When I saw this film on television today, I was disappointed because I had a very hard time understanding the dialogue and the plot. The film foremost should have translations and captions for the dialogue in German and Norwegian and captions for all the dialogue in English. These were not available on my current TV system.
Some reviewers have been mistaken about the time of the setting as some believe it is in 1920. In the opening scene, the two young immigrant women are approached by a man who asks them to sign a petition in favor of women's suffrage or the right to vote. (They do not understand a word of English, but they sign anyway). Women's suffrage became legal before the Presidential election of Warren G. Harding in 1920, so petitions obviously were being signed a few years earlier. Also, one who is knowledgeable about fashions and automobiles can identify the era from the clothes and cars the characters wear and drive, respectively.
Well into the movie, a character mentions trouble with Germany that is brewing in Europe and which will lead to World War I. The assassinations of the Austrian archduke and his wife happened in 1913 and the full-fledged war began in 1914, so the film story begins around 1913 or in early 1914. A bit later in the film, a character mentions the unrest in Russia which developed as an offshoot of Russia's involvement in World War I. This unrest eventually would lead to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Yes, it is a good idea to know something about history when watching a "period" movie.
A reviewer on another internet site was incorrect when she criticized the elements of farming shown in the film, so I will mention some details viewers should notice. This certain reviewer did not believe field corn is harvested when the stalks are dry and dead, but it certainly is. I know this because I come from several generations of corn farmers and have seen many corn harvests. The reason is that field corn is a monocot or starch that is grown for feeding livestock and must remain in edible condition while in dry storage, as in a corn crib. In field corn, there is just one ear of corn per stalk, and this is why the stalks are cut down during harvest. As the corn stalks dry and die, moisture and the green color leave the plant, and the same process occurs when the kernels and the ears of corn lose their green color and moisture and become very dry and hard. If the corn was picked when green or simply not sufficiently dry, the moisture in the stalks and ears would cause spoilage and rot. This is why farmers make sure the stalks are dead and the ears and kernels have dried and hardened completely before they harvest the corn..
The above-mentioned reviewer obviously did not know the difference between field corn (a starch grown for livestock feed) with sweet corn (grown for human consumption). The fact is, sweet corn is a dicot or sweet, and it has several ears on one stalk. The green ears are harvested by removing the mature individual ears from the green stalk, leaving smaller or younger ears to mature during the growing season. Because it is green and moist, the sweet corn must be refrigerated until it is time to cook it in boiling water.
I agree with other reviewers about the depth of the film, its many themes, and the portrayals by the actors. I certainly would like to see it again, but I do hope to find a DVD or TV version with the language translations and captions for all the dialogue.
Some reviewers have been mistaken about the time of the setting as some believe it is in 1920. In the opening scene, the two young immigrant women are approached by a man who asks them to sign a petition in favor of women's suffrage or the right to vote. (They do not understand a word of English, but they sign anyway). Women's suffrage became legal before the Presidential election of Warren G. Harding in 1920, so petitions obviously were being signed a few years earlier. Also, one who is knowledgeable about fashions and automobiles can identify the era from the clothes and cars the characters wear and drive, respectively.
Well into the movie, a character mentions trouble with Germany that is brewing in Europe and which will lead to World War I. The assassinations of the Austrian archduke and his wife happened in 1913 and the full-fledged war began in 1914, so the film story begins around 1913 or in early 1914. A bit later in the film, a character mentions the unrest in Russia which developed as an offshoot of Russia's involvement in World War I. This unrest eventually would lead to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Yes, it is a good idea to know something about history when watching a "period" movie.
A reviewer on another internet site was incorrect when she criticized the elements of farming shown in the film, so I will mention some details viewers should notice. This certain reviewer did not believe field corn is harvested when the stalks are dry and dead, but it certainly is. I know this because I come from several generations of corn farmers and have seen many corn harvests. The reason is that field corn is a monocot or starch that is grown for feeding livestock and must remain in edible condition while in dry storage, as in a corn crib. In field corn, there is just one ear of corn per stalk, and this is why the stalks are cut down during harvest. As the corn stalks dry and die, moisture and the green color leave the plant, and the same process occurs when the kernels and the ears of corn lose their green color and moisture and become very dry and hard. If the corn was picked when green or simply not sufficiently dry, the moisture in the stalks and ears would cause spoilage and rot. This is why farmers make sure the stalks are dead and the ears and kernels have dried and hardened completely before they harvest the corn..
The above-mentioned reviewer obviously did not know the difference between field corn (a starch grown for livestock feed) with sweet corn (grown for human consumption). The fact is, sweet corn is a dicot or sweet, and it has several ears on one stalk. The green ears are harvested by removing the mature individual ears from the green stalk, leaving smaller or younger ears to mature during the growing season. Because it is green and moist, the sweet corn must be refrigerated until it is time to cook it in boiling water.
I agree with other reviewers about the depth of the film, its many themes, and the portrayals by the actors. I certainly would like to see it again, but I do hope to find a DVD or TV version with the language translations and captions for all the dialogue.
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