America, America Page #5

Synopsis: Elia Kazan, ethnic Greek but Turkish by birth, tells the story of the struggles of his uncle - in this account named Stavros Topouzoglou - in emigrating to America. In the 1890's, the young, kind-hearted but naive Stavros lived in Anatolia, where the Greek and Armenian minorities were repressed by the majority Turks, this repression which often led to violence. Even Stavros being friends with an Armenian was frowned upon. As such, Stavros dreamed of a better life - specifically in America - where, as a result, he could make his parents proud by his grand accomplishments. Instead, his parents, with most of their money, sent Stavros to Constantinople to help fund the carpet shop owned by his first cousin once removed. What Stavros encountered on his journey, made on foot with a small donkey, made him question life in Anatolia even further. Once in Constantinople, his resolve to earn the 110 Turkish pound third class fare to the United States became stronger than ever. But try after try,
Genre: Drama
Director(s): Elia Kazan
Production: Warner Home Video
  Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.8
Rotten Tomatoes:
71%
NOT RATED
Year:
1963
174 min
414 Views


I've got to find her.

I've got to find her!

Nine months, nine months work!

Get out of here!

Come here, you!

-Who did you give his money to?

-The owner, downstairs.

The owner?

Please don't hurt me. He was

going to put me out on the street.

-Please!

-Come on.

Do you want me out on the street?

What am I without

a room and a bed?

I'm an animal without

a bed and a room!

If you go to whores,

you must expect to be robbed.

Three months she didn't pay.

She says next week.

Three months she didn't pay.

Coffee?

We're enjoying ourselves here.

Get out.

Get out, before I get angry.

Get out, now!

If you were mighty you could've

put together 110 pounds...

the way you did the seven.

That way you have to have strength.

What's the use of this? Tell me that.

What's the benefit of this crying?

You want to kill her? Why not

go kill her? lt'll do you good.

It's time you grew up

and saw the truth.

"Big things! Big things!

They're gonna be proud of me."

"They're gonna be proud of me,

some day they'll be proud."

You're nothing now

and you never will be!

I am, I am, I will be!

I'm leaving.

There is a better place.

It's all the same.

Since you left home, have you

met one follower of Christ?

Have you met one human being?

You.

Me?

Look at my face, you don't know me.

You don't know what I am.

You don't know who I am.

I have one idea for this world.

Destroy it and start over again.

-Who's that?

-He's with us.

There's too much dirt.

It calls for fire,

it needs a flood.

I don't know where

to look further, dear cousin.

He has disappeared from the face

of this black world.

The chiefs of the Turkish Empire

are the people themselves.

Turkey will be a great nation.

After I'm dead, I'm not interested.

He still thinks there's a clean life

somewhere. America!

Look who's going to America.

America?

Don't tell me about America.

-I was there.

-Tell him.

I built one of their buildings.

I fell and then no one wanted me.

If you have money in America,

you're somebody.

If you have no money,

it's just like here.

Life is for the rich.

Anyone who wants to go,

go now.

Again, after the explosions,

we separate.

We meet one month from today.

On the streets, we don't acknowledge

each other. Is that clear?

Look at him, a boy,

all he wanted was something.

What? Freedom? What?

-Do you know when a man is dead?

-I can tell when a mule is dead.

It's the same, but this is a matter

of hours. Throw him on the wagon.

-I'm off duty.

-Go on, throw him in. It's finished.

They won't go.

It's too heavy.

He has to go, go!

Cousin!

Cousin!

Cousin!

Oh, my God, my God!

Poor little boy, poor little boy,

poor little boy.

Damn fool boy!

Maybe now you'll do what I tell you.

Please, don't tell my father.

Please, I have plans.

You have plans. My ruination!

Now, you look like money.

Go and sit over there.

In the fourth row, see?

The fourth row.

That's the girl,

the one for you.

Don't stare.

Turn back, they're looking.

The one in the middle,

see her?

That's the one.

So, there remains this question.

Is his father able to bring

with the boy...

a substantial amount of money?

-You're talking about money?

-We must talk about it.

-We have questions too.

-But you know our business.

You have four daughters,

there's a necessary division.

-For each, there will be enough.

-Enough, enough.

He's here!

Aleko!

Button up, for God's sake.

Welcome, welcome to my home.

Step in, won't you?

Stavros Topouzoglou.

Glad to have you here.

-You'll never make me look pretty.

-Stop frowning, you'll get a line.

Thomna!

Would you care for a coffee?

Thank you.

Our guest will try your coffee.

How would you like it?

No sugar, thank you.

-You heard.

-Yes, father.

Please, sit down.

He has a very strong voice.

This house has been in our family

for three generations.

Very nice.

-This is my brother, Serafin.

-May you live forever.

I kiss your mother's hand.

My brother, Prothermos.

I kiss you mother's hand.

This is my... Anula!

Keep those women quiet in there.

We can't hear each other.

All day, from the kitchen...

And clear her out.

All day long, muzz, muzz, muzz.

I've asked her a thousand times.

