The Italian

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"

Well made silent melodrama, of some historic import.

The acting is generally quite good and understated for the time, the cinematography has some nice lighting effects, and moving shots (and one amazing close up, where the camera shakes with a character's anger).

On the other hand, the melodramatic story feels blandly predictable, along with having a giant plot hole at its center, and some other annoying, easily avoided contradictions and logic gaps.

Certainly this story -- a struggling Italian immigrant and his bride in the slums of New York, coming to America to fulfill their dreams, but finding disillusionment and despair -- must have resonated with a lot of people at the time. I just wish the story had the subtlety of the acting and images.

A good, solid, important early film.

Very well preserved and amazingly well done for a movie of this period. The story has a nice mix of drama and comedy, including a few scenes similar to those in slapstick comedies of the time.

Nice sets and even the "Venice" and the "Italian vineyard" scenes look good. Some interesting backlit shots. Still has some melodramatic touches and broad acting, but looks 10 years ahead of its time.

THE Italian (1915) tells the story of Beppo Donnetti (George Beban), a gondolier in Italy who journeys to America so that he can marry and provide a home for his love Annette (Clara Williams). America is thought to be the land of promise, but things happen in their new home that change their lives forever. Directed by Reginald Barker.

SCRIPT: THE Italian is a very warm and touching movie in many ways, and has moments of sadness and anguish as well. There is humor and joy, as well as heartbreak. In spite of some of the broken English Italian stereotypes, the movie shows genuine empathy to its characters. You can see Beppo's hope for a better life in America turn to despair when things don't go his way. There are wonderful details here, such as how Annette and her father laugh when a wealthy would-be suitor is forced to concede to the poor Beppo; how Beppo notices his son's sleeping with his hand under his chin, and other things. To its credit, the film doesn't conclude with a pat happy ending. SCORE: 9/10

ACTING: The acting is pretty naturalistic for its period, stopping short of the hammy antics usually practiced at the time. The actors are portraying Italians, whom have been commonly stereotyped as dramatically expressive; however, the actors don't treat their characters with mockery, but with affection. The cast overall conveys a wonderful sense of humanity. George Beban runs the gamut of emotions in his portrayal of Beppo and makes everything believable – his joys, his sorrows, his anger and resignation. Clara Williams also is very believable and lifelike in her portrayal of Annette. SCORE: 9/10

CINEMATOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION: The camera-work in this film is quite superb. There are some very expressive close-ups and moments where the camera either comes closer to or draws away from the actor in order to magnify the emotional reaction to the moment. The scenes in old Italy are particularly beautiful, with some wonderfully composed shots against the sunset and beautiful views of rivers and bridges. The editing is fairly smooth (there are a couple of choppy moments but they are most likely due to lost footage). Cross cutting is used quite frequently and there aren't very many long takes. Tinting is used to designate day and night scenes, and lends additional warmth and beauty to the sunset scenes. Incidentally, this movie came out before BIRTH OF A NATION but uses many of the same devices. Great work overall. SCORE: 9/10

SUMMARY: THE Italian is another definitive early feature film. The story is moving in many ways, heartfelt and empathetic toward its protagonists. The acting is naturalistic and shows affection for the characters being portrayed. The cinematography is always professional and in many cases quite excellent and beautiful. THE Italian is definitely worth seeing as an example of the emotional power of silent cinema. SCORE: 9/10

THE ITALIAN is an astonishingly accomplished film for its time. Stunningly shot, with lighting effects that are truly sublime, this is an early gem that clearly reveals REGINALD BARKER to be a pioneer director of equal standing to D.W. GRIFFITH and MAURICE TOURNEUR. How much control Thomas Ince exerted over the production is hard to know, but this film still has extraordinary power. The simple story of an Italian immigrant struggling to keep his family alive in New York, is very moving. The themes of social injustice, revenge and forgiveness are completely relevant today. The use of close-ups is outstanding and the powerhouse performance of GEORGE BEBAN is electrifying. What we need now is a really good print transferred to DVD so we can truly appreciate this early masterpiece of cinema.