Customer Reviews

Ellis Island [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"My father hugged my mother and told her, 'you don't need to be afraid ever again. We're in America now.'"

That was one of the MANY personal narratives included in this FANTASTIC documentary that brought tears to my eyes. The stories of how immigrants reacted when they first came to this country and saw "Lady Liberty" is very well told and will leave you with a new appreciation of the great blessing of being born in this free and prosperous land.

I've watched this four-volume documentary two times and will probably watch it a third time. The stories are all so inspiring and so amazing and so emotional! Prior to viewing this, I did not have an understanding of what price our grandparents and great grandparents paid to get to this country.

I can't recommend this video highly enough. My daughter watched it in school and she loved it, too.

Of all the documentaries I've watched, I'd give this a 5 stars PLUS. I'd say it's one of the best I've ever seen. It will leave you changed. I can't even look at a flag now, without thinking about those precious, faith-filled immigrants and getting a tear in my eye. "Ellis Island" is *that* kind of video.

So far I have only seen the first hour. Used this to show to my genealogy class to give some idea of what it was like for their ancestors. This is worth viewing and keeping in your home.

As someone who worked on Ellis Island in New York's harbor, I can readily attest to the fact that this is an outstanding documentary about "The Island of Hope, The Island of Tears." Mandy Patinkin hosts this three part film that showcases not just the history of Ellis Island and how America processed immigrants before it was built but also tells the very human story of how people from all over the world came to Ellis Island hoping desperately for a better life as American citizens.

There is the story of Castle Garden which was built to process immigrants before Ellis Island; and we see how the first buildings on Ellis Island were ruined by fire only a few short years after they opened. There is the story of how a half a million dollars was spent on a new set of buildings constructed of fireproof materials; and the footage of joyous newcomers sailing into the harbor as they first laid eyes on America with its Statue of Liberty is impressive and moving at once.

There are many, many stories of how people were processed over the years until the facility was closed in late 1954; some of the tales are thrilling but others quite heartbreaking. For example, families could be separated if one or two members were rejected because it was thought they might be too ill to enter--thus, some members of the family could enter and others were forced to return home, perhaps never to see their loved ones again. Still others committed suicide by jumping into the water rather than return to a life of misery in their native countries.

Yet for all the incredibly sad tales, we see just how hard the staff worked on Ellis Island to process and accept as many immigrants as possible. Kitchen employees cooked ethnic meals; and social workers and interpreters worked with immigrants to help them. Actually, there is so much more as to exactly how they processed immigrants over the decades--but I'll leave the rest for you to discover as you watch the film!

I highly recommend this documentary for anyone studying immigration and its history. True, there were other ports through which people entered America; but New York's Ellis Island was by far the largest port for people entering a new country. This is educational and poignant indeed!

I purchased this video to use in my third grade classroom to supplement our immigration unit of study. It was viewed after my teaching of the unit was fairly well done. It is an excellent resource and even though at times I needed to pause and reexplain a point, the children were mesmerized and loved it. They asked to see it again. It made the unit real to them especially with so many wonderful photos, film and interviews. There was only once where the word "hell" was used otherwise nothing offensive. I highly recommend it.

My grandfather was an immigrant from Germany as was my grandmother and her family.
This movie tells their story.
The requirements to be accepted in America were not easy.
If you failed,THEY SENT YOU BACK . HOW DEVASTING CAN THAT BE TO A FAMILY.
I was very humbled to watch the courage and price they paid to be Americans.
A must-see for every American.

An adult might like it, but you can get the same info reading online articles about emigrees and Ellis Island.
It jumps around from person to person, and shows the Ellis Island building about 100 times.
It is not entertaining for middle school or high school students at all. It has a lulling to sleep quality.
It repeats info too much, and is too slow in moving forward.

This was the wrong movie. I'm looking fofr the mini series Ellis Island.
Oliver Abshire