The Italian

This is a very early feature length film made in 1914 with a very good reputation. Most people think of 1915's Birth of a Nation as the first real feature film, but this one predates it. It stars George Beban as Beppo, "The Italian", a man who comes from Italy to America to earn enough money so that he can win the hand of his beloved Annette. Beppo, initially a vigorous and joyful soul, eventually becomes a beaten man due to a series of tragedies he endures in America. Beppo becomes so despondent from tragedy that at one point he even considers murdering an innocent as revenge for the loss of one of his own loved ones. There are several silent films that still exist that talk about the immigrant experience in America, but this one is unique because it shows the immigrant's life in the Old World, along with the natural beauty of the place compared to early twentieth century New York City and its barren appearance.

The Flicker Alley restoration is highly recommended not only for the high quality of the transfer but for its insightful commentary. I normally don't like to plug specific products, but this one is very much worth your time.

This is a fairly grim account of immigrant life in the early 1900s. George Beban, who made a living on stage and screen portraying ethnic types (especially Italians), plays a gondolier in "the old country" who needs to prove himself to the father of the woman he wants to marry. So he sails to New York without her, works as a bootblack, and earns enough money to send for her.

Tragedy strikes when their infant son becomes sick from the heat. Beban attempts to buy milk for him, but is robbed. When he spots his muggers, he attacks them and is arrested. In the climax, Beban almost commits an unspeakable crime to get revenge upon the man he feels is responsible for his son's death.

There is some interesting camera work, and a solid performance by the cast. San Francisco doubles as NYC. Some of my reference books claim that Francis Ford Coppola was influenced by this film in making "The Godfather." Indeed, there is one scene where Beban spots the Statue of Liberty as the ship pulls into NYC, which is somewhat reminiscent of a scene in "The Godfather: Part II."

In an interesting twist, Beban appears in the opening scene, relaxing in his home in a smoking jacket, reading a book entitled "The Italian." Then the story begins. At the end, he appears again, having finished the book.

There are only a few title cards in the film, but the story is easy to follow.

To get a glimpse of the hardships that faced immigrants 100 years ago in the United States, June 1915's "The Italian" will give you one example of an aspiring and hardworking new arrival in New York City's Lower East Side. The movie follows a shoeshiner (played by actor George Beban) from Italy who soon is impoverished after leaving a gondolier job in his native country. Tragedy strikes when his sick infant son needs an expensive special milk to survive.

Thomas Ince produced this heart-tugging story, which he also co-wrote. Director Reginald Baker, whose studio was based on the West Coast, elected to shoot in the tenement quarter of San Francisco in lieu of the story's Manhattan Lower East Side setting. Baker is credited with giving "The Italian" a unique perspective for his audience by posting his camera in varying positions, combining wide, medium and tight shots (unusual for the time) which highlights the characters' progression throughout their ordeals. Embarking on this cinematic tact, Baker illustrates the actors' psychological reasoning for their actions rather than simply unfolding a straight line plot.

"The Italian" clearly was calling for social reform from the poverty so many deligent working immigrants were facing while attempting to making a living in their new country. The predatory politicians and criminals portrayed in the film make life impossible for those new arrivals. Actor Beban's portrayal of an Italian immigrant shows, as one critic wrote, "America is not a promised land paved with gold but a Darwinian jungle, where dreams meet dead ends."

This was Beban's film debut after spending years on vaudeville and in live theater. Typecast as Italian and French throughout his acting career, Beban was of Croatian/Irish mix. He also directed and wrote for film, but retired in the late 1920's upon his wife's death. He died at 54 in 1928 after being thrown off his horse vacationing at a California dude ranch.

This short American silent feature is a knockout. Made in 1915, it was lost for several decades. It is the story of an Italian immigrant and his wife who see in the United States a land of opportunity and happiness. Everything, instead, works against them. The film makes a very strong impression and has credible performances. The location shooting in the ghettos of the time give it a distinctly neo-realist feeling. It is said that Francis Ford Coppola watched it closely before shooting the Little Italy sequences of "The Godfather, Part II"

Thomas Ince always had a knack for bringing simple homespun stories to life with fullness and flair. "The Italian" is such a film. Solid acting, particularly by George Beban, father of silent child actor George Beban, Jr., and wonderful sets convey a realistic feeling of early immigrant tenements in New York. These give this 1915 film an authenticity which is unusual in features of this vintage.

The film begins with the modern day and a man (George Beban in modern clothes) reading a story about an Italian immigrant, and then we transition into the story with George playing the immigrant. He raises enough money to bring his fiancée from Italy to America, marries her, and has a son with her. But times are hard and the family struggles to survive. I found myself wondering why the mother didn't breastfeed her child, and avoid the complications with the dirty formula, but oh well, even the early Dream Factory was pushing political correct behaviour for women in 1915!

The best scene in the picture is when Beban has a chance to seek revenge on a crime boss who inadvertently put him in jail, and at the last minute he decides against his planned course of action. Very neat. I loved the curtain effect, it was great. Wonderful use of lighting in this film.

I give "The Italian" an 8 out of 10.