Main Cast: Stathis Giallelis, Frank Wolff, Harry Davis, Elena Karam, Linda Marsh, Estelle Hemsley, Paul Mann
Release Year: 1963
Country: US
Run Time: 177 minutes
Plot
Filmmaker Elia Kazan based America, America on the early life of his Greek-immigrant uncle. Stavros Topouzoglow is the young immigrant, whose starry-eyed impressions of America are soon compromised by reality. Despite the casual cruelties, betrayals, and career setbacks, Stavros forms strong and lasting friendships which help him weather the worst. An Oscar went to the painstakingly accurate art direction of Gene Callahan. Despite moments that are not suitable for children, America, America won a rare "bell-ringer" rating from the high-school oriented Scholastic magazines back in 1963; in the years since, it has become a stalwart of the American Movie Classics cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Elia Kazan was born Elia Kazanjoglous in Turkey to Greek parents. His family then immigrated to America to find a better way of life. Inevitably, things were more complicated than that. It is a situation that Kazan returned to often in his movies, perhaps nowhere more personally or successfully than in America, America. Based on his own book, this is the specific yet universally human story of the frustration and tenacity of spirit that marked the immigrants that came to America in the late 19th century. They escaped hard times and poverty and often found equal hard times and poverty as a reward for their long journey. There was occasional joy and opportunity, though, and they appreciated these as gifts. All of this is covered in America, America, along with much more. It is a long movie with sometimes poor pacing, but there is much to appreciate here. The time period is wonderfully created, and the movie deservedly won an Academy Award for best art direction. The performances are generally -- as in most of Kazan's films -- naturalistic and sincere. America, America would be Kazan's last movie for six years, and his last real achievement. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide
Gregory Rozakis - Hohanness Gardashian; Lou Antonio - Abdul; Salem Ludwig - Odysseus Topouzoglou; John Marley - Garabet; Joanna Frank - Vartuhi; Robert H. Harris - Aratoon Kebabian; Katherine Balfour - Sophia Kebabian