Women! God made the mistake

of giving them tongues.

Stavros, Stavros...

-Has he money?

-I don't know.

Your father will find out.

You look beautiful.

May I know the nature

of your father's business?

My father?

Yes.

Oh, my father.

My father is various

different businesses.

That's fine, fine.

A great variety of enterprises

is very wise, very wise.

Oh, yes, very.

One goes up...

one goes down.

One goes up...

one goes down. Excellent.

That was Thomna?

Thomna, yes.

They say that a long nose

is a sign of virtue.

With a nose like that,

virtue is inevitable.

They have money though.

Listen to this.

"They insisted I give up the work

I was in..."

Did he ever say what that was?

"So, what could I do? I accepted

a position with their firm."

Ah, smart.

Help me...

-Anything, anything...

-Get out of here!

My shoes!

Those are my shoes.

Don't you remember me?

Don't be afraid.

Those are my shoes.

I remember you.

We made it to here, eh?

No one stops us.

We are going to get there.

I used to think so,

but now I don't know.

Don't give up,

don't give up now.

You're just hungry.

Are you hungry?

I'm always hungry.

Another one.

You want another pilaff?

Waiter!

Here, bring another pilaff,

immediately, and more bread.

I see hamals are eating here now.

Put some of these in your shirt.

No.

Another piece, you'll need it later.

No one is looking.

You have to look out for yourself

in this world, you know.

The horrible times I had

was when I was...

soft, or human.

You can't afford to be human.

People take advantage.

For instance, you...

you smile all the time.

People take it...

Forgive me for saying so...

People take it

as a sign of weakness.

In America,

that will not be necessary.

I've decided.

My daughter shall come to you

with 500 Turkish pounds.

I do not accept.

-Why?

-Aleko, Aleko...

Why, my boy?

What do you want?

There's something about you

I don't understand.

But, have it your own way.

The main thing is she wants you.

Right.

Yes, that's satisfactory.

Then, smile.

Don't you ever smile?

So it shall be, two months.

The sooner, the better.

Two months. Two months.

And one more thing...

it is our understanding that you

will be living here with us.

You will not take our daughter

away from us.

I will not take your daughter

away from you.

Of course.

At last, I have a son.

Too much food.

Too much.

I tell those women not to put

so much food on the table.

They don't listen to me.

Always, too much.

Anula! Too much food!

Always!

First fish, then chicken,

then lamb...

Two would be enough.

They don't listen.

-So, you're going to leave me then.

-Oh, Baba.

Oh, Baba!

One more week...

one more week and

I'm going to lose my daughter.

-Are you happy?

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Elia Kazan

Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American director, producer, writer and actor, described by The New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history".He was born in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), to Cappadocian Greek parents. After attending Williams College and then the Yale School of Drama, he acted professionally for eight years, later joining the Group Theatre in 1932, and co-founded the Actors Studio in 1947. With Robert Lewis and Cheryl Crawford, his actors' studio introduced "Method Acting" under the direction of Lee Strasberg. Kazan acted in a few films, including City for Conquest (1940).Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his actors, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. He directed a string of successful films, including A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), On the Waterfront (1954), and East of Eden (1955). During his career, he won two Oscars as Best Director, three Tony Awards, and four Golden Globes. He also received an Honorary Oscar. His films were concerned with personal or social issues of special concern to him. Kazan writes, "I don't move unless I have some empathy with the basic theme." His first such "issue" film was Gentleman's Agreement (1947), with Gregory Peck, which dealt with anti-Semitism in America. It received 8 Oscar nominations and 3 wins, including Kazan's first for Best Director. It was followed by Pinky, one of the first films in mainstream Hollywood to address racial prejudice against black people. In 1954, he directed On the Waterfront, a film about union corruption on the New York harbor waterfront. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), an adaptation of the stage play which he had also directed, received 12 Oscar nominations, winning 4, and was Marlon Brando's breakthrough role. In 1955, he directed John Steinbeck's East of Eden, which introduced James Dean to movie audiences. A turning point in Kazan's career came with his testimony as a witness before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1952 at the time of the Hollywood blacklist, which brought him strong negative reactions from many liberal friends and colleagues. His testimony helped end the careers of former acting colleagues Morris Carnovsky and Art Smith, along with ending the work of playwright Clifford Odets. Kazan later justified his act by saying he took "only the more tolerable of two alternatives that were either way painful and wrong." Nearly a half-century later, his anti-Communist testimony continued to cause controversy. When Kazan was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1999, dozens of actors chose not to applaud as 250 demonstrators picketed the event.Kazan influenced the films of the 1950s and '60s with his provocative, issue-driven subjects. Director Stanley Kubrick called him, "without question, the best director we have in America, [and] capable of performing miracles with the actors he uses." Film author Ian Freer concludes that even "if his achievements are tainted by political controversy, the debt Hollywood—and actors everywhere—owes him is enormous." In 2010, Martin Scorsese co-directed the documentary film A Letter to Elia as a personal tribute to Kazan. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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