Red Star Line (3 Episodes) - 2-DVD Set

Red Star Line (3 Episodes) - 2-DVD Set (DVD) (*)

$30.99

Language Selections:
Dutch ( Dolby Digital Stereo )
Dutch ( Subtitles )
English ( Dolby Digital Stereo )
English ( Subtitles )
French ( Dolby Digital Stereo )
French ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
France ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
150 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
2-DVD Set
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2013 and produced in:
Belgium ( France, Benelux )

Directed By:
Daniel Cattier
Fabio Wuytack

Written By:
Daniel Cattier
Fabio Wuytack

Actors:
Daniel Cattier
Fabio Wuytack

Synopsis:

Between 1873 and 1934, the Belgian shipping company Red Star Line transported approximately 2 million migrants from Antwerp to New York. What makes the Red Star Line unique is that it mainly transported Eastern Europeans to the United States, many of whom were of Jewish origin. This made Antwerp the main passenger port in Europe at the time. The documentary series presents a mosaic of human migration stories. Audio tapes containing over 2000 interviews with people testifying on the most important journey of their lives, are kept on Ellis Island, the island just off the coast of New York where migrants would arrive. We visited the descendants of these Red Star Line passengers in America and brought with us the original sound recordings. With them, we discovered why they had left everything they owned, traveled to Antwerp, how the RSL brought them across the ocean to New York, and how they tried to build up a new life on the other side of the ocean.
Episode 1: Departure
Episode 2: The Journey
Episode 3: America

The mythical shipping company Red Star Line transported about 2 million European people to the Americam Dream
Episode 1: Departure From 1850 until just after the First World War, millions of Europeans left for the United States to flee poverty and war. They all cherished the hope of a new and better life. The Belgian-American Red Star Line transported over 2 million Europeans from Antwerp to America during its 60-year existence. We visited the descendants of these Red Star Line passengers in America and brought with us the original sound recordings. Today, they will be hearing the tapes of their parents or grandparents `testimonies for the first time. Together we relive each migrant`s personal life story and find out why they saw no other way out but to leave behind their European home country.
Episode 2: The Journey The Red Star Line`s decision to use Antwerp as their European base was a major revolution for the city. By making large investments in the port, Antwerp was able to grown into one of the most important migration cities in the world. When the great wave of migration from Eastern Europe got underway, Antwerp was almost swamped with migrants. They came in large groups to an unfamiliar city. Many also spent some time hanging around in Antwerp before they could leave for America because they often had no money left to pay their Red Star Line ticket by the time they arrived. Some were also robbed of the only money they had by fraudulent ticket sellers. Many migrants took a joint sigh of relief at the sight of the Statue of Liberty. After this exhausting crossing, their American Dream was finally and tangibly close by. But that did not mean the end of the journey...
Episode 3: America In the third instalment, 'The American Dream' can finally begin for these European fleeing a life of war and poverty. Yet the delirious joy after their first sight of the Statue of Liberty was short-lived for many: before they could set foot on the American shore, they had to undergo a grim medical examination on Ellis Island, the mythical gateway to New York. Under pressure from trade unions and the anti-immigration movement, the eligibility criteria to enter the US became even more stringent. Newcomers and their pasts were thoroughly investigated. Compulsory education and various other government initiatives succeeded in assimilating all these different nationalities into one nation. They would all contribute to the creation of modern America. A quote from one of the Ellis Island tapes sums it all up: This country was built by immigrants. This country is a country of immigrants. We are all immigrants...

Using the story of the Red Star Line as a narrative vessel, this three-part documentary by Daniël Cattier and Fabio Wuytack explains why European emigrants left their homes behind for an uncertain future. It details their trips to Antwerp, their travel across the ocean, and their adjustments to their new lives in America. Theirs are intimate yet epic journeys in which past and present merge in the forging of new identities. The film, which is shot on location in Antwerp, New York, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia and Ukraine, uses 'emotional archaeology' to weave a richer narrative than could be conveyed through a string of facts and figures. And walking in the footsteps of Red Star Line passengers, surprising similarities are revealed to the experiences of modern immigrants.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 08 December, 2015.