”America, America,” The Epic Must-See Film Directed By Elia Kazan, Arrives On DVD February 8 From Warner Home Video

Burbank, CA - – One of Elia Kazan’s most personal films arrives on DVD February 8 from Warner Home Video. Exploring his family’s cultural heritage and honoring the dreams that brought European immigrants pouring into America at the turn of the century, Elia Kazan’s “America, America” is a powerful and turbulent story of struggle through the journey to freedom, filled with passion, drama and personal strife. This is the first time the film will be available as a DVD single. Orders are due January 4 ($19.97 SRP).

Inspired by Elia Kazan’s (“A Streetcar Named Desire,” “East of Eden,” “Gentleman’s Agreement,” “On the Waterfront,” “Splendor in the Grass,” “Panic in the Streets”) best selling novel based on his uncle’s life, “America, America” won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Black-and-White (1964) as well as two Golden Globes for Best Director and Most Promising Newcomer Male (1964); the film was also selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Recipient of the coveted Lifetime Achievement Oscar, Elia Kazan is renowned as one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history – his films have won a total of 20 Academy Awards. In addition to winning an Oscar for Gene Callahan’s vivid art direction, “America, America” picked up three additional Academy Award nominations for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay (1964).

About The Film:

“I am a Greek by blood, a Turk by birth and an American because my uncle made a journey.”

Elia Kazan’s own words begin the saga of young Stavros (Stathis Giallelis), who leaves his war-torn homeland behind to begin a new life. With his family’s meager fortune and his father’s blessing, Stavros encounters both allies and adversaries on a dramatic trek. He ultimately achieves his dream through sheer determination and will, thereby earning his nickname: America, America.

Saluting the masses who sailed toward Miss Liberty’s shining torch, Kazan (“A Streetcar Named Desire”) uses little-known talents here rather than stars. The results impress: Academy Award nominations (1963) for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay, an Oscar for Gene Callahan’s vivid Art Direction, Golden Globes to Kazan (Best Director) and Giallelis (Most Promising Newcomer) and nomination to the National Film Registry for permanent preservation. Both epic and intimate, it’s powerful moviemaking.

Director:

Elia Kazan (“A Streetcar Named Desire,” “East of Eden,” “Gentleman’s Agreement,” “On the Waterfront,” “Splendor in the Grass,” “Panic in the Streets”)

Cast:

Stathis Giallelis (Winner of the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer- Male)
Frank Wolff
Elena Karam

DVD Features:

Commentary by Historian Foster Hirsch

About Warner Home Video:

With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, a division of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.