Mafioso

Mafioso **

Directed by Alberto Lattuada
Written by Rafael Azcona, Bruno Caruso, Marco Ferreri, Agenore Incrocci, and Furio Scarpelli

Starring:
Aberto Soldi as Antonio Badalamenti
Norma Bengell as Marta
Ugo Attanasio as Don Vincenzo
Gabriella Conti as Rosalia

105 Minutes(This film is Not Rated, but acceptable for all audiences)
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"Mafioso" is "A History of Violence" for its time, except with less gore and more laughs. Well, things that resemble laughs, but do not exactly succeed as them. Originally released in 1962, Rialto Pictures decided to use this as their next repertory film, and it is always fun to watch something old like this on the big screen. But I couldn't bring myself to love this film, or care about the characters. It was amusing to see, and I suppose that there could be worse things to do to pass the time, but I didn't see the need to re-release it.

One of the main problems with "Mafioso" in my opinion was the way the plot moves. We begin with a social commentary, and even somewhat of a satire, and then we move into darker territory. We begin in Italy, where foreman Antonio Badalamenti has just traded his bonus money for vacation time, and intends on bringing his wife Marta, and his two daughters, to his hometown in Sicily. Marta doesn't want to go, and dreads the idea of leaving Italy. Antonio persists that Sicily is part of Italy, but the matter is closed. They are going. We know what they are in for when they pull up onto the corner in a Sicilian village to find a funeral. "How did he die?" asks Antonio, in a caring matter. "Two bullets," is the response, and the family drives off quickly after. It's not soon until they are meeting the family, including the mannish Rosalia, who somehow managed to find a person who would marry her, regardless of her full moustache and her hairy arms. Since it is the first time she will meet the family, Marta tries to shower her in-laws with gifts, and that backfires when she gives Antonio's father a pair of gloves, forgetting that he only has one hand. Marta can't get used to the families customs, and especially can't get used to the way the meals work. While she is full from her dinner, she learns that those were only the starters, and a giant bowl of pasta awaits. Antonio decides to cave and shorten the vacation to ten days, and then allow him and his wife to visit her side of the family for a few days. All is well until Antonio delivers a package to a friend in the village, Don Vincenzo, who also happens to be a big mob boss. And he offers Antonio an offer-an offer to kill a man who betrayed his friends-and Antonio ends up getting put into a large box and shipped off to New York City to find this man.

Even though the film is called "Mafioso," I was enjoying it before the entire subplot about the mob was brought up. And the vast shift in tone from the silly and comedic to the darker and violent where no laughs are had was nonetheless awkward. By the end I felt that I was watching a different movie, and the not so promising and ominous ending brought upon some chuckles in the theatre, but left a sour taste in my mouth. Aberto Soldi is hilarious, and I read that he is considered an Italian Peter Sellers. I was smiling with joy when he visited his family and began to sing around the dinner table. It's not that this is a bad film, but there are probably much better Italian comedies to release than this one. I did not get much enjoyment out of it, especially in the last half, and from a promising start it is all downhill from there. I can't see this one popping up in art houses throughout the year with the phrase "Back from Popular Demand" next to it, and if it does I will possibly considering seeing it again. Maybe there is something I missed the first time, only I doubt it.