Mafioso (1962 film)
Encyclopedia
Mafioso is a 1962
Italian
Black comedy
film
directed by Alberto Lattuada
. The film stars Alberto Sordi
as a factory manager who visits his hometown in Sicily
and is tasked with performing a hit
for the mafia
. The film was awarded as Best Film at San Sebastian Film Festival.
, takes a vacation with his family, leaving behind the modern conveniences of his home in northern Italy, to visit his ancestral home in Sicily
and introduce his blond, northern Italian wife, Marta, to his mother, father and other relatives back home.
While his wife suffers in the comparatively rustic conditions of her husband's hometown and has trouble adapting to the culture of Sicily, Antonio becomes reacquainted with his childhood friends. He also pays a visit to the local don
, Don Vincenzo, who is a crime boss
. The don smooths over some problems Antonio had with a deal to buy some property on the island, and in return, Antonio is tasked with carrying out a hit
for the mob. As an outsider with no strings attached and a crack shot, Antonio is seen as a perfect candidate.
While his wife is sleeping one night, Antonio leaves for what is purportedly a hunting trip with his friends. In reality, he is put inside a wooden crate and smuggled aboard an airplane into the United States, where he goes to New York City
to carry out his task. The job done, he is returned to Sicily in the same manner and arrives back at home as if he's just finished the hunting trip.
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
Italian
Cinema of Italy
The history of Italian cinema began just a few months after the Lumière brothers had patented their Cinematographe, when Pope Leo XIII was filmed for a few seconds in the act of blessing the camera.-Early years:...
Black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Alberto Lattuada
Alberto Lattuada
Alberto Lattuada was an Italian film director.Lattuada was born in Milan, the son of composer Felice Lattuada...
. The film stars Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
as a factory manager who visits his hometown in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and is tasked with performing a hit
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
for the mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
. The film was awarded as Best Film at San Sebastian Film Festival.
Plot
Antonio Badalamenti, a Sicilian who has been settled for many years in Northern Italy and is employed in a car factory in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, takes a vacation with his family, leaving behind the modern conveniences of his home in northern Italy, to visit his ancestral home in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and introduce his blond, northern Italian wife, Marta, to his mother, father and other relatives back home.
While his wife suffers in the comparatively rustic conditions of her husband's hometown and has trouble adapting to the culture of Sicily, Antonio becomes reacquainted with his childhood friends. He also pays a visit to the local don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
, Don Vincenzo, who is a crime boss
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
. The don smooths over some problems Antonio had with a deal to buy some property on the island, and in return, Antonio is tasked with carrying out a hit
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
for the mob. As an outsider with no strings attached and a crack shot, Antonio is seen as a perfect candidate.
While his wife is sleeping one night, Antonio leaves for what is purportedly a hunting trip with his friends. In reality, he is put inside a wooden crate and smuggled aboard an airplane into the United States, where he goes to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to carry out his task. The job done, he is returned to Sicily in the same manner and arrives back at home as if he's just finished the hunting trip.
Cast
- Alberto SordiAlberto SordiAlberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
as Antonio Badalamenti - Norma BengellNorma BengellNorma Aparecida Almeida Pinto Guimarães D´Áurea Bengell , best known as Norma Bengell, is a Brazilian film and television actress, singer, director, producer, and screenwriter....
as Marta - Gabriella Conti as Rosalia
- Ugo Attanasio as Don Vincenzo
- Cinzia Bruno as Donatella
- Katiusca Piretti as Patrizia
- Armando Tine as Dr. Zanchi
- Lilly Bistrattin as Dr. Zanchi's Secretary
- Michèle Bailly as Young Baroness
- Francesco Lo Briglio as Don Calogero
- Carmelo Oliviero as Don Liborio