Photography
This image depicts what a traditional Italian woman migrating to the U.S. in the early 20th century looks like. As noticeable, the woman has a very simplistic style and is wearing only the essentials – no jewelry, flashy clothing, etc. This is very different from how the British woman Lucy was visualized in Nuovomondo. In Crialese’s film, Lucy is dressed in elite clothing (rich fabrics), wears accessories (such as hats), and maintains a more upper-status look overall. This comparison shows how simplistic Italian migrant women truly were, outlining their primary goal – a better future – not a lavish lifestyle, rather a scope for success in the new world.
This image depicts two people’s bare feet hanging loosely from atop a boat/ship through a window inside a lower-level cabin. With nothing but an empty ocean and this set of bare feet seen through the cabin window, the picture aims to show a glimpse of the experience Libyan refugees had along their journey over to Italy. Although this photograph was captured just a few years ago, the black and white effect is utilized purposely to enhance the viewer’s imagination as to how the refugees’ experiences must have been.
This image depicts an Italian navy boat providing several asylum-seekers off the coast of Africa a ride across the Mediterranean to refuge in Italy. The photographic techniques used in this image are useful towards the representation of a fraction of the number of people in northern Africa who needed to escape their war-torn countries at the time. Not only do the vibrant colors and the birds-eye view provide insight to the number of people, rather they also enhance the viewer’s perception of the desperate refugee experience. This photograph effectively captures an essence of how the journey of a refugee is, relevant to Swada’s story in The Order of Things; in this film, Corrado (an immigration control officer) learns of the hardships experienced by the refugees. Like most of the people presented on this boat, Swada was also a Libyan refugee to Italy who simply wanted to escape the war-torn land and reunite with her family.
