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| A Bronx Tale. Dir. Robert DeNiro. Perf. Robert DeNiro, Chazz Palmarrio. This movie is about a young boy who grows up next to a bar that is run by the mafia. He idolizes the great respect and money that comes along with being part of the mob. He eventually starts to work for them bringing drinks to the guys. He started making more money than he knew what to do with. When his parents find out he is forced to quit. However, he still sneaks away to hang out. As he grew older he was taken under the wing of the boss. This was another movie I was unable to find on DVD. Casino. Dir. Martin Scorsese. Perf. Robert DeNiro, Joe Pecsi, Sharon Stone. Universal Studios, 1995. Casino is also a movie said to be based on true events. This movie is about a mob boss who owned a well-respected casino. This movie is a great source of pictures. This movie depicts the houses, money, cars, and respect that comes along with being a "made" guy. I couldn't find this movie on DVD so I wasn't able to get as many pictures of these things. I had to make use of the Google image search. Donnie Brasco. Dir. Mike Newell. Perf. Al Pacino, Johnny Depp. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. 1997. The movie Donnie Brasco is based on a true story. Johnny Depp portrays Special Agent Joe D. Pistone, who went undercover and infiltrated the life of the mob. He was almost caught and killed but was pulled out before this could happen. This movie shows the high-end mobsters living in glamour. The low-end mobsters however are in constant fear because if they do not bring in enough money they will be killed. I think I will use movie clips of the mob bosses dressed in expensive leather riding in brand new cars. The Godfather Part I and II. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Perf. Marlon Brando, Al Pacino. Paramount Home Entertainment, 1972. The Godfather is a well-known mafia movie. It isn’t based on true events but there are several characters that are said to be modeled after real people. This movie shows the power and influence of the mafia. This movie has excellent scenes of the glamour that comes along with living with the mafia. Goodfellas. Dir. Martin Scorsese. Perf. Ray Liotta, Joe Pecsi, Robert DeNiro. Warner Bros., 1990. It has been said that this is one of the best mafia movies ever made. It is based on true events. This movie tells the story of Henry Hill and his life in the mob with the Lucchesse family. He was sucked into the glitz and glamour of the life at an early age. He knew a lot of the most infamous gangsters of the era. This movie has allowed me to visualize the type of life mobsters were able to afford. Everyone feared them so they never had to wait for anything and for that matter they never had to pay for anything. This movie also features commentary by the Henry Hill who is portrayed by Ray Liotta. He discusses the different reasoning behind some of the heists. He also talks about who great mob life could be but in the end it takes a turn for the worse. I think I will be using certain clips from the movie to portray the “good” life the mob lived. Growing up Gotti. AE. 2004. This is a reality show. It shows the life of the daughter of the late John Gotti. This shows that even though you get prosecuted and sent to prison it's hard to take away the money after circulating for years. Gotti's daughter Victoria, lives on a huge estate with her three sons. Hill, Henry. Gangsters and Goodfellas: The Mob, Witness Protection, and Life on the Run. New York: M. Evans and Company, Inc. 2004. This book is a great source. It is a book that fills in the gaps of the movie Goodfellas. This book features eight pages of pictures of some big name mobsters. This book goes more in depth into the actual “jobs” they pulled and the money they made. It also goes into the various reasons on why certain people were killed. Maybe the mob life isn’t as great as a lot of people thought. I think I will use this the pictures in the book to show that these men were merely blue-collar workers with families looking for a way to get by. They seem to be some of the last people you would see as an insane murder. They had all the money in the world but didn’t seem to flaunt it. Everyone knew they had it why not flaunt it? In the declining years of the mafia, they did flaunt what they had. A perfect example of this would be John “Dapper Don” Gotti. He was best known for always wearing $2,000 suits. Hill, Henry. Interview. Jonesville Radio Station. Henry Hill explains the life in the mob. Every so often money comes in, but in between heist mobsters were left broke and living in fear. This interview seems to testify that the life that is portrayed in the movie Donnie Brasco is in fact true. He tells about the brutal life of earning money as a hustler. The mafia may have earned a large amount of money but they spent it so rapidly that many times they were broke. This source did not help me demonstrate the point of this project. Maas, Peter. The Valachi Papers. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 1963. The Valachi Papers is also a true story. Joe Valachi was the first mobster to ever break the code of silence. Joe Valachi testified in court and sent a lot of big name mafia men to prison for life sentences. He explains the numerous horrible events that he witnessed. He also explains the spending binges that many mobsters and their families participate in. He explains the amounts of money that can come in from being a bookie and from loansharking. May, Allen. “John Gotti, NY’s Mafia chieftain.” Court TV’s Crime Library Criminal Minds and Methods. 1998. 28 Oct. 2004 http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/gotti/index_1.html. This site has a great index of mobsters. It gives a detailed background of their lives and what drove them towards a life in the mob and a wide variety of pictures. John Gotti is the best-known mobster of the 20th century. He was a great portrayal of a mobster living the glamorous life. He is best known for wearing $2,000 suits, hence his nickname “Dapper Don.” This article features pictures that may be helpful. Pileggi, Nicholas. Wiseguy. New York: Pocket Books Publisher, 1985 This is the book the movie Goodfellas is based on. The book offers more details. It has testimonies from people who were on the Organized Crime task force. The Sopranos. HBO. Episodes 1-12, 1999. The Sopranos is not based on a true story. This show portrays the many facets of glamour that come along with being part of the mob. The show also allows you to see the way the family of a mobster is affected by the life he lives. It also depicts the anxiety that results from constantly worrying about who is really your friend. I think this show has several great scenes that show what a mobster is able to afford. |
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