In 14 minutes, social studies and ELA educators can take advantage of a haunting new titled Ellis about the buildings on the island between New York and New Jersey. Ellis Island served as a United States immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The 2015 film is now available on Youtube and stars Robert De Niro. The setting for the film is the present day with the footage of the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital complex mixed with photographs from its occupants at the turn of the century. These empty buildings are in decay, but they are decorated with the artist JR’s unframed installations of photographs, which have been enlarged and pasted around the complex. The screenplay by Eric Roth places De Niro as the spiritual narrator. His narration is sparse, but the images are not. Promotional materials for the film explain that Ellis,
“…tells the forgotten story of the immigrants who built America. It is the story of the ghosts of our countries past, the individuals who fled poverty, discrimination, and dictatorships, for a chance at a new life and eerily foreshadows the plight of those who currently seek the same opportunities and safety in this country and other parts of the world.”
The materials on the website can be used for discussion. The photographs used in the film can be shared using a projector or Smartboard. At one point in the film, there is footage of the icy waters of the Hudson that highlights the dangers of the passage hundreds of thousands made in coming to America. The icy water also acts as a barrier despite the short distance between Ellis and the US mainland. To see the buildings in the New York City skyline, even veiled in an snowy fog, was a welcome sign for so many immigrants. But for those who were assigned to the Ellis Island hospital, there was a different story. Immigrants could be sometimes housed for illnesses and some perished. Worse yet, many were sent back to return to their native country. The film could be a companion piece to teachers using texts in middle grades: Karen Hesse’s Letters from Rifka, Avi’s Beyond the Western Sea Series; or higher: Carol Birman’s Journey to Ellis Island and Martin Sandler’s Island of Hope:Journey to America. Yes, the action is slow. De Niro is the only voice, but the film can provide talking points to help students discuss the immigration through Ellis Island that has been a large part of the Nation’s past. This film can help our students understand immigration in the past, the present and how we will treat immigration in the future.
