Mafioso (1964)
89%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Mafioso begins as an amusing farce and skillfully transforms into a portentous social drama
Mafioso is like a classic Italian dish that starts off light and fun, but then takes a dark and unexpected turn that leaves you feeling satisfied and a little bit scared. It’s Meet the Parents meets The Godfather, but with a vintage twist that makes it all the more delicious. This movie may be over 45 years old, but it’s still got plenty of flavor and packs a punch that will leave you wanting more. So grab some popcorn and a glass of Chianti, and get ready for a cinematic feast that will have you saying “Mamma mia!
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including some violence, racial slurs, drug use and brief nudity
Year of Release
1964
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2008
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Alberto Sordi, Norma Bengell, Gabriella Conti, Ugo Attanasio, Cinzia Bruno, Katiusca Piretti, directed by Alberto Lattuada, written by Rafael Azcona, Bruno Caruso, Marco Ferreri, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ben Kenigsberg, Chris Vognar, Marc Savlov, Eleanor Ringel Cater, Amy Biancolli, G Allen Johnson, Dennis Schwartz, Michele Kenner, Phil Villarreal, Chris Hewitt, Shawn Levy, Robert W Butler, producer Tonino Cervi, MPAA rating, Sicily, mobster, New York, family, social drama, farce, tonal shifts, masterpiece, black-and-white, gem, Italian, wiseguy, mafia, lifestyle, documentary, Michael Corleone, betrayal, light-hearted, deadly serious
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Norma Bengell – Marta
Gabriella Conti – Rosalia
Ugo Attanasio – Don Vincenzo
Cinzia Bruno – Donatella
Katiusca Piretti – Patrizia
Director(s)
Alberto Lattuada
Writer(s)
Rafael Azcona, Bruno Caruso, Marco Ferreri
Producer(s)
Tonino Cervi
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (2)
Director Lattuada was reportedly acclaimed for his oddball tonal shifts, which Mafioso offers in spades.
July 12, 2007 | Rating: 4/6
Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The transitional gears never grind. They just keep clicking until you know you’re along for the entire ride.
May 11, 2007 | Rating: A-
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
TOP CRITIC
The sort of masterpiece that will obliterate memories of lesser, later efforts in the ‘meeting the parents’ comedy lineage. Brilliant.
April 26, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The film ripens in an unanticipated way, nimbly shifting from near farce to something quite a bit darker.
April 26, 2007 | Rating: A-
Eleanor Ringel Cater
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
Mafioso may be 45 years old, but it’s as bracingly relevant as anything else in theaters today. Even in the heat of a dry Sicilian summer, the film looks fresh as a lemon tree. And when you bite down hard, it’s just as bitter.
April 20, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
If you crossed Meet the Parents with The Godfather and filmed it 45 years ago in Italian, you might come close to Mafioso, a black-and-white gem from 1962 whose appearance in local theaters is inexplicable but most welcome.
April 13, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
G. Allen Johnson
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Brilliant neglected and underappreciated film about the Sicilian mafia.
December 15, 2008 | Rating: A
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
A gentle Italian comedy from 1962 that takes a sobering, chilling turn that would make Michael Corleone proud.
July 12, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Michele Kenner
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Director Alberto Lattuada’s seriocomic 1962 look at the Sicilian mob lifestyle broke the omerta, providing a look at the sordidly fascinating life of the wiseguy.
May 30, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
No wonder Mafioso vanished without a trace when it was released in 1962; the mordant mobster comedy was about 45 years ahead of its time.
May 24, 2007 | Rating: 2.5/4
Chris Hewitt
St. Paul Pioneer Press
It feels like a comedy, and then a dark drama, and then, no, wait . . . a semicomic documentary, right? The effect, carried brilliantly by Sordi, is delightful.
May 18, 2007 | Rating: A-
Shawn Levy
Oregonian
Some viewers may feel betrayed when the film’s light-hearted and gently mocking attitude suddenly turns deadly serious. I thought it was breathtaking.
May 18, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star…
Plot
This is the funny story about two warring Mafia gangs in New York City. The weaker gang uses a lion to blackmail the opposite gang’s “clients”. The police succeed in stopping one of the gangs, while the other remains without the boss.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Mafioso.
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