subscribe to this pageCall#: Van Pelt Library PS153.I8 B49 1997
The book Beyond the Godfather: Italian American Writers on the Real Italian American Experience, is a collection of essays written by writers of Italian descent. The book is in response to the wide popularity of The Godfather. The popularity of this book and movie has overshadowed the culture of Italians. As a result, these essays were compiled in order to give an overview of the styles of writing of the Italian Americans.
There are three main sections of the book: Memories and Memoirs, Italian American Literature and Identity Politics. Memories and Memoirs are full of anecdotes from Italian American everyday lives. In Louise DeSalvo’s story, “Finding My Way,” he discusses his education experience growing up. From this essay, it is apparent the importance of family as well as education in the life of this Italian American. The Italian American Literature section mainly discussed the different types of styles of writing. This is used to show the diversity in terms of its culture. Lastly, Identity Politics discusses the role that Italian Americans have in the United States. In the essay, “Italian Americans and American Politics,” Michael Barone discusses the influential role of Italians in the U.S. government, and the prominent figures, such as Fiorello LaGuardia, that were present in society.
The purpose of this book was to respond to the stereotypes of Italian Americans that was created by The Godfather. Although Mafia is an aspect of Italian Americans, the book highlights other aspects of their culture. Most notably, it shows the power that Italian Americans have in America. However, this power is through respectable positions in government and not through illegal ways. In addition to this, the importance of family is evident through the essays written, which is mirrored in the movie.
In the article, “Denunciation and the Illusion of Social Control: The Case of the Nevada Black Book,” authors Carole Case and Ronald A. Farrell discuss the exclusion of organized crime figures from the gambling industry in Nevada. These individuals’ names are written in a black book and remain there forever, thus insuring that they are excluded from the gaming industry.
Based on previous fears in the mid 1950s on congressional hearings and the results from the President’s Task force against organized crime in 1967, those that were put into the black book were ones who had the mafia stigma associated with them, which tended to be Italians.
By the mid 1940s, in the post World War II era, Las Vegas was undergoing immense economic growth, and gambling played a critical part in this. In the early 1950s, hearings were held expressing concern over the involvement of the Mafia. This led to concern directed towards Italian Americans. In the end, there was a disproportionate amount of Italians on the black book. The black book’s purpose was to provide security to the public in believing in a clean and lawful gaming system, however based on social stereotypes, a large number of names that appeared on this black book were Italian.
The fear of Italian Americans involved in the gaming industry leads to an increased amount of depth of the movie. The movie is able to play off of current events of the period in order to add strength to the movie. The movie plays off of many of society’s stereotypes in order to convey subtle messages.
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1998.3.C67 P48 2004
Velikonja, Joseph. "Italian Immigrants in the United States in the Mid-Sixties." International Migration Review: Vol. 1, No. 3, Special Issue: The Italian Experience in Emigration, p. 25-37.
This article by Dr. Joseph Velkonja discusses the history of Italian Immigration with a focus on the mid-sixties. The article points out that the immigration and expansion of Italians in America increased exponentially due to the new Immigration act of the mid 1960s. Prior to this, not many new immigrants were allowed into the country, which kept the amount of Italians in America at a small level. Between the years of 1952 to 1965, the annual quota allowed for Italian Immigrants was 5,666, however these immigration laws were lifted, and an exponential increase of Italians entered the United States followed.
In addition to immigration, this article discusses Italian American’s expansion across the United States. Much of the expansion was related to economic reasons. Although many Italian Americans stayed on the eastern seaboard, others relocated to the Midwest and the West coast in cities such as Chicago, St. Louis and Los Angeles. It is also shown that there was a greater number of second generation Italian Americans who expanded westward.
Much of these things directly relate to the plot of the movie. The small number of Italians allowed into the country allowed for these citizens to create families and create a basis of power and influence on these Italian neighborhoods. In addition, at the end of the movie, the Corleone family decides to move to Las Vegas due to the economic potential that the city and casinos possess. Finally, Michael Corleone is second generation Italian American, thus this migration mimics the trend that this article’s statistics show.
