How “The Godfather” altered our perception of the Mafia

Growing up in Sicily, I was inevitably made aware that my beloved land, even though beautiful, was haunted by an unspoken shadow: “Cosa Nostra”. “Cosa Nostra” literally means “Our Thing”, and refers to the organized crime network rooted in Western Sicily. However, the term is also used to describe the Italian-American Mafia, commonly known as the Mob. 

I was 8 when I first started to learn about Cosa Nostra by reading the novel “This is Why My Name Is Giovanni” by Luigi Garlando. The author indirectly weaves his narration around the story of one of the most important judges of Italy, Giovanni Falcone, a dangerous nuisance for the Mafia, who exposed the main characters of the Sicilian organized crime during the 80’s, the most violent years for Sicily, to the detriment of his own life, as he was tragically killed the 23 of May 1992 in the massacre of Capaci. 

His notoriety was also attributed to his relations with the FBI about some investigations conducted in the US, which aimed to reveal the criminal ties between the Sicilian and the American organized crime. For example, in 1979, Falcone, together with the American prosecutor Rudolph Giuliani, initiated the judicial inquiry known as “Pizza Connection”, which aimed to investigate the drug trafficking between Italy and the US. The appearance of the first Mafia germs in US territory has to be tied strictly with the migratory flows that from South Italy reached the USA between the late 1800s and the first years of the 1900s. 

Between the young Sicilians who left their homes to search for a better future, members of the Italian Mafia also infiltrated and took the chance to expand their businesses, subsequently creating the homonymous neighborhoods of Little Italy. Some of the most important names of the “expat mafiosi” in the US during the 1900s were Salvatore Lucania, a.k.a. Lucky Luciano, then Frank Costello, and mostly, Carlo Gambino, upon which was based the fictional character of Vito Corleone in The Godfather. 

The film portrays the life of V. Corleone, who is busy with the hard and noble task of keeping the family together and the Mob empire compact, shaking hands in exchange for devotion and absolute recognition by his “friends”. I couldn’t help but notice how these characters are perfectly coherent with the standard American perception of the Mafia, such as appealing gangster characters, assertive and commanding, who carry themselves with confidence, almost with a positive connotation. In the film, every moral rule perished in front of the well-being of the family, contributing to building a heroic image of gangsters who would do anything for their community. A completely unrealistic narrative, far removed from reality, that it is harmful for the voices of those who are paying the consequences for trying to expose these criminal dynamics.  

The outcomes of this glamorized narration were perfectly proven by the fact that, often, the Mafia is brought up by non-Italian people in an unexpectedly positive and frivolous way. Therefore, I wonder: How is it possible that people are so desensitized to this topic? Surely, not every school in the world can educate students about the history of the Mafia, and it is also true that stereotypes will always persist. However, it amazes me how this piece of Sicilian history has been completely turned on its head. The duality is outlandish: from the American point of view, we have the glamorization of Mafia, whereas in Sicily, the latter is a sad reality with which each Sicilian must come to terms, feeling the frustration of having to deal with something that is much more than an organized crime; it is a tumor embroidered in the society, a cultural problem, which influences also those who are not directly involved in the organization. 

One of the Mafia’s cornerstones is the oath of omertà, namely the code of silence that’s meant to keep information about business dealings within the family, but it is not simply an oath, it’s a way of living, a phenomenon. Anyone who grew up or has lived in Sicily could support the fact that what’s really damaging to Sicily is the predominant mentality of those who pretend not to see, not to hear, and consciously decide not to talk before the organized crime, everyday problems, wrong things, betraying legality and ignoring one’s own conscience and the collective consciousness. “Omertà” is a wall that doesn’t enable Sicily to grow to its full potential, it’s a wound difficult to close. Today, the Mafia manifests itself through, for example, corruption, extortion, drug trafficking, with a strong tendency to permeate the socio-economic fabric and infiltrate or “control” local political-administrative structures. This inevitably weighs on Sicily’s economy and the overall quality of life, as criminal infiltrations in local public entities slow down bureaucracy, hinder the proper functioning of the public administration, and weaken the region’s ability to provide essential services, ultimately forcing young people to emigrate to northern Italy and abroad.  

Judges like Falcone or Borsellino dedicated their whole lives trying to destroy this wall, and they weren’t the only ones. There are endless spine-chilling stories of people who decided to not withstand the wall of silence and to take action, paying with their lives. To name a few: Peppino Impastato, Rocco Chinnici, Walter Eddie Cosina, Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, Giorgio Boris Giuliano, Piersanti Mattarella and Rita Atria.Therefore, I wonder again: Why doesn’t the world know about their stories? I then try to answer my own question: maybe we should stop investing in the glamorized gangster movies and give the same space and resources to tell the stories of those brave people who lost their lives to fight for truth and legality.