As the Ottoman Empire’s stability crumbled in
the nineteenth century as a result of internal
corruption and perceived outside threats,
oppression and intolerance of Greek and Armenian
minorities multiplied. Pogroms organized by the
Sultan in 1895 and 1896 resulted in the deaths
of 200,000 Armenians and the displacement of
thousands of Greeks, many of whom looked to
America as a salvation. Between 1890 and 1917,
450,000 Greeks (90% male) arrived in the U.S.
seeking freedom and opportunity. One of their
stories is told by director Elia Kazan in his
1963 film America, America, based on his novel
of his uncle’s journey to America in 1896 from
his homeland of Anatolia. The film was nominated
for an Oscar for Best Picture, but lost to Tom
Jones.
Shot by legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler
in black-and-white using non-professional
actors, America, America is the story of a young
Greek, Stavros Topouzoglou (Stathis Giallelis)
and the enormous obstacles he faces in trying to
reach America’s golden shores. Under Wexler’s
guidance, the film has the look and feel of a
documentary, marred only by its awkward dubbing
(Stavros’ grandmother, for example, sounding
like Sadie from Brooklyn). As the film opens, we
hear the words of the director, “I’m Elia Kazan.
I am a Greek by blood, a Turk by birth, and an
American because my uncle made a journey.”
After Vartan (Frank Wolff), a close Armenian
friend of Stavros, is murdered by the Turks and
Stavros is dismayed by his father’s compromising
attitude towards the Turkish oppressors, he is
entrusted by his parents, Isaac (Harry Davis),
and Vasso (Elena Karam) with all of the family’s
wealth and sent on a two-hour journey to
Constantinople to join his cousin Odysseus
(Salem Ludwig) in the rug business. Along the
way, however, Stavros is robbed by the
despicable thief Abdul (Lou Antonio) who
pretends to be his friend but betrays him and
takes of all of his wealth. Penniless but still
determined to go to America, Stavros rejects the
offer of an arranged marriage with the daughter
(Linda Marsh) of a wealthy rug dealer, even
though she is devoted to him and can look past
his deceitful purposes.
He is able, however, to use his dowry money to
buy a third-class passage to the United States
but must first get past additional and seemingly
impossible obstacles once onboard ship and
eventually must rely on the sacrifice of a young
Armenian indentured shoeshine boy, Hohanness
Gardashian (Gregory Rozakis). America, America
is obviously a heartfelt and personal film for
Mr. Kazan but will never be thought of in the
same light as On The Waterfront and A Streetcar
Named Desire, even though it is said to be
Kazan’s favorite.
There are segments that are authentic including
the scene at Ellis Island when the passengers
wait for their turn to be approved or denied,
and also those involving Ms. Marsh and Katherine
Balfour, a lonely wife Stavros entertains aboard
ship. While the film is a powerful rendering of
the immigrant experience, it never becomes a
cohesive whole. Limited by a banal script, an
unwieldy running time, a lack of character
growth, and a lead actor whose expression ranges
from dour to morose, America, America ultimately
stumbles in its attempt at being a work of true
epic stature.
GRADE: B-
