Um Começo de Vida

The great José Ferrer showed audiences his comical side in the bittersweet Anything Can Happen. He plays a Georgian immigrant, and he's just adorable. The opening scene shows Joe's boat pulling into Ellis Island, and as he gazes at the Statue of Liberty, he practices a basic English phrase. "How...are..." (he sneaks another peek at the guidebook) "...you?" he asks the statue before tipping his hat. It's so cute! Kurt Kazner helps him get through immigration and shows him the ropes in America, from helping him learn English to getting him started in business.

He soon meets Kim Hunter, a sweet girl with an interest in local, international folk songs. Joe sings a bit for her, and before he knows it, they're developing a friendship and including each other in meals and get-togethers. Joe's falling in love with her, but in Kim's mind, he's just a dear friend. However, in America, anything can happen.

Although this movie is a cute comedy with a sweet little romance thrown in, there is some drama thrown in there. For one, the love story is unrequited, and for another, the path to American citizenship is fraught with obstacles. It's not an easy journey for Joe, but he's determined and works hard even when he gets pushed two steps backwards.

Kurt has a very funny lesson to teach Joe one day when they're discussing the dough in their bakery. Joe pronounces it the right way, but Kurt corrects him: "When meat is hard to eat, is called 'tuff'. How you spell? ... When ocean's up and down, is called 'ruff'. How you spell? ... And flour and yeast is spelled D-O-U-G-H. So, is 'duff'." It's an adorable explanation that makes total sense to non-native English speakers. And when native English speakers really think about it, they'll realize how difficult their language is for others to learn. I'd recommend this movie for those who find immigration movies endearing, or if you've just watched 1952's Moulin Rouge and want to see Joe's versatility.

This is an OK movie. Jose Ferrer plays the Georgian immigrant, George Papashvili whose book, 'Anything Can Happen,' is a classic story of an immigrant adjusting to life in the United States. The book has a charm that this movie doesn't approach. Too bad, as the cast was competent. Kim Hunter and Jose Ferrer don't really create much spark and even Oscar Beregi's character, the chef, dzea Vanno 'Uncle John,' falls a little flat. Ferrer does well, as he always did, playing the Georgian and even sings a charming little song. I might disabuse the other reviewer's confusion by noting that the Georgians are not Slavs (which term is usually reserved for Slovenians) but representatives of a totally unrelated culture living in the Caucasus mountains in Asia Minor. They are a fascinating people and Papashvili's book relates some wonderful experiences here in this new land. Unfortunately, the movie only gives us a sweet little romance but, I guess that's all Hollywood wanted at that time.

"Anything Can Happen" is a cute story that is about a group of immigrants from the country of Georgia and, in particular, it focuses on Giorgi Papashvily (José Ferrer). The story begins with Giorgi arriving in the USA in New York, like so many other immigrants. He has made a Turkish friend along the way (Kurt Kasznar) but he's anxious to meet up with 'Uncle' John...a family friend who has hasn't seen in many, many years. He cannot locate him for some time but later, when he does, he finds he's pretty much adopted by Uncle John's household. To them, ANY Georgian is family! An, at first, the family wants to find Giorgi a nice Georgian wife. But when they learn that he's smitten with an American (Kim Hunter), they go into matchmaking mode!

This is a nice slice of life film...much like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", though with a bit less emphasis on romance. It's very sweet and enjoyable (I particularly like the citizenship portion at the end) and is a nice look at what the immigrant experience was like back in the day. My only complaint, and it certainly does NOT ruin the film is that, at times, the characters are a tiny bit broad and silly. A big more restraint would have made for a better overall film...though it's still well worth seeing. Plus, any film with Ferrer (with the exception of "Dune") is well worth your time!

Set in the mid-20th century, "Anything Can Happen" is a wonderful story about immigrants to the U.S. from the Soviet Union. It's based on a 1945 book of the same title by George and Helen Papashvily. But, George's immigration actually occurred in the early 1920s. Papashvily had served in the Russian Army during World War I and then fought against the invading Red Army in his native Georgia. He then fled the Soviet Union and stayed two years in Turkey before emigrating to the States.

Papashvily became a renowned sculptor and, with his wife, he wrote half a dozen books. This is a story, with facts and fiction, about his coming to the United States, meeting Helen, and then marrying her. It's a good picture of a common aspect of the populating of America with immigrants, where relatives and friends would tend to immigrate at different times but live in the same cities and neighborhoods.

Unlike many stories of immigration that show dire hardships, this one looks with humor, warmth and sentimentality at one man's story, with many friends and his meeting and marrying his wife. The film won a Golden Globe in 1953 as the best film promoting international understanding. All of the cast are very good. Jose Ferrer and others in roles as Georgians have accents that make the story and characters seem all the more real.

When Ferrer's Giorgi (George) Papashvily and Kurt Kasznar's Nuri Bey arrive in New York, they first stay at the Hotel New Cosmopolitan. A sign in the hotel lobby describes it as a "Residence of Discriminating World Travelers." Another sign warns residents that there is "Positively No Cooking in Rooms - a lunch counter is in the lobby for your convenience." And, at an immigration center, a school advertisement sign greeted new arrivals - one that many ancestors of most American today must have seen at one time. It reads, all in capital letters, "THE ONLY WAY TO LEARN ENGLISH IS TO SPEAK ENGLISH AND ONLY ENGLISH."

