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Documentary about Italian POWs held in America during WWII by Camilla Calamandrei, edited by Nancy Kennedy. Breve traduzione: Nel corso del II conflitto più di 51.000 italiani venne tradotti in Prigionia negli Usa. Il documentario segue la vita di 6 di questi prigionieri (e delle 6 donne che qui incontrarono) in un paese che in quanto ad abbondanza stupiva tutti. Dal nord Africa i prigionieri vennero trasportati con camion porta animali alle navi. Non sapevano dove sarebbero finiti se non quando videro la Statua della Libertà. Catturati in un periodo in cui erano ridotti a pane e acqua, ironicamente la loro cattura si tramutò in fortuna. Le baracche negli Usa erano pulite, il trattamento umano e cibo in abbondanza. La loro cattura, nel maggio del 43 corrispose dopo pochi mesi al cambiamento di alleanze del paese. Il 90% dei prigionieri scelse quindi collaborare. Gente che aveva conosciuto gli Usa solo nei film e nei libri si trovava, ignara della lingua ad essere contemporaneamente prigioniero e collaborativo. Lavorarono, sempre sorvegliati ma con permessi di visita a civili nei weekend, in 26 stati. Inutile dire che prima erano attirati, anche per la lingua, dalle comunità italo americane, ma in breve i rapporti si installarono con cittadine americane sfociando in matrimoni. |
During World War II more than 51,000 Italian
soldiers were brought to the United States as Prisoners of War. The
charming and poignant documentary special, "Prisoners in Paradise,"
traces the previously untold story of these young men, their romances
and friendships with American women, and their significant - but
unrecognized - contribution to the Allied war effort. Featuring rare
period footage of POW camps, the film follows six Italian POWs (and the
women they met in America) on their extraordinary journey-full of
challenges, love, perseverance and good luck. Captured primarily in
Northern Africa - where they had been surviving on hard biscuits
(gallette) and water - the Italian POW’s were uniformly amazed at the
abundance of the US and the generosity of their captors. Barracks were
clean, treatment was humane, and, most importantly, food was always
plentiful. Ironically, for many, capture had turned out to be a stroke
of good fortune. Shortly after the bulk of the Italian POW’s arrived,
Italy officially switched sides in the war, and over ninety percent of
the POWs agreed to collaborate with the Allied war effort. Suddenly, men
who had been so badly defeated in the conflict, who spoke little or no
English, and whose exposure to the United States had come only through
movies and books, now found themselves living out the contradictory
roles of prisoner and ally to the US—at the same time. Though still
restricted and kept under guard, collaborating POWs worked in 26 states
under the direction of American soldiers and were permitted both to
receive visitors and to visit the homes of U.S. citizens on weekends.
Local Italian-American communities extended hearty welcomes to the POWs
and meaningful, lasting relationships flourished. Romances between
Italian POWs and American women were common, and many ended in long
lasting marriages. In its moving final act, "Prisoners of Paradise"
follows four such couples, all of whom married after the war, and
investigates the unique challenges of the years since. As the former
POWs have become citizens and raised families, all the while loving
America and missing Italy. Through these touching and sometime humorous
stories, "Prisoners of Paradise" illuminates the profound cultural
affinity between Italians and Americans, and offers a provocative
meditation on the meaning of national identity in times of peace and
war. info:
Camilla Calamandrei |
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Critica: |
http://film.spettacolo.virgilio.it/cinema/ | |
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Best Documentary Rhode Island Film Festival |
Ms. Calamandrei's uncle, Novaro Bagnoli, was a prisoner of war in the United States. After talking to him about his experiences, Ms. Calamandrei found Louis Keefer, who wrote1992's "Italian Prisoners of War in America, 1942-46: Captives or Allies?" then the only book about the imprisonment published in the United States. Keefer helped Calamandrei track down other former POWs for interviews that Ms. Calamandrei combined with newsreel footage and photographs. "Prisoners in Paradise" is Ms. Calamadrei's first full-length feature. Her short film, "At Arm's Length," premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1990 and won a Merit Award from the Dance on Camera Festival in New York City. She has shot six short documentaries. Ms. Calamandrei is also an award-winning game designer, who worked for both Scholastic Inc. and LEGO. She holds a bachelor's degree from Brown University and a master's degree in Documentary Film Production from Stanford University. Featuring rare footage of the POW camps, "Prisoners in Paradise" follows six of the POWs, chronicling their extraordinary journey. In its final act, the hour-long film follows four of the married couples through the challenges they've faced in the war's aftermath. Through the prisoners' touching, often humorous, stories, "Prisoners in Paradise" considers the cultural affinity between Italians and Americans and the meaning of national identity during wartime. The film has received critical acclaim, with favorable reviews in Variety, The New Republic and the Providence Journal. "Prisoners in Paradise" was named Best Documentary at the Rhode Island Film Festival and was the third place honoree at the New Haven Film Festival. |
