subscribe to this pageIn this particular chapter of Reppetto’s novel, he writes about the formation of the Mafia Commission, or La Commissione, started by Charles “Lucky” Laciano in the 1930’s. This national crime syndicate was made up of the bosses of the five major mafia families in New York, well known as The Five Families. The commission was a way to settle disputes and conduct business without resorting to violence. All major business affairs were handled by the commission, such as territories, political contacts, and other chief matters.
This historical committee is evident throughout The Godfather film. Terms such as “The Commission” and “The Five Families” are common in numerous scenes, especially at the onslaught of the mafia war started by the attempted assassination of Don Vito. It is easy to think that The Godfather is a non-fictitious work due to the references of so many historically prominent issues, and it is this blurred line of reality and fiction that draw so many viewers to the screen.
The Godfather is well-known to mix fiction with history, just as Mario Puzo did in his original novel. The character Johnny Fontane is supposedly based on real-life celebrity Frank Sinatra, who was known to have ties with the mob. The Corleone family itself is thought to be modeled after the Genovese family of New York, which was for a long time the most powerful mafia family in America. These social references are so identifiable to the common viewer, especially older audiences who lived through the era, that it is easy to see why so many adore the saga of The Godfather.
The Godfather is renowned for romanticizing the life of the mafia family. It is common in American culture to hear quotes from the film in daily conversations, and to idealize Don Vito Corleone as a man of character. In Blood and Honor however, the true lifestyle of the common Mafiosi is brought to light.
Blood and Honor is the story of a common Philadelphia mobster, named Nicholas “Nicky Crow” Caramandi, who was brought up in the order of the Scarfo Mafia Family and then later testified against them in federal court. This documentary of sorts follows Caramandi on his way to the top of the mob, and the deceit, violence, and death that led him to turn on his former associates.
It is stories such as these that show the true face of the mob. It is not the romantic ideal that is so prominently portrayed in The Godfather, even though there is excessive murder and crime in the film. By watching the movie, one is almost enthusiastic to join the elite organization, but in reality it is an association of thieves, murderers, and monsters. These groups take part in extortion, racketeering, prostitution, gambling, and so on. It is the vices of men that put the mafia into power. The old-world ideals of “men of honor” have long been forgotten in the modern world of corruption and crime.
It is important to note stories such as Caramandi’s, for many times the public is fooled by the image set forth by The Godfather. Although the mafia holds its roots in tradition and structure, it is still an organization stained by the blood of America’s innocent. As one film, A Bronx Tale, so aptly assessed the power of the Mafiosi, “people don’t love them, they fear them.”
Mario Puzo’s The Godfather debuted on bookshelves in 1969, and America has since-then been fascinated with the world of organized crime. His novel, the basis for The Godfather Trilogy, introduced the Corleone family and romanticized the gangster lifestyle.
The book follows two generations of one of the biggest crime families in New York starting from Vito Corleone’s immigration to the United States in 1909 to his son Michael’s taking-over of the “family business” almost 40 years later. The Godfather Parts I and II align quite naturally with the novel, as Puzo co-wrote the screenplay with director Francis Ford Coppola. From reading the book, however, one can grasp a whole new understanding of the drama that ultimately made the movies. There are many powerful messages in the novel for instance that go unmentioned throughout any of the three films.
One such case is the scene that unfolds at the very end of Puzo’s narrative. Michael’s wife, Kay, kneels before the altar in an empty church, “Then with a profound and deeply willed desire to believe… she said the necessary prayers for the soul of Michael Corleone.” How does such a significant scene simply go untold during the movie? Nowhere in the film is the audience aware of any sort of dread by Kay for the soul of her husband. In the film, we are given a feeling of hatred for the path that Michael has chosen.
There are numerous instances of unsaid imagery in the movie that are prevalent in the novel, but it is the job of the writers to show what is believed to be the most pertinent.
This novel analyzes the social and political structures of the La Cosa Nostra. To understand The Godfather and the true power with which Michael Corleone rules, one must first understand the basic power organization of the mafia itself.
There are a number or terms for the different positions in the traditional Sicilian Mafia, however modern American mafias have adapted a basic set of rank. The head of the family is the Boss, which would be Vito Corleone. As Vito came near death, however, there is a need for an Underboss who will take over the family when the Boss is gone. Michael Corleone would fit closely as the Underboss, but only for a short while until he took over the family. The next position would be that of Consigliere, the legal and trusted advisor to the family and its affairs. Tom Hagen played the role of consigliere to both Sonny and Michael. Next there are the Caporegimes, or Capos. These men have rule over their own crew, which consist of soldiers, but still need to follow the orders of the Boss. Clemenza and Tessio are the famous Caporegimes of The Godfather. Under the direction of the Capos are the soldiers, who are initiated members of the family, but are still required to do most of the dirty work, such as intimidation or even murder. One such soldier in the film is Willie Cicci, who later becomes an integral part of the family in the saga.
These various positions each hold their own set of rules and limitations. When initiated into the family, one is known as a “made” man. This means that any attack on them is an attack on the family and will have consequences. To be “made” means to take a lifelong oath of silence, or omerta, and to abide by the laws of La Cosa Nostra.