Often, when you get films with multiple production countries behind them, you can end up with a bit of a mess that ties to pander more to its investors rather than its audience. Here, the casting of Raf Vallone as the increasingly troubled “Eddie” and a selection of other European actors actually helped to authenticate the Tower of Babel that New York City actually was. He is a manual worker who has long since only being going through the motions with wife “Be” (Maureen Stapleton) whilst becoming increasingly infatuated with his niece “Catherine” (Carol Lawrence). When two of her cousins arrive on the doorstep, promising that they are looking for work, they sleep on the couch and fairly swiftly she takes a bit of a shine to “Rodolpho” (Jean Sorel) - much to the chagrin of “Eddie”. With the atmosphere in their tiny apartment becoming more and more toxic and claustrophobic, it may only be the presence of the elder and more savvy “Marco” (Raymond Pellegrin) that is restraining “Eddie” from asserting himself, violently, and despite the woes of both his wife and “Catherine”. When the two youngsters announce their impending nuptials, “Eddie” seeks legal advice from his friend to see if he can thwart their plans, but all he can do is report them to the immigration authorities. What might that achieve for all concerned? Though it’s quite heavily abridged, and we don’t really get to appreciate the supporting characters as fully as I’d have liked, Vallone really does deliver quite powerfully here. So does the underused Stapleton whose affection for her husband, despite his only thinly-veiled desire for “Catherine”, and her understanding nature would challenge the patience of any of the saints routinely referred to as this torrid scenario unfolds. The photography is up close and personal, and I thought Sidney Lumet allows the strength of the story to be played out by actors who almost sweat their roles onto the screen. I did not love the denouement, it is rushed and in many ways incomplete, but this is an authentic looking critique on the lives of immigrants hoping, optimistically, for the American dream, and is worth a watch.
