Having her brother Manalo,Tito Renaldo, a student activist gunned down on the very steps of Havana University turned the meek and God-fearing bank clerk China Valde, Jennifer Jones, into a fiery revolutionary against the government. China joined up with a number of Cuban freedom fighters lead by American Tony Fenner, John Garfield, who masquerades around on the island as a talent scout looking for the latest in both Cuban music and dance crazes that he could bring back to America.
We soon learn that Tony Fenner is really a Cuban exile named Antoino Ferrer who's father, together with his family, fled Cuba in when Machado took over. Trying to get things going in overthrowing the Machado regime Tony who's been heavily financed by Cuban exiles, like himself, back in New York City's Spanish Harlem gets a number of his Cuban friends and fellow revolutionaries in Havana together to dig a tunnel under the Havana Cemetery.
China has a far more personal reason in her covert actions in that the head of the hated Cuban Gestapo-like secret police Armondo Ariete, Pedro Armenda, was the person who gunned down, as we saw earlier in the movie, her brother Manolo. The transactions that Tony and his Cuban freedom fighters are heavily, in order to keep their resistance movement alive, involved in.
Beautifully photographed in black and white "We Were Strangers" has a strikingly sharp, and dark, film-noir quality to it with Tony and his gang of revolutionaries breaking their backs, and almost suffocating from the stench, in digging underneath and planting a giant land-mine in the middle of the Havana Cemetery. Only to have the planned funeral of Machado henchman Acento Contreras Fred Godoy , who Tony and his gang assassinated, transfered to another cemetery outside he city because Acento's sisters wanted to have a little privacy in their brothers final send-off.
Despite a number of setbacks, like the Acento Contreras fiasco, by Tony and his revolutionary gang the Cuban people themselves later took to the streets and drove Machado from power but not before Tony, or Antiono Ferrer, Fenner's lost his life as he was gunned in a wild shootout with the police and Cuban militia at the end of the film. It was ruthless tyrants like Gerardo Machado, and the US support of them, that made it possible for future dictators like Fidel Castro to gain control of the countries that they were driven out of. Being in league, and in bed, with dictators like Marchado and later Batista didn't play to well with the majority of the Cuban people who greatly suffered under them.
In the end it not only turned them against the US but also,like in the case of Fidel Castro, welcomed Soviet support that also endangered the security of those very countries, like the USA, who during the hight of the Cold War whole heartily as well as foolishly supported them. Start your free trial. Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet!
Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Full Cast and Crew. The latest measure of that tyranny is the outlawing of public gatherings of more than four IMDb's Guide to Streaming. Share this Rating Title: We Were Strangers 6. Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Learn more More Like This. The Red Badge of Courage The Roots of Heaven Fictional account of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Under the Volcano Nobody Lives Forever All I Desire In , a wayward mother re-visits the family she deserted.
He Ran All the Way A Walk with Love and Death Force of Evil Body and Soul Edit Cast Complete credited cast: Guillermo Montilla Ramon Novarro Schoenewaldt definitely paints a tough, realistic world but one filled with possibilities and you can feel this energy throughout the book. There is so much to more I could share but it would be much more enjoyable for you to read When We Were Strangers yourself. I hope you enjoy your time and learn as much as I did.
Oct 23, Marcy rated it it was amazing. After her bereaved father came home drunk, he tried to make a pass at his daughter. Irma knew she did not have a safe place to live in her village any more, particularly with the old-fashioned mores of her village. She decided to go to America, the land of opportunity, where her brother had gone before her. Irma became the classic immigrant "sewer" and "embroiderer" in Cleveland. There were dan "Even an uprooted tree could find a scoop of welcoming earth.
There were dangers and poverty she had not anticipated in this city.
She left Cleveland in pursuit of a better life in Chicago. There were trials in Chicago as well, but here Irma had made friends who loved and helped her through the worst of her experiences, in addition to a much better job. The owner appreciated her gifted handiwork.
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In Chicago, a woman doctor helped Irma out of a crisis, and then convinced her to help her heal the poor and sickly in an evening clinic. This experience changed Irma's life as she set out, once again, for a new destination - San Francisco. I have always enjoyed immigration stories!
This is no exception. It was well written. Mar 20, Jan rated it it was amazing. Whenever snow or rain storms keep me indoors, my favorite thing to do is snuggle up in front of the fire place with a good book. From the first time I met protagonist, Irma Vitale, I was emotionally captivated by her circumstances and drawn into her life.
A single women and immigrant struggling to endure seemingly impossible obstacles, Irma is a character I am not likely to forget. Five stars for When We Were Strangers. Apr 30, Brenda rated it really liked it. Her trials were real but so we're her dreams.
- We Were Strangers: Stories Inspired By Unknown Pleasures – review | Books | The Guardian;
- Your Turn to Cry.
- Désirs et destins (French Edition).
