Before I go to the review I have to confess that I heard about this movie for the first time in 2016 thanks to a still from this movie posted on a movie website. When I found this movie a while ago I was curious since it looked like a comedy, but as the movie progressed it releaved to be a drama based on an autobiography. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it. Now I can go to the review.
When the movie begins, Giorgi Papashvily (Josè Ferrer) arrives to the Us and arranges for various jobs on New York's lower East Side. He is helped by his traveling companion Nuri (Kurt Kasznar) who is more fluent in English. Since Giorgi never spoke a word of English even before arriving in the Us, he lives with some fellow Georgians and practises diction at home. After a mistake which makes him end in court, he is found innocent and befriends Helen Watson (Kim Hunter), a cute-looking journalist who was assigned to his case. What follows are some scenes of immigrants' life-styles, some encounters between Giorgi and Helen and some discussions with her relatives, and as you might expect, true love will find its way.
The performances are nice by the leads (Ferrer, Kasznar and Hunter) and the supporting actors are all funny sidekicks that add a lot to the comedic pacing of the movie. It's also one of those movies about immigrants that doesn't insult immigrants themselves, so it's not that offensive. And I have to admit that is a rather forgotten movie despite it stars freshly Academy Award winners Josè Ferrer (who won in 1950 for CYRANO DE BERGERAC) and Kim Hunter (who won in 1952 for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE).
I highly recommend this ''dramedy'' and, if you are in the right mindset, you'll like it very much.
When the movie begins, Giorgi Papashvily (Josè Ferrer) arrives to the Us and arranges for various jobs on New York's lower East Side. He is helped by his traveling companion Nuri (Kurt Kasznar) who is more fluent in English. Since Giorgi never spoke a word of English even before arriving in the Us, he lives with some fellow Georgians and practises diction at home. After a mistake which makes him end in court, he is found innocent and befriends Helen Watson (Kim Hunter), a cute-looking journalist who was assigned to his case. What follows are some scenes of immigrants' life-styles, some encounters between Giorgi and Helen and some discussions with her relatives, and as you might expect, true love will find its way.
The performances are nice by the leads (Ferrer, Kasznar and Hunter) and the supporting actors are all funny sidekicks that add a lot to the comedic pacing of the movie. It's also one of those movies about immigrants that doesn't insult immigrants themselves, so it's not that offensive. And I have to admit that is a rather forgotten movie despite it stars freshly Academy Award winners Josè Ferrer (who won in 1950 for CYRANO DE BERGERAC) and Kim Hunter (who won in 1952 for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE).
I highly recommend this ''dramedy'' and, if you are in the right mindset, you'll like it very much.