Nuovomondo, Ellis Island, and Italian Immigrants: A New Appraisal by Emanuele Crialese

Abstract

Ellis Island remains in the American collective consciousness a centre of immigration where thousands of Europeans who expected to enter the United States between 1892 and 1954, went through. As such, Ellis Island was a symbolic bridge between the Old World and the New. It is the vision of this bridge, or rather a no man’s land between the two worlds that Emanuele Crialese wants to give of Ellis Island in his movie Nuovomondo (Golden Door in the international version). It deals with the journey to America of a Sicilian family at the beginning of the 20th century. It is divided into three parts, one in Sicily dealing with the departure; the second one is the journey on the ship; the third one extensively deals with the arrival on Ellis Island. The film is rather realistic in the sense that it is widely based upon archival material, which becomes apparent when comparing photographs taken at the turn of the century and the scenes from the movie taking place in Ellis Island. By being realistic Crialese first associates Ellis Island to an alienating island, a devilish place where immigrants experienced trauma and humiliation, even possible deportation. The study of the staging reveals that the place is often seen as a prison and that it is linked to confusion and misunderstanding between the immigrants, their dreams and the requirements of the American immigration officers. Nevertheless, the movie is optimistic and displays a hopeful image of Ellis Island. The main characters manage to be admitted in America then seen as a Promised Land. But, the United States is never presented in the film, which provides a feeling of unreachability, as if Emanuele Crialese had wanted to challenge the myth of “il Nuovomondo” as a Promised Land.