Sunday,
March 18, 2007
1962 Sordi's
"Mafioso" Returns
The
ANNOTICO Report
This
Notice is provided only for Information. On General Principle, I do not
appreciate any More Media on the Mafia, but I have not seen it, so I can not
comment on the Content.
Rediscovered
'Mafioso' a Treasure You Can't Refuse
By Jim Emerson
March
16, 2007
Eight years
before "The Godfather," three years before FBI director J. Edgar
Hoover ever acknowledged that there was such a thing as the Mafia in the
What an odd and
wonderful rediscovery it is, a broad commedia della famiglia told with authentic piquancy and brio. It has
boisterous fun with crusty Sicilian stereotypes on that sun-baked island of
strict moral codes and ancient family ties. Then -- as suddenly as a cloudburst
appearing out of a clear blue sky -- it turns dark.
"Mafioso"
begins at a swift mechanical clip, like Chaplin's "Modern Times" with
a double shot of espresso. Antonio "Nino" Badalamenti (Alberto Sordi, one of
His long-delayed
vacation trip is all planned: Nino and his harried blond wife Marta (Brazilian
actress Norma Bengell) have just enough time to get
themselves and their two daughters aboard the 3:10 train, arriving in Bologna
at 5:31, where they will be right on schedule for a lunch of hot tortellini.
Coffee in Firenze, arrive in Rome at 11, sleep on the train and board the ferry
for Sicily -- "island of sun and Cyclops, inspiration to all the
poets" -- at 10:07 the next morning.
This will be the
first time Nino's Sicilian family, in his home
Although Marta is
a bit apprehensive to leave
Later, Don
Vincenzo does Nino and his family a favor, and then ... well, just remember Don Corleone's words to Bonasera in the opening scene of "The Godfather":
"Someday -- and that day may never come -- I'll call upon you to do a
service for me."
The
Co-screenwriters Agenore Incocci and his partner Furio Scarpelli (often credited
as "Age Scarpelli") were credited --
separately or individually -- on the screenplays for "Big Deal on Madonna
Street," "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "We All Loved
Each Other So Much" and "Il Postino,"
among many others. Leading man Sordi, who specialized
in satirizing Italian vanity, dubbed Oliver Hardy's voice in imported
That's quite an
impressive pedigree, and you can taste hints of all those ingredients in
"Mafioso," but nothing quite prepares you for the unique experience
of this film. It's an offer that you ... well, you know. Leave the gun, take
the cannolis. Mangiate bene.
Jim Emerson is
the editor of rogerebert.com, the official Web site
of Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert.
MAFIOSO
(Not rated)
Antonio: Alberto Sordi
Marta: Norma Bengeli
Rosalia: Gabriella Conti
Don Vincenzo: Ug Attanasio
Donatella: Cinzia Bruno
Rialto Pictures, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica and Compagnia Cinematografica
Antonio Cervi present a film directed
by Alberto Lattuada. Written
by Rafael Azcona, Marco Ferreri
and Age Scarpelli. Running
time: 105 minutes. No MPAA rating. Opening today at
the Music Box Theatre.
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