I Remember Mama

exquisitely detailed film directed by George Stevens I Remember Mama tells of a Norwegian family living in San Francisco during the beginning of this century. It is an old classical movie, based on Kathryn Forbes' novel titled Mama's Bank Account. The film is rendered and it is a moving act of memory about how an immigrant family copes with poverty and how they try to overcome the odds of living in a foreign country. I could identify with almost every scene in the movie and not because of the era but because of the feelings it provoked. There was so much warmth, so much hope and yet it wasn't the "perfect" family, it was just people living life on life's terms.
"We don't want to go to the Big Bank." This is what Mama will say when they have a bill that they need to settle. Everyone will then think of something that they can do to help to get the bill paid. The children have always think that their parents have a bank account and that they have plenty of money but little do they know that if there is exactly Mama's bank account or have their parent ever been inside the bank.
Martha Janssen, who plays the key role in this story as "Mama" is a dominant member in her family but also very gentle and practical as well at the same time. Her family, which has just migrated from their homeland, Norway is poor and she has to keep detailed in pennywise household budget to survive from moving out of their rented apartment. In order to make things easier, they remained close and together, each member of the Janssen family makes his or her sacrifice. Through this, they display an apparent love for each other.
In the beginning of the movie, while Martha is counting the day's income together with her family on the usual round table, the eldest son, Nels announces his intention to further his studies. With barely enough money, she sacrifices her plan to buy the winter coat that she has been longing for so that Nels will be able to fulfill his dream to become a doctor. Despite