlotte Gainsbourg

At the top of the cover of this DVD reads the following: Martin Scorsese Presents. So, being a big fan of his, I put my trust in his taste and popped the film into the DVD player. Golden Door was recently released on DVD by Miramax.

The Movie

Golden Door tells the story of Salvatore Mancusco (Vincenzo Amato), a widow with two sons, Angelo and Pietro, who is mute.  The Mancusco’s are a very poor family barely making a living in the hills of Italy. Along with Salvatore’s mother Fortunata, the family has dreams of sailing to a place called America where all of their dreams can come true.

Salvatore sells all of his belongings and livestock and boards a ship with his mother and his two sons to begin a new life in America.  Along the way, Salvatore somehow finds himself involved in the lives of two other young women making the trip, Rosa and Rita, who are making the long journey to join their new husbands already in the states, husbands they have not met yet.

However, his family and Rosa and Rita are not the only ones he comes into contact with on the ship. He meets the mysterious Lucy Reed (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a poor British woman making her way to the States.

Somehow, Lucy finds her way to immerse herself in Salvatore’s life completely and as the movie moves elegantly to its conclusion, the audience will discover Lucy’s reasons which are just as murky as the water the boat sails upon.

Golden Door is an intimate and sensitive portrayal of one family entering America through the doors of Ellis Island and tries to make a new life for themselves.  Now, if you are looking for an action packed film, this isn’t the one for you. This is a very visual movie with lots of quiet and contemplative moments choosing subtly over bombast. This isn’t a film for someone that suffers from short attention span syndrome.

I can understand why Martin Scorsese was drawn to this film and offered the filmmaker his name in order to help it reach audiences outside of film festivals. It's a beautifully simple story that's solidly acted and beautifully shot.  Golden Door is definitely art house fare, but I dig that sort of thing. I think it might be a nice change of pace for those that don’t watch this type of film, so give it a chance.

7.5/10

The Video

Golden Door is presented in anamorphic widescreen. The colors are very vibrant with a nice depth to the blacks. I didn't notice any major artifacts and grain is kept to a minimum.

8/10

The Audio

Golden Door is presented in the Dolby Digital 5.1 in the original Italian language with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The dialogue is crystal clear throughout and nicely balanced. This isn't your demo movie for that new audio system but for the kind of film it is the audio here is adequate. 

7/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features

Golden Door is presented in a standard amaray case with artwork that captures the spirit of the film nicely.  There are a few nice bonus features to explore on this release. First up, an introduction to the film by Mr. Scorsese himself.  Secondly, a 26 minute “making of” featurette is offered for your viewing pleasure.  Rounding things out is a selection of sneak peeks at other Miramax/Buena Vista releases.  While not plentiful, the bonus features that are offered are enjoyable and informative.

6/10

Overall (Not an Average) 7/10

The Review

The Movie 7.5/10

The Video 8/10

The Audio 7/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 6/10

Overall (Not an Average) 7/10

-Suzie Lackey