Joan Micklin Silver Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Julie Semkow

Critical Essay by Julie Semkow

For all of us who are second- or third-generation children of immigrants, the narration from the beginning of [the exceptionally beautiful The Immigrant Experience] strikes deeply in our hearts. Indeed, most of the sequences from this true story are direct visual enactments of tales we've all heard, of the long, long journey our grandparents made.

Filmed on location in Greenwich Village and Ellis Island, the drama follows the arrival of 12-year-old Janek from Poland. (p. 45)

The Immigrant Experience has been sensitively and beautifully filmed. The actors are attractive and in many instances actually are Polish or of Polish origin. The young man who plays the youthful Janek is particularly engaging, as is the teacher whose role demands that she be severe and, paradoxically, tender. It is a film for all age groups and audiences, to afford understanding of the elements which influenced the development of diversity in the national...
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