User Reviews

I really dislike two part series because the TV guide never indicates when the second part is shown. Sure enough, I only saw the first part, which was interesting enough that I waited until it was shown again and saw both halves. Frankly, the second part is a disappointment.

The first half is almost entirely in Italian, so don't trust the IMDb language notes. Call me a sucker for subtitles but I liked the first half of this movie. The first part promises some interesting insights into the plight of new immigrants in a strange country and Canadian prejudice.

Unfortunately, the second half is pure soap, unfulfilled love and almost entirely in English. The charm of a foreign-feeling film is gone. Although the filmmakers attempt to build sympathy for the difficulties of the immigrant, they eventual become only whiny losers.

Finally, it's not even made in the authentic Little Italy in Edmonton, a place that still retains its 1950's look and is still populated by real Italian immigrants or their children.

Remembering the flooding of the Polesine (an Italian region) in 1951, and at the time living in the Toscan-Emilia/Romagna Appenines (a set of mountains that divides these two regions north-east to south-west with peaks of up to 6,000 feet)and remembering that in our village Gaggio Montano (elevation about 2,000 feet) many families helped the distressed families of the Polesine flooding by taking in their homes school aged children's for that summer of 1951, I would say that this movie, is well researched.It's very valid today, even thought it reflected immigrants condition in the 1950 Canada to very analogous situation of immigrants (from many other countries) to Italy in recent years, where the reception place for these immigrants, are military barracks just like the movie in Canada. Having talked over the years to other immigrants like me (1956 USA), I would says that the story has it develops in Canada, is realistic enough, after years of family separation some men went astray,unfortunately. The actors are good, and the ending, the best part:tear jerking. I also have to note that I watched this movie in the Italian spoken version on RAI International 3 or 4 years ago, and as far as I could remember, did not find any glitches with sub titles. I highly recommend it to any body that is familiar with those times, or story, and any one that is looking for contents and high morals to the story it self.