By Ryne Welch
Film Synopsis:
The Godfather II is a critically acclaimed film that follows two parallel stories. The first is set in various places from Nevada to Cuba in the 1950’s, and picks up at the end of the first film with Michael Corleone. As the new Don of the Corleone crime family, Michael struggles to protect his family’s business as he tightens his grip on the crime underworld. The second narrative goes back to the 1920’s. Following Michael’s father Vito Corleone, the narrative tracks his journey as an immigrant to America, eventually founding his family’s crime enterprise in New York City.
The film opens with a young Vito who escapes his hometown after a mafia boss murders his father. Making the journey to America, he manages to work his way up in the crime underworld. Some of his opportunities are merely chance; however, many of his accomplishments are a result of his ruthless drive to move up in society. As he gains power, people start to recognize his authority, leading to the eventual foundation of his family’s crime syndicate.
Michael’s story is a whirlwind of betrayals, murder, and various other unlawful activities as he struggles in his role as Don of the Corleone family. As Don, he becomes incredibly paranoid of outside threats. He also has the immense task of balancing the relations with the other crime families. Ultimately, his web of illegal activity catches up to him, and he faces jail time. Through intimidation and family loyalty, Michael manages to avoid any conviction. In a calculated frenzy, Michael has his enemies and his friends who betrayed him brutally killed as revenge for his troubles. The film closes with Michael alone on the lake, weighed down by the loss of his family he has endured as the Don of a crime syndicate.
Historical Context:
Many Italian Americans made the trip to America in the early 20th century. Known as the great arrival, southern Italians funneled through Ellis Island in the millions. The forces that contributed to such a mass migration can be traced to divided political factions of Italy, contributing to violence and social strife. This legacy of violence led to wave of the poor Italian farmers looking to find better fortune in America. Many of the people who made the trip were single men looking to send money back home to their families. It was common for these ,men to return home after making money. However, those who stayed would eventually come to make up more than 10 percent of the American foreign-born population.[i]
Italian immigrants who arrived in America banded together with other Italians throughout New York. These villages were a result of the Italian spirit of campanilismo, or loyalty to those who live within the sound of the village church bells.[ii] Life in these pockets was often cramped. Disease was rampant, and those who found work worked in dangerous factory conditions. Italian Americans also faced scrutiny and racism, a result of the nativism trend in America, resisting immigrants of all kind.[iii]
The Italian connection to the Mafia gang life started back in their homeland of Sicily, an Island ruled by foreign powers. In order to protect themselves, many Italians would band together to form their own justice system. These mafiosos would eventually grow to become private armies called Mafie. These groups would eventually become the crime organizations that are known as the Mafia.[iv] This tradition of Mafia life would stay with immigrants as they crossed the ocean into America in the early 20th century.
The American mafia, a completely separate entity from their Italian counterparts, arose from the successes of the Italian immigrants running bootleg liquor during the prohibition era. This led to the Mafia’s rapid branching to various outlets of the criminal underworld. The mafia had a hand in loan sharking, prostitution, labor union control, legitimate industries, and even control of pubic officials. The mafia was a powerful force in America throughout the 20th century until the 1980’s, when the American government cracked down on their activities. Even though they saw a drastic decrease in their power, the American mafia still persists today, having a hand in business around the United States.[v]
In The Godfather part II, Michael Corleone goes to Cuba on a mission to discover who was responsible for the assassination attempt on his life. While he is there, he gets caught up in the early aspects of the Cuban Revolution. Historically, the Cuban Revolution took place on July 26, 1953, in which Fidel Castro united a rebel force against the dictator of Cuba. They landed in Cuba, starting a guerilla campaign against the Cuba dictator. In 1959, a successful offensive led to the Cuban rebels emerging victorious, allowing for Fidel Castro to take over as leader of Cuba.[vi]
Historical Accuracy:
Vito Corleone’s immigration narrative that runs parallel to the main story line of The Godfather part II is a mostly accurate portrayal of the lives of Italian immigrants. Vito Corleone made the journey across the ocean because his family was in danger from the mafia gangs in Italy. Most of the Italians who came over seas did so because of the dangerous unrest in homeland. For the most part, the lifestyle for Italian immigrants in America much like what was seen in the film. The tight, poor living conditions would have been common for most immigrants in New York. There is also a clear sense of the campanilismo, as the groups of Italians stick together to form their own mini town within New York. The only thing that potentially strays from the historical truth was Vito’s inevitable fall to the crime life. It wouldn’t be fair to assume that many Italians went to the crime life, as most worked respectable careers in factories. Many also served in the military, and Italian activism brought about many of the labor unions that would come to improve deplorable factory conditions in New York. The positive trends far outweighed the ones that fell to the criminal underworld.[vii]
The Godfather part II came out during the 1970’s resurgence of Italian gangster films. Across the whole genre, Italian mafias always emphasize the importance of family bonds as a lifestyle. For Italians, family went beyond blood, as neighbors and business relations were equally important, and Italians emphasized family and community bonds through the campanilismo. Throughout the film, Michael’s bonds with this friends and family are abundantly clear. The eventual betrayal from many in his family is detrimental to Corleone, because loyalty to the family is tantamount. Michael Corleone’s greatest tragedy in The Godfather films is the eventual loss of his family as his enterprise expands. For Italians, this would be a terrible loss. This represents a very accurate aspect of Italian culture, as the Italian gangster was tied to his family immensely, because his family was an integral part of their criminal organization. Through a fictional story, the Corleone family represents an accurate portrayal of the Italian lifestyle.[viii]
Violence is another common theme throughout the films, as the various mafia groups often brutally murder to accomplish their goals. Almost every account of the mafia organizations supports the reality of violence. Throughout the height of their power, there were 5 major Italian family groups in New York City. Some of the record of their exploits is terrifyingly similar to what is seen from The Godfather part II. For example, the Colombo family underwent three internal wars, power struggles