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.

Taken from -
http://criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=424


There's no way 80% of Gangster BB doesn't like it. I just saw it. It's fantastic.

I'd love to read Turnbull, SC, JGeoff, and members' thoughts.

I saw this movie once, when it came to the "art" movie houses in the USA, in 1962. It was brilliant, one of the best movies I've ever seen. A unique combination of comedy, tragedy, drama and social commentary, as only Italian cinema can achieve. Not a week has gone by since then that I haven't thought about "Mafioso," and longed to see it again. It was re-released to a few selected theaters a couple of years ago.

Now it's finally available on DVD!!! I ordered it five seconds after reading your post. Thanks for the tip.

FLASH! UPDATE!

Turner Classic has "Mafioso" (1962) by Alfredo Lattuada, listed here at 11:15 pm tonite (Pacific Time). . Here's a review:

Nino Badalamenti (Alberto Sordi) left Sicily for Milan and now works as a managerial technician in a big auto plant. He married blond, blue-eyed Marta (Norma Bengell) and has two adorable blond, blue-eyed girls. His family and friends in Sicily have never met his wife and kids, so they're spending their two-week vacation in the little town he left years ago. But before he leaves the plant, the boss gives him a package to be delivered to Don Vincenzo (Ugo Attanasio)--the Mafia boss of his town---a hint of things to come.

Once they disembark at Messina, a series of riotous, razor-sharp scenes of Sicilian life ensue--most of them far funnier and on the mark than those in "Divorce, Italian Style.) The taxi taking them from the ferry to his parents' home stops while a blacksmith shoes a mule. Behind them, a dead man is laid out on a bed while those around him are drinking and eating. "What are they doing?" asks a horrified Marta. "They're giving him a little party--it's a local custom," Nino replies. He calls out to one of the partiers; "Hey, goombah, how'd he die?" "Due pistoli," he replies stolidly. "MAMA!!" cries Nino as he rushes toward five identically black-clad women at the family home. "I'm not your mama, I'm your Aunt Gina," replies the one of the five he's clasped. It goes on and on like this, one scene funnier than the next.
But after he delivers the "gift" to Don Vincenzo, Nino finds that, while he can take himself out of Sicily, he can't take Sicily out of him. Don Vincenzo and his boys are scouting Nino for a mission. They invite him to go hunting--but the hunt turns out to be in New Jersey, not on a nearby estate, and the prey isn't pheasant or hare. No choice for Nino. That part, too, is brought off ingeniously but credibly, and not without humor, either.

"Mafioso" doesn't reach the heights of "Seven Beauties," the all time champ in the Italian tragicomic genre. And Sordi isn't quite the actor that Giancarlo Gianinni is. But it's still a great film.

I appreciate and can identify with your enthusiasm for this film, Turnbull! The extreme tonal shifts wouldn't have worked in lesser hands.

I'm surprised by the lack of response and hits in this thread and the TCM Movies thread considering there are a lot of Mafia buffs here. Oh, well, I tried spreading the news. (Not guaranteeing everyone will like it, but it's worth checking out.)