A group of Sicilian peasants decide to seek a new life in the New World.

When this movie started I thought it was going to be a matter of Fellini-style surrealism, two men struggling up a rocky hill with stones held in their mouths, but it soon becomes apparent that early 20th century Sicily is itself a surreal landscape.

The peasants have found postcards from the U.S., with crudely faked photos of money growing on trees and farmers growing giant vegetables. They naively believe this to be true state of the magical New World.

You really need to think things through in the minds of these innocents to get an understanding of the still medieval society they inhabit, and how it is to soon clash with modern industrial culture. The scene where the ship, into whose cramped lower decks they have been packed, leaves the Italian port is mesmerising.

The crowd on the dock and the huddled masses on the ship stand in numb bewilderment as they are slowly seperated, no waving or crying, just stunned silence.

The DVD features an introduction by Martin Scorcese.