Nuri Bey is very funny teaching Giorgi the opposite pronunciations of the letters V and W from the Georgian language to English. The sentence he has Georgi continue repeating is, "I wish I were a witch with violet velvet works." A very hilarious scene is Nuri Bey telling Giorgi that bread dough is pronounced "duff." He gives examples of tough meat (pronounced "tuff") and the rough seas. It's a riot.

This is a wonderful film, perhaps a little slow at times for modern audiences, but with a warmly humorous and down to earth story about immigrants settling in America in the early to mid-20th century.

Here are some favorite lines.

Nuri Bey, "Georgi, there is one rule for Georgians, Turks, Armenians, when learning English. Whenever you think you should say V, say W. When you think it should be W, say V. That way it can' go wrong."

Giorgi Papashvily, "Nuri Bey, where you learn to cook?" Nuri Bey, "In Turkish army."

Nuri Bey, "You haven't got a dozen eggplants?" Helen Watson shakes her head, holding back a smile. Nuri, "Should always have eggplant. Important, like salt and pepper."

Giorgi Papashvily, "No man who has cooked for army is gonna cook for me - unless I am in army."

Nuri Bey, "All right, we'll make dalma instead. You have grape leaves?" Helen shakes her head. Nuri Bey, "No grapes?" Helen, "I know it's careless of me, but, no."

Nuri Bey, "No garlic? Cannot have meal without garlic. It's like fire without flame."

Giorgi Papashvily, "And Nuri Bey." Nuri Bey, "Yes." Giorgi, "Will you do me one more favor, please?" Nuri, "Of course." Giorgi, "Start tomorrow, don't do me no more favor."

Nuri Bey, "In USA, what's everyone doing all the time, huh? Eating. If not eating, chewing gum to fool themselves they are eating. So, we go in business making gum."

Giorgi Papashvily, " I see also here Greek, and Georgian, Syrian, and sitting in the same room and eating the same food is even Turk and Armenian. And I say to myself, if in USA, such a thing can happen, then here, anything can happen."

Uncle John, when two Native Americans come on horses with ropes to pull their car out of the mud, "You must treat them with great respect. They are first citizens of USA."

Anna, "They're going to kill us." Tariel, "Don't be afraid, Anna. Don't be afraid. I will not let them touch you. I have a knife. Before I die, I kill you and Luba."

Uncle John, "We've decided you should engage yourself to Helen quick, tonight." Giorgi, "Uncle John, I would like very much to engage myself, but I think is too fast." Nuri Bey, "Giorgi, in USA everything is fast. Lady and gentleman meet on Saturday, date on Sunday, marry Monday."

Giorgi Papashvily, writing to Helen, "Yesterday Uncle John does not like his job so he quit and decide to go to California. I come with him. Also coming Anna, Luba, Tariel, Chancho."

Nuri Bey, "Here is address. By the time you get there, duff will be ready in package waiting for you." Giorgi Papashvily, "Duff?" Nuri Bey, "Is flour and yeast for khinkali." Giorgi, "Thought it was called 'doe.'" Nuri, "Is pronounced 'duff'." Giorgi, "Uncle John say 'doe.'" Nuri, "Giorgi, I know he's great friend of yours. But Uncle John don't speak English so good. Better you learn from me - is 'duff.' Show you why. When meat is hard to eat is called 'tuff.' How you spell?" Giorgi, "T-O-U-G-H". Nuri, "Right! When ocean's up and down, is called 'ruff.' How you spell?" Giorgi, "R-O-U-G-H." Nuri, "Right. And flour and yeast for khinkali is spelled D-O-U-G-H. So, is 'duff.'" Giorgi, "Duff!" Nuri, ":...Ah, is amazing how easy language for me."

Charming warm tale about the quirky relationship between an immigrant and an all-american folk music fan.

It is initially hard to accept Jose Ferrer playing a Slav, but this becomes less of a concern pretty soon. The characterizations are sincere, and the story takes several unpredictable turns, confirming the intention of the title. The story does suffer under the burden of American triumphalism, though this is only a minor detail.

This is no tale of grand passion. The heroine complains that, though she likes the hero and he adores her, it isn't much more than that. "He doesn't give me a chill up my spine", she moans. Her aging and ill grandmother retorts "You can get that from a cold shower".

The grandmother has the standout part among the supporting cast. Which is really saying something, as it is a ripper bunch of great actors, who paint a lovely tableau of mad Georgian (former USSR, not American South) community life. The grandmother stands out mainly because she is given all the best lines, such as the one above.

There is warmth between the two leads. Not too much. Just the right amount, to fit in with the moral of the film ("settling for second best can always turn out well").

I particularly liked the handling of the immigrants adjusting to their new life, and their attempts to deal with the quirks of the English language are handled with warmth and empathy while still being very funny.

Overall, a nice and highly enjoyable film.