Feb 15, MrsF rated it did not like it Shelves: In short summation, this was disingenuous, overtly derivative, horribly cliched, laughable, and all round just b-grade. Uh, so yeah, I wasn't a fan!?!! The idea of the story piqued my interest, and it was certainly an easy read which got me into it - but that ease soon became a case of 'let's state the bleeding obvious'.
I prefer an author who presumes at least a hint of intelligence in her reader, sheesh! The inconsistent pace of the story really bothered me. There were tim Ergh, just finished.
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There were times when it meandered along, abusing opportunities to cram as many tired analogies as possible into prose; then others when it raced through traumatic events with rapid fire succession, leaving no space for the weight of these to dwell with the reader. There were MANY times during my reading when I rolled my eyes, groaned in disgust, or just snorted with laughter at the ridiculous and outrageously predictable narrative.
Irma was one minute a naive, timid, trembling lamb - the next a confident, determined, outspoken career girl. It just didn't gel. And what of Carlo?? Maybe there'll be a sequel ; Some of Schoenewaldt's phrasing drove me batty ie. Opi was like 'God's drool on the mountain' - what?! Or if drool wasn't your thing, '[Opi] sitting like a brown-gray lid on the mountain'. I have to say that overall I read it as a very idyllic version of history. Despite a couple of granted, shocking dark turns and such turns that all of us have faced in one form or another , basically all her dreams came true, and she lived happily ever after in the land of opportunity.
Sorry to any who have enjoyed it. Each to their own of course, and I love reading put of my 'genre' faves care of my bookclub, but I really felt like I read a script from a very bad daytime movie. I don't enjoy historical novels. When this was our bookclub choice, i groaned. I started it early anticipating the struggle ahead. But i truly got into book. I was a quick read but I did put it down in protest a few times. From very humble and naive beginnings I journeyed with Irma as she failed and rose again and finally found her niche and found herself and in the process bloomed into the woman she never thought she could be but we the audience knew she always was.
I got anxious at every set b I don't enjoy historical novels. I got anxious at every set back, yet she persevered. Everything that could go wrong did. I was shattered as I saw a foreshadowing of the rape. I had to put the book down a that point, but I came back. I wanted Irma to preserve, to overcome, to not only survive, but thrive. I enjoyed the character development, the storyline. It was gritty, not always pretty or perfect, it felt real. By the time we got to the end I was so grateful for a happy ending i didn't find it cheesy.
It was necessary, it was needed. This was a beautifully grimy look into the life of early immigrants to the US. But can the same not be said of immigration today? I did particularly enjoy the strong female cast of characters in the new world, which was a stark contrast to Irma's village where a woman's only hope was to marry and hope her husband doesn't beat her or that relatives would support her in old age if she didn't marry.
During her travels she meets all manner or single, independant, business women.
We Were Strangers
Dec 09, Mom2nine rated it it was ok. The book earns the two stars for the first half of the story. Author's attention to details, such as the steerage section of the ship would be dark, brought me into her story. I find it difficult to believe that a working class girl could not go anywhere without being mugged or molested.
Irma was smart enough to find her way over the ocean and to support herself, but was always unsafe when she stepped foot outside. Possibly the author assumes that men are animals, as even Irma's father could not The book earns the two stars for the first half of the story. Possibly the author assumes that men are animals, as even Irma's father could not contain himself. For this reason, the rest of the story was annoying at best. Jan 21, Lori rated it really liked it. I admire how the author moved Irma through events rapidly and seamlessly.
We Were Strangers: Stories Inspired By Unknown Pleasures – review
And I cared about Irma very much. However, so many bad things happened to her in the beginning and middle sections, I was beginning to panic anytime she left the boarding house. The poor girl couldn't even go for a walk! This was a little too traumatic for me, but I still enjoyed the story and appreciated the un-cliche ending.
Two thumbs up to the character of Molly! Jun 12, Kimberly Ann rated it it was ok. Can that many bad things happen to one person? I don't know if I have that right but it was ok. Jun 30, Jolyse Barnett rated it it was amazing Shelves: I read When We Were Strangers a few weeks ago, and I can't stop telling all my gfs about what a compelling read it was.
I'm a huge American history buff, but this was a fresh take on the immigrant experience from what I'd read in the past. The author did such an incredible job weaving Irma's story into history, and it truly gave me all the feels. After reading her detailed journey to America, I feel like I was gifted a glimpse into the desperation and courage it took people like my ancestors to I read When We Were Strangers a few weeks ago, and I can't stop telling all my gfs about what a compelling read it was. After reading her detailed journey to America, I feel like I was gifted a glimpse into the desperation and courage it took people like my ancestors to risk that crossing for a stab at a better life.
Generally, I'm all about the romance when it comes to my reading habits, but the storytelling and Irma's perspective had me rooting for her to stay strong and independent. I wanted her to succeed where so many others hadn't, and for all her suffering to pay off in the end.
