America America

America America (British title The Anatolian Smile) is a 1963 American drama film directed, produced and written by Elia Kazan. It was inspired by the struggle of his uncle, Avraam Elia Kazantzoglou, to work his way to America, a land of dreams and opportunity. Kazan adapted the screenplay from his own 1962 book.





== Plot ==

In the late 1890s, a young Cappadocian Greek, Stavros Topouzoglou, lives in an impoverished village below Mount Erciyes in Ottoman Turkey. The subjugated life of the Cappadocian Greeks and Armenians of Kayseri is depicted, including the Derinkuyu Underground City traditional cliff cave dwellings, where Stavros' grandmother lives.

Stavros and his Armenian friend Vartan plan to go to the faraway land of opportunity – America – together. Stavros witnesses a Hamidian massacre against the Armenians, which leaves Vartan dead, and Stavros is nearly imprisoned trying to recover Vartan's mutilated corpse.

Knowing that the Greeks won't remain safe from the violent pogroms forever, the family plans to send Stavros to Constantinople, the Ottoman capital, to eventually settle the family there. He is entrusted by his father, Issac, with the family's entire fortune in money, jewels, rugs, whatever is greatest in value and transportable, including the family donkey.

Once successful, he is to send first for his sisters, then his brothers, and establish them safely and prosperously there as well.