The plot of the movie is a reflection of society during the post war era. This correlation leads to a realistic plotline and helps one understand the overall state of society.
Smith Jr., Dwight C. "Mafia: The Prototypical Alien Conspiracy." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science: Vol. 423, Crime and Justice in America: 1776-1976, p. 75-88.
The article, “Mafia: The Prototypical Alien Conspiracy,” written by Dwight C. Smith Jr. discusses the role that the “Mafia” has played in American society, and the ways in which America has tried to deal with this issue. The term “Mafia” became popularized before the 19th century, when people began to develop conspiracy theories against Sicilians. Stemming from the Hennessey murder case in New Orleans, a stigma was developed against the Sicilian population of the town. Although there was no real proof of mob ties, these Mafia rumors lived on which led to support and implementation of immigration laws.
During the post World War II era, the “Mafia” legend was revived. Beginning with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, rumors persisted about the Mafia and immigrants. These rumors reached its pinnacle when the President’s Crime Commission agreed with the concept of a Mafia conspiracy. Smith Jr. writes that the reason behind the creation of this “Mafia” myth is to explain the failure of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics to eliminate the existence of narcotics in America. By using the “Mafia” as a scapegoat for their failures, the Bureau popularized this idea. Whether or not it actually existed is debatable, but it led to changes in society.
From the popularization of the “Mafia,” those in entertainment began to capitalize on it by selling it as a product to the public. Mario Puzo wrote the book, The Godfather, which focused on the world that America was so worried about.
This article gives background into the reasoning behind the making of the movie, The Godfather, as well as providing explanation of the content of the movie. The movie is a period film, set post World War II, which as the article has shown was the era in which the “Mafia” conspiracy was being revived. In the movie, the reason that the five families began to fight was due to introduction of narcotics. At this time, drugs were a big problem in America, thus showing parallels between the period of the movie and societal problems. Also, Paramount capitalized on the publicity that the “Mafia” genre was receiving by producing Mario Puzo’s book. This led to The Godfather becoming one of the most successful movies of all time.
This article written by Earl Johnson Jr. is used to express the influence of organized crime on American society. Johnson discusses and analyzes the reasons behind the difficulty in suppressing organized crime through traditional methods.
Throughout the essay he discusses the influence that organized crime has ranging from entertainment such as TV, books and newspaper articles, to the economy. He states that the action of organized crime takes money away from society and law abiding citizens, thus being a detriment to society. Organized crime also participates in other illicit actions such as violent crimes and getting rid of free competition. All of these tactics are used in order to give the organizations power. Johnson believes the reason for this immunity from the law is due to the fact that these crime organizations buy politicians and enforcement agents, corrupting the system and ruining its integrity. In addition to this, Johnson points out there is a distinct structure within these organizations to make insure that the leaders are safe from any prosecution.
Johnson refers to two other main attributes which protect organized crime from any problems is the corruption throughout the American legal system as well as the façade that these organizations establish.
From these reasons it is easy to see why these organizations continue to exist. Despite the knowledge of the government, they continue to be above the law and have nothing standing in there way.
These themes were all present throughout the film, as the Corleone family held many politicians “in their pocket.” Government officials were never present in the film, as they held no authority over these families. The only form of regulation was through the interactions between the five families.
In the article “Resurrecting the Godfather,” author James Thomas Chiampi analyzes Mario Puzo’s, The Godfather, and the themes that are consistent throughout the book. In addition to this, he compares and contrasts the book with the film made by Francis Ford Coppola, to show the difference in the overall message of these two mediums. Quoting The Godfather Papers, Chiampi informs the reader that Puzo’s overall intentions of writing this book was financially motivated, and according to Puzo, writing this book caused him to “sell out.”
