Mafioso

Mafioso posterItaly
An Antonio Cervi production for Compagnia Cinematografica Cervi production.
Director: Alberto Lattuada
Story: Bruno Caruso
Screenplay: Rafael Azcona, Marco Ferreri, Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli
Cinematography: Armando Nannuzzi
Music: Piero Piccioni
Editor: Nino Baragli
Art director: Carlo Egidi
Italian release date: 25/10/1962
Original running time: 105 mins
International release details: Usa: Mafioso (1962 – 105′)
Cast: Alberto Sordi (Antonio Badalamenti), Norma Bengell (Marta), Gabriella Conti (Rosalia), Ugo Attanasio (Don Vincenzo), Cinzia Bruno (Donatella), Katiusca Piretti (Patrizia), Armando Tine (Dr. Zanchi), Lilly Bistrattin (Dr. Zanchi’s Secretary), Michèle Bailly (Young Baroness), Francesco Lo Briglio (Don Calogero), Carmelo Oliviero (Don Liborio), Stefano Benigno, Paolo Cuccia, Hugh Hurd, Vincenzo Norvese, Giuseppe Stagnitti, John Topa, Saverio Turiello

Plot: In Alberto Lattuada’s brilliant dark comedy Mafioso, auto-factory foreman Nino (Alberto Sordi) takes his proper, modern wife (Norma Bengell) and two blonde daughters from industrial Milan to antiquated, rural Sicily to visit his family and get back in touch with his roots. But Antonio gets more than he bargained for when he discovers some harsh truths about his ancestors—and himself. One of the first Italian films to look frankly at the Mafia, Lattuada’s devastatingly funny character study is equal parts culture-clash farce and existential nightmare. (Criterion website)

Notes: This one has been released in the US as part of the Criterion collection. More of a comedy drama than a crime film, but with its Sicilian settings and rural crime theme, it’s also a precursor to the likes of Petri’s We Still Kill the Old Way and Damiani’s Mafia.

About Matt Blake 890 Articles
The WildEye is a blog dedicated to the wild world of Italian cinema (and, ok, sometimes I digress into discussing films from other countries as well). Peplums, comedies, dramas, spaghetti westerns... they're all covered here.

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