“My name is Elia Kazan. I am a Greek by blood, a Turk by birth and an American because my uncle made a journey.”America America (Elia Kazan, 1963)
Feb
2
New Amsterdam
Stavros (Stathis Giallelis) and other passengers on the ship. Their faces are reflected in a glass pane, showing dozens waiting at what appears to be Ellis Island. DP: Haskell Wexler.
A film about New York to commemorate the incorporation of New Amsterdam. The official Bales' rule states the year 1624, but that is the year of settlement, and even that is one year off. To cut a long story short, New Amsterdam was incorporated as a city on February 2, 1653.
– Elia Kazan, voice-over
America America tells the story of director Kazan's grandfather through the life of the Greek Stavros Topouzoglou (Stathis Giallelis), who was adamant to start anew, in New York.