The 1960s were a golden age for Italian cinema, with heavy hitters like Vittorio De Sica and Federico Fellini cementing their legacies, and emerging talents like Pier Paolo Pasolini and Bernardo Bertolucci making their mark. This era saw a wide variety of genre films, including historical epics, westerns, horror, and drama. Mafia and mob-centered storylines became grittier, laying the foundation for contemporary crime thrillers like The Godfather saga, Goodfellas, and Once Upon a Time in America. The connective tissue between these examples is veteran actor Robert De Niro, who recently picked out a bunch of wonderful films while inside the Criterion Closet. De Niro kicked off his picks with Big Deal on Madonna Street, a brilliant Italian comedy caper. He then revealed that he and frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese wanted to work on a remake of another Italian film, Mafia (Mafioso).
Mafioso is a dark mafia comedy that was ahead of its time. The plot unfolds across three locations: Milan, Sicily, and New York, with abrupt tonal shifts to weave an engaging narrative. The film centers on Nino Badalamenti, who visits his childhood village in Sicily and introduces his wife, Marta, to his family. This adjustment period is rough for Marta, who was born and raised in urban Northern Italy, but Nino uses the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and the local don, Vincenzo. After Don Vincenzo does Nino a favor, he becomes indebted to the mafia, a sentiment he must navigate with a sense of duty instead of unwitting obligation.
Mafioso underlines class and cultural disparity through whip-smart comedy that isn't afraid to morph into more dramatic genres as the film progresses. As a factory foreman in Milan, Nino considers himself shrewd and calculating, but these self-proclaimed traits fall short once he has to carry out orders for the local Sicilian don. While Nino attempts to romanticize rural Sicily as an idyllic paradise, the hostile criminal underbelly demands that certain rules and codes of honor be upheld. This could be seen as a clash between tradition and modernity, but it's a tad more complicated because the ways of life aren't at all compatible.
A remake of Mafioso, especially with Scorsese and De Niro's involvement, could've been a thing of beauty. Our hyper-capitalized world would grant a sharper contrast between Milan and Sicily, affecting how these varied attitudes define Italian identity from a contemporary perspective. While a remake can still happen, now is the best time to watch this gem of a mafia movie that remains underappreciated. Personally, I think the potential for a remake is fascinating, especially with the involvement of Scorsese and De Niro. What makes this particularly intriguing is the opportunity to explore the complexities of class and cultural disparity in a modern context. In my opinion, a remake could provide a sharper contrast between the two settings, offering a more nuanced exploration of Italian identity. This raises a deeper question: How can we effectively translate the unique dynamics of Mafioso into a contemporary setting while maintaining its core themes and humor? What this really suggests is that a remake could be a powerful tool to explore the complexities of human nature and societal structures. It could also serve as a platform to challenge stereotypes and offer a more nuanced perspective on the Italian mafia and its impact on modern society.
