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.

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It's a classic story, all but ageless - a tale that surely could have played out countless times in real life. It's also rather simple overall, so 'The Italian' is certainly an instance in which the feature lives or dies on details and presentation. Though perhaps not wholly riveting, it's solidly entertaining, with turns of light comedy and drama of varying severity to keep us invested. Scenes as written are modestly compelling, and all do well to ably realize them with vivid imagery. Director Reginald Barker captures some fine shots, and I appreciate the care put into aspects like filming locations, set design and decoration, hair, makeup, and costume design. Above all, the cast is swell, capably defying the limits of the silent era with strong facial expressions and exaggerated body language. Star George Beban, above all, is great as protagonist Beppo, a hopeless romantic struggling through the trials of a pitiless and at times corrupt city. Beban offers wonderful nuance and physicality, depicting every shifting emotion of the beleaguered immigrant. And his co-stars are equally up to the task, including not least of all Clara Williams as Beppo's wife Annette.

The movie perhaps feels marginally disjointed on account of its structure - an unusual abundance of intertitles, and multiple jumps in time somewhat uncharacteristic of the era. On a more esoteric level, I just don't think 'The Italian' is perfectly successful in telling its story - it's not wholly engaging. While the plot takes a direction I wouldn't have anticipated, the final minutes left me a bit wanting, as there's no particular resolution to the story. In fairness, there's nothing wrong with that: life is messy, fictional lives can be messy, and the somewhat open-ended nature of the conclusion is a tack I generally rather appreciate in cinema - and one that I think is uncommon in the silent era. Still, in this instance, with this specific tale, I'm unsure that the uncertainty looming over the ending serves its best interests.

I've seen many silent films that I think hold up as essential cinematic experiences, and fewer that didn't quite capture my imagination. In my opinion 'The Italian' lands somewhere in the upper middle between those two ends of the spectrum. What flaws I perceive here are purely subjective, true, and mostly come down to being not fully satisfying as a viewer. Still, it's broadly well made and written, with able performances as an anchor. I wouldn't necessarily say this is a movie to go out of your way to see, but it's suitably enjoyable, and well worth your time if you have the opportunity to watch it.

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 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.