Mafioso

I've never seen black and white film look so rich, sensuous and stunningly attractive; Cinematographer Armando Nannuzzi hit the nail on the head, creating a very rich and vibrant looking film. At times my mind naturally filled in the colors due to the crisp clarity of all the images, both of natural, rural scenes, and modern, city/industrial settings.

Art director Carlo Egidi masterfully blends the surrounding background of everyday life with his set designs and costumes so that it is impossible to separate the two; truly a mirrored recreation of the day in the life of a modern Sicilian during mid-60's. Each scene is so thought out, and crafted so well that at times their is an almost alien effect, due to the deep endearing political and social dynamics which has become lost in our culture and films today in the 21st century. This effect at times appears exaggerated due to its robust social nature, yet does the job in creating a warm, stunning and beautiful feel to this film.

An important and overlooked film that unfolds to reveal a reality as immutable as family: family. Alberto Sordi's first return after eight years to his Sicilian homeland after establishing himself as an engineer in Milan, a position given him by his Sicilian Patron, proves his life on mainland Italy was the real vacation. This film understands its message and never misses the mark, an expectation Sordi's character is expected to fulfill. Mafioso makes Coppola's "The Godfather" an over-produced operatic spectacle. Mafioso is family.

Albert Sordi is virtually unknown here in the United States. He's been called the Italian Peter Sellars but I think that should be reversed, Sellers was the British Sordi. Just one look at his performance in this film should cement that fact that Sordi was by far a better dramatic actor then anything I've seen Sellars do.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film twice and it really improves the second time. The loud behavior is a little off-putting the first time but the second viewing revealed all the incredible subtleties in the film and the performances.

The direction is extremely good. Director Lattuada is unknown here despite his extensive resume. I could see a definite influence on Sergio Leone in the camera placement and attention to detail. And the music is exceptional as well. The switch to serious drama is what makes this a great film. A lesser production would have made the mafia into clowns.

If the film comes into town make a point to see it. It's better then most of the stuff being made today.

Mafioso was filmed in 1961 with the Barber Shop, in which Alberto Sordi shot his target who was sitting in the barber chair of the Embassy Barber Shop which was in Guttenberg, Hudson County, NJ. My certainty is my Dad owned the barber shop and both he and I were in the movie. Just wanted to set the record straight. I have the original VHS tape of the movie. It was first released in the United States in a theater in Union City about 1 or 2 years later. I did see it, of course. The movie followed me for over 20 years giving me wonderful memories. My father's wish before he died was see the movie once more before he died. I was able to have friends who owned an Italian store locate a copy that a store in the Bronx, NY would sell. I bought it and had a private showing for my Dad.

Mafia ties run deep in this film about a middle level manager in an auto plant in Milan who takes his family to his native Sicily for a summer vacation. Admired by his old childhood friends who can't take their eyes off of his attractive wife, he's the local boy who makes good in the big city. But "Mafioso" presents the deep ties that connect him into his ancestral village, portraying a system that runs deep in this Sicilian setting of an ancient village in which his family's connections intertwine with local Cosa Nostra. The director and the lead actor both make this a film in which one can savor just about every scene. Alberto Sordi connects the comedy with the drama, the good humored happy family man obligated into the "brotherhood" by Don Vicenzo and his right hand man to do his part, keeping him literally in the dark.