Chiampi analyzes Puzo’s writing, showing that the book is a social commentary. He states that Puzo’s writing shows that crime in America is in response to “alienation and powerlessness.” In order for one to attain power, Puzo shows that one must revert back to the Italian customs. Chiampi emphasizes that these Italian customs are conveyed through themes that run throughout the book: a code of behavior, courtesy and strong family ties. These are expressed through the characteristics of the characters. Chiampi points out that Sonny’s spontaneity can be categorized as “American,” while Michael’s demeanor is more Sicilian.
Chiampi believes that a theme Puzo tried to develop was the fact that Sicilian culture is better than that of America, and tries to convey that American society is irrational compared to Sicilian.
One can see that Puzo’s beliefs and character development are conveyed through the characters of the movie, insuring that his overall message is captured by the movie.
This article, written by Phoebe Poon, looks back at the overall success of The Godfather trilogy. The purpose of this article is to analyze the films as a whole as well as the way in which The Godfather established itself from other gangster films of the era.
Poon argues that although the movie is often characterized as a gangster film, it holds very key differences which set it apart from others. In the initial part of the article, she analyzes the trilogy and breaks each individual film into four sections. This pattern is repeated in all three movies and provides continuity throughout the trilogy, which in itself helps to differentiate it from other gangster films.
Poon goes on to address the issue of “family” that is found throughout the trilogy. This aspect of family helps to distinguish The Godfather from other crime films, as in most of these films; the protagonist is surrounded by hired mercenaries. However, the men working with Don Vito are trusted family members, creating a deeper and more meaningful bond between them. She goes on to state that, “the term gangster to the don would insult his style of leadership, which is vastly superior” to other gangsters.
Other important characteristics of the film helped differentiate this trilogy from other films. Poon mentions the attention to the culture of the Italians as important. Coppola does not portray the Corleones with stereotypical characteristics of Italians. Rather, he adds a degree of authenticity by accurately portraying Sicilian culture.
The differences that this essay highlights help to explain the reasons why The Godfather is critically acclaimed. The detail and depth that this film shows helps to separate it from other gangster genre films, and puts it in its own class.
Cawelti, John G. "The New Mythology of Crime." boundary 2: Vol. 3, No. 2, p. 325-357. Duke University Press.
In this article written by John G. Cawelti, Cawelti analyzes the impact that The Godfather has had on American society, and the way crime has been portrayed in movies over the course of history.
Initially, crime was often related to religious and moral problems. The author states that from this, those who commit crimes are often sinners who are condemned to terrible punishments. The nineteenth century belonged to more intellectual approach, or as Cawelti writes, “aesthetic” approach. Morals are still incorporated to the overall plot, however they no longer play an integral role in the story. Coupling this aesthetic approach with the increase in scientific method, detective stories became popular. Finally, in the early twentieth century, the gangster film was introduced to cinema. Although past
Cawelti compares and contrasts the early gangster films and the Godfather by pointing out the primary concern of the early films was the rise and fall of the central protagonist. However, The Godfather is centered on the relationships in the family, and the power that these characters possessed.
He goes on to relate this change to society’s concern and the overall publicity that organized crimes received. This overall interest in the “family,” or “mafia,” led to a change in which crime was portrayed. The structure and relationships between the characters became the most important aspect of the story.
Through analysis of Mario Puzo’s work, Cawelti states that The Godfather is a story which discusses the relationship between crime and American society. He discusses the contrast between the structure and organization of the “family,” with the overall deterioration of values within American society. Cawelti goes on to say that although previously, the gangster film exemplifies everything that America does not want to be, with the introduction of The Godfather, this now exemplifies what America is striving to be; a cohesive and unified group.
This essay expresses the overall social impact that The Godfather had on society. By introducing the history of crime cinema, one is able to see the different ways crime is portrayed based on the time period, thus this movie can be described as a social commentary.