I didn't necessarily expect the ending, but I was happily surprised. In fact, I loved the message in this story so much that I recommended it to my adult daughter as a must read for the summer. Now I have to see what else this author has written. Jun 24, Jenny rated it liked it Shelves: I enjoyed the story but the writing made it difficult to follow and understand at points. Throughout the story the story jumps around, even within the same line on a page, making it difficult to distinguish from what is currently happening and the memories being inserted.
Also, the ending seemed quite abrupt. The point from the fever to Irma being well, then suddenly agreeing to be married and then having a child all happened within a few pages. Honestly, the story seemed like it should have end I enjoyed the story but the writing made it difficult to follow and understand at points.
Honestly, the story seemed like it should have ended with Irma getting better and then being courted, with the rest being saved for a sequel, but I am not sure if there was enough there for a whole sequel. This was a well written but not easy book to read because of the story being told. Set in the late 's, it is the story of Irma Vitale who leaves her small town in Italy to pursue her dreams of being a dressmaker in America.
We Were Strangers - Wikipedia
The author depicts well the difficulties, dangers and trials our ancestors faced leaving their homeland to establish a home in a country whose language they did not speak as well as facing countless other vulnerabilities which threatened them. In many ways, the novel high This was a well written but not easy book to read because of the story being told. In many ways, the novel highlights today's dilemmas being both supported and protested across this country. Apr 25, Sharon Jacksack rated it it was amazing. I loved Irma's journey from immigrant to American.
Aug 21, Kathy rated it it was amazing. Beautifully written historical novel about an Italian immigrant woman who comes to America alone and makes her own future through experiences in Cleveland, then Chicago, and finally San Francisco. This author has written short stories. This novel, her first, grew out of a short story about the main character. The writing is just wonderful! A quote on the front cover of the paperback from another author reads: Children tumbled from sod houses to wave us by. Years ago, a traveler said, there were buffalo herds as large as lakes here, horizon to horizon, moving like thunder.
Flocks of passenger pigeons once passed for hours. No matter, the golden light was enough now; hawks rose into a cobalt sky and crimson tipped the shocks of trees. I saw Indians in fringed leather and rain-straight black hair. Storm clouds bloomed over wheat fields, mounded high as mountains. Lightning laced the sky. No one had ever told me that America was so grand. Apr 13, Talia Carner rated it really liked it. Some mothers advice should be ignored, because they come out of the mothers' own limited knowledge and experience. One such warning was Irma's mother's warning on her deathbed that Irma should "not die among strangers.
Irma sets out to follow--and find--her brother who had left for Some mothers advice should be ignored, because they come out of the mothers' own limited knowledge and experience. Irma sets out to follow--and find--her brother who had left for America. She is certain that just like in her village where everyone knew everyone in the neighboring village, so she will locate her brother. Immigrants stories always strike me with the fortitude and determination of those who have no choice.
Of course, only those who survive get to tell--or make a good fictional story. Irma's in the early 19th century is a powerful story of a young woman who encounters numerous difficulties but at the very end turns to helping other young women. It is not dying among strangers, but living and thriving among them that is much more important. Sep 25, Marcie rated it it was amazing Shelves: Quite simply, I loved this book! It's the story of a young woman who makes the difficult decision to immigrate to America on her own, then works hard to find her place in her new country.
Irma is a strong woman to face all the challenges that she encounters and she's full of hope for a better future, yet she is also shockingly naive about the dangers she faces. Her voice is clear and simple and very real, and I appreciated how she struggled with some terrible moral decisions. My biggest complain Quite simply, I loved this book! My biggest complaint is that Irma had truly terrible luck - it seemed like every misfortune that could befall a new immigrant happened to her at some point, but she struggled through and in doing so, discovered her true place in life.
The descriptions of her hometown in Italy and the various cities she traveled through and lived in were so real that you could almost smell them. This book really brought the immigrant experience to life, and made me curious to read more books about that time in history. Jan 12, Gretchen rated it liked it Shelves: An enjoyable novel about the immigrant experience in the 's. Irma's mother has cautioned her to not leave her small village lest she die alone among strangers. So, when fate intervenes and she ends up emigrating to America, how will she respond?
I loved Irma's character, and I enjoyed seeing her grow. There were some very strong sections of the novel - particularly those that show Irma interacting with other immigrants. And yet, I couldn't love this book. There were too many cases of a soluti An enjoyable novel about the immigrant experience in the 's.
There were too many cases of a solution appearing at just the right time. She fixes a hem and ends up with a job at a dressmakers I would have appreciated a little less Plot and little more characterization of the people in Irma's world. The rag seller and his sisters, or Madame Helene had more to offer than they were allowed to do in this story. A good book, especially for traveling. But not one to rush out and buy in hardback.
Feb 14, Lisa rated it really liked it. It also traces the development of a life from nothing to a rich community, and triumph over hardship. There is also a description of an abortion, which is portrayed in a positive light. It bothered me, but it also got me thinking about how the whole system was skewed to make it almost impossible for an unwed mother to keep her baby. Though I think the mother made the wrong choice, I also think a lot of society was culpable for making that seem like the only viable option in a situation like hers.