The GodFather II: Scene Analysis

The scene where Vito reaches America is extremely poignant and powerful. It creates a sharp contrast with other depictions about the trip to Ellis Island, which are usually characterized as beautiful, joyous and hopeful. Instead, in this film, the camera pans over the faces of immigrant after immigrant and all of the faces are somber and worried. They are clustered together and forced on this tumultuous journey and there is not much joy to be had.

The way the film shows this scene is very interesting. The music is cultural and not necessarily sad or triumphant. In fact, there is a kind of ominous tone to the music actually, which I suppose sets the mood of the film, which is that America is not necessarily the land of the free and beautiful, for some especially.

In addition, the people on the ships can see the skyline of New York, but their view is blocked by the harbor and other ships. When they get off the boat they are forced through equal parts humiliating and infuriating customs. So it is as if their status as immigrants literally gets in the way of the hopes and dreams of their new lives in America. This is also seen later when Vito gets to his room facing the Statue of Liberty. His window is dirty and smudged but he looks out at the monument and sings a bittersweet melody in Italian. The idea is that he cannot access the America that was projected to him and so many others like him, (“give me your tired and poor and restless, etc) and that that image is stained. From his perspective, it is as if he is too “dirty”( the window) to access that version of America that can give him equal opportunity.