Martin Scorsese's "The Golden Door" (2006)

Although I came across "The Golden Door" a week or two after our discussion of American citizenship and immigration, I feel obligated to share this with the class.  In an interview with NPR, Martin Scorsese (himself an Italian immigrant) even cites "The Godfather: Part II" as being one of the best films to depict the immigrant's experience coming to America.  Interestingly, this part-surrealist, part-realist narrative does not show the Statue of Liberty, a typical mainstay in films about immigration.  Despite this trailer's embarrassingly cheesy voice over, this is a must-see for anyone seeking an intriguing representation of an immigrant's journey to America.  My favorite line?  During the treacherous journey by boat from Sicily to New York, protagonist Salvatore Mancuso introduces himself to the other foreigners on board.  "I've never been in a place with so many foreigners," Mancuso marvels.  "But we're all Italians," a neighbor retorts.  This interaction reveals the vast diversity within the wave of "new immigrants" and the difficulties of finding a community among a disparate group of people.  With many language dialects, customs, appearances, and values, the Italian immigrants had to embrace some common ground to shape the Italian-American culture that seems so distinct in the U.S. today.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NkoJXHiQTc