Oli, until 1924, any white person who could get to Ellis Island on his/her own, and could pass a rudimentary health check, could stay in the US legally--didn't even have to become a naturalized citizen. Quite a few Mafiosi came here without going through Ellis Island for one reason or another. Some, like Carlos Marcello, came here from Tunis, which had a large Sicilian population a century ago.

The government tried to deport Marcello, but he had plenty of legal talent to prevent deportation. All he had to do was to show up at the INS office in New Orleans quarterly. But, at his first visit in 1961, after the Kennedy Administration took over, he was met by federal marshals who found that he had a fake Guatemalan passport. They accused him of entering the US illegally from that country and immediately flew him to Guatemala City. The authorities, tipped off by INS, declared him persona non grata and dumped him in a jungle over the border in Honduras, expecting him to die there. He made his way back to the US, where he was indicted for entering the country illegally and for evading taxes. That was the source of a grudge he had against the Kennedys, which some believe resulted in the JFK assassination.

When Michael is walking to Mama's house in the snow for his “losing the family” talk there are all the children's play equipment like swings, seesaw, slide etc and a snowman

When Michael goes to talk to Fredo in the boathouse, Fredo puts both his hands over his face Could be defensive, defence, defiance "I haven't got a lot to say Mike"

I thought they needed a sponsor who would guarantee that they would not go on welfare? They also had to show proof of a residence that would take them, and pass a physical.

From the bureau of parks on immigrating before 1921:

Arrivals were asked 29 questions including name, occupation, and the amount of money carried. It was important to the American government the new arrivals could support themselves and have money to get started. The average the government wanted the immigrants to have was between 18 and 25 dollars ($600 in 2015 adjusted for inflation). Those with visible health problems or diseases were sent home or held in the island's hospital facilities for long periods of time. More than 3,000 would-be immigrants died on Ellis Island while being held in the hospital facilities. Some unskilled workers were rejected because they were considered "likely to become a public charge." About 2% were denied admission to the U.S. and sent back to their countries of origin for reasons such as having a chronic contagious disease, criminal background, or insanity


Then in 1921 a stricter quota was put in place, followed by a ban in 1926 on most immigration form Europe.

[quote=olivant]I watched GFII tonight. have watched this scene a million times, but just noticed.

When Michael returns from Cuba and tells Rocco and Neri to wait outside, Rocco leaves, but Neri turns his back to Michael, waits, then finally leaves. However, he exits, then closes the sliding door, but waits there for many seconds looking inside. I took that as his demonstrating his dissatisfaction with being excluded. Did any of you see that and interpret it such?

For years I’ve noticed that glance. Neri is kneeling right outside of the sliding doors smoking a cigarette. Very creepy! I always wondered what that was about. But his main role was being a bodyguard, the confidant came second. So why be upset with Tom?

That's a peculiar scene. Looks to me that Neri was about to follow Rocco out, but turns, snatches a smoke (maybe a cigar) from the coffee table, then lights it up outside the sliding door.


Are you referring to the boathouse scene near the end of II when Michael asks Tom if he's going to quit and join the "House and Hotels" as vice president? As Michael is nailing Tom, Neri leans back in his chair with a smug look on his face--as if he was the source of that potentially damaging info. Though I can't prove it, I've always inferred that Neri, by that time, was trying to shove aside Rocco and Neri, and stand alone as Michael's No. 2. Watch how he conducts himself in that scene--he's a full member of the discussion about Roth, even though he barely said ten words earlier in the Trilogy (except for a deleted scene).

This raises a broader question: what was the relationship among Rocco, Neri and Tom? Rocco and Neri couldn't have had much respect for Tom because Tom never made his bones, was not in the muscle end of the business, was not Michael's choice for consigliere, and had been demoted by Michael and humiliated by him more than once. Michael put Tom in charge while he was away after the shooting, but as soon as he returned, he was shouting at Tom ("Can't you give me a straight answer anymore?") within earshot of the others. The boathouse scene was really humiliating.

Rocco was Clemenza's choice,, Neri was Michael's choice. We don't see them exchanging any words during GF and II. I don't believe they could have been close in any way. One of the Mafia's prime rules: Never have friends in the family--you might have to kill them one day.

When Luca goes to meet Solozzo and BrunoTattaglia at the bar has anyone else noticed there are fish on the window by the entrance? The camera looks through the window as Luca walks in. Foreshadowing to Luca sleeping with the fishes. Never noticed that until last night when I was watching the GF epic.

I always noticed the fishes, but never made the connection.

Figata!

I watched II this weekend and, as often is the case, noticed something. In the scene in the boathouse after they learn that Pentangeli is alive, Tom says "...he was half dead, scared stiff, and calling out loud that you'd turned on him."

Could the garroting scene have played out just as FFC intended? In other words, Aiello's "regards" statement was not ad libbed; it was in the script. If so, the reasoning would be that Roth wanted Frankie to turn on Michael. However, to accomplish that, Frankie would have to be left alive. How did FFC rationalize to the audience Frankie being left alive when it was quite clear that Aiello's character could have finished murdering Frankie? Well, FFC decided that he'd copy the Gallo attempted strangulation murder and have a policeman show up to save Frankie's. Thus, Frankie is left alive and thinks Michael turned on him.

I've often speculated that FFC left in "Michael Corleone says hello" because it was intended for Richie, the bartender, to hear. He was a civilian, and would be a prime candidate for police grilling after Pentangeli turned up dead, as planned. He obviously would never rat out the Rosato brothers, so they threw him something to tell the cops: "I dunno the guys who done it, but one of 'em said, 'Michael Corleone says hello.'" That would have set the cops on Michael. Too bad for Roth and the Rosatos that the cop showed up and thwarted their plan to kill Pentangeli.

But that's just it TB: I don't think it was an ad lib or intended for Richie. If the policeman doesn't show up and the Rosatos murder Frankie, then what purpose of Roth's does a dead Frankie serve?

Roth was certain that he could have Michael killed in Havana. His purpose in having Pentangeli killed was for his allies, the Rosatos, to take over the Corleone operation in NYC so that Michael's successors in Nevada would be deprived of their muscle.

Here it is right from the horse's mouthes.

Aiello

https://youtu.be/Q_QVt_JCS54

Duvall

https://youtu.be/4kFpSMLPl58

In a deleted scene from II, Neri is dispatched to the Tropigala casino to oust Klingman, who flees to a room where chorus girls are rehearsing. Klingman gives in. The girls stop rehearsing. Neri sits down and says, "Keep it going" in a very proprietary and commanding manner. I wonder if Michael promised him a piece of the Tropigala.

TB, I think Neri's words were partly a function of hubris. Like Michael's confronting Carlo, he was a shark circling his prey and feeling unassailable, and master of his domain.

As Johnny Ola told Michael, if you move Klingman out, our friend in Miami will go along. It was Michael's play with Neri chosen to execute it. Providing Neri with a piece of the Tropigala is something I might expect since Michael was in a position to grant it. However, as the novel states, Neri was paid a salary and did not have his own revenue-generating operation. Maybe that changed, but revenue from the Tropigala could be viewed as passive income.

Perhaps FFC wanted to five Richard Bright a few speaking lines. He had none in GF and very few in II until the end.

To your point about salary:
SPOILER:


Novel states that, after Neri whacked Moe Green, Michael rewarded him with a rich living from an Upper East Side (NYC) book. But, he didn't have a regime, unlike Rocco, who, we learned from Tom, was building a regime under Clemenza for the Day When Michael Settled All Family Affairs.

lol. The "Tropigala".

This is like when COPS shows everything but the actual numbers on the license plate. Anyone who knows the person knows its him.

I'm guessing in this instance, Neri is John Rosselli, and Klingman is Gus Greenbaum.

TB, I think we are referring to a rose by any other name. Neri's income was all passive. Without a regime, he was without personnel except as needed to carry out Michael's instructions.

I hope! this thread is the most suited

Sugar high! How US chocolate exporter smuggled cocaine to Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald by Peter Mitchell 3 November 2018

Extracts:
Owen Hanson, the good-looking former University of Southern California athlete turned cocaine kingpin and leader of violent criminal enterprise ODOG, teamed up with Los Angeles-based fine chocolate importer/exporters Nathan and Andrew Dulley.

At Hanson's sentencing last year prosecutor Andrew Young described how Hanson fashioned himself as a mob boss.
He used the handle "Don Corleone" on his encrypted Blackberry and insisted a restaurant he was a partner in had a "Wise Guy Room" adorned with mob photos.

Turnbull -Rocco was Clemenza's choice,, Neri was Michael's choice. We don't see them exchanging any words during GF and II. I don't believe they could have been close in any way. One of the Mafia's prime rules: Never have friends in the family--you might have to kill them one day.

That's why I think that Neri looked so " troubled " about having to whack Fredo. From the boathouse scene where he is given the order to mama's funeral when Fredo says hi to him, going up to mamas casket - he was there from the start, why is he shown now going up to pay his respects - as I have posted before, he is apologizing, to the final fishing scene.

Neri throughout the g 1 and g 2 is shown as a distanced and cold character except when it comes to Fredo, he has sympathy or a friendship with him.

[Just getting rid of "BabyRoo" from the "Last Post" column because the links broke when I deleted all his posts]

Watching on AMC: I guess the dumbest move in the all of GF2 is when the Senator tells Michael that on Monday he's going to produce a witness who can impeach Michael's testimony. It seems like an off-the-cuff remark in response to Michael's challenge to produce a witness against him. The lawyer Questadt doesn't look happy while the Senator's talking.

At the beginning of Roth's birthday party scene in Havana, Michael's bodyguard is leaning against the balcony railing, suddenly looks up, takes off his hat and brushes it. A bird shit on it.

lol I never noticed that. I'm going to look for it next time.

I seldom disagree with TB, but I will do so most assuredly this time.

As you watch the scene, the camera follows the cake until Buscetta comes into view. Seconds later you see him touch the brim of his hat and then take it off. He does nothing with his hat except look into its interior. He then looks up ... at what? The blazing Cuban sun!. Looking back down, he moves his hat from around his waste area where he is holding it and then places it on his head. He then briefly touches its brim and applies pressure to the top of the hat near the forward part of the hat. Several seconds later, he looks back up at the sun, then removes his coat. No wonder. He's wearing all black and standing in direct sunlight. There is no brushing of the hat and Buscetta never looks at the top of the hat, only its interior.

I just rewatched the scene and I have to agree with Olivant on this one.

Also Questadt's reaction when the chairman agreed for Michael to read his statement

First post so I'm not sure if this has been covered yet, but I recently went to the opera (my GF's work gave us free tickets, I don't normally live that lifestyle) and we saw "La Traviata." One of the songs from the show was stuck in my head for days and I couldn't figure out where I knew it from then I realized it was from the Italian wedding scene in GFI.

It briefly plays when Appolonia is passing out the marshmallows (?) to the people at the wedding. Also if anyone has more insight on the Italian wedding rituals it'd be interesting to know exactly what she was passing out.

Anyway here's the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZvgmpiQCcI

BTW this website is amazing and I'm happy to be in the company of fellow fanatics : )

Marshmallows? Madonne!

I can't tell for sure, but it's probably some version of a cream cake of which there are a number of varieties. maybe Cassotta.

Welcome, Bussetta, hope to see many more thoughtful posts by you.

Coppola liked opera. lThe brindisi (drinking song) from Traviata is one of the most famous and recognizable opera choruses. A trio from Rigoletto appears at Anthony's party in GFII. A little, white-suited band (similar to the one that played at Michael and Apollonia's wedding in GF) plays a chorus from Nabucco when Michael . in Bagheria in GFIII. Nice that he surrounded the conclusion of III with Cavalleria Rusticana, and closed with the famous Intermezzo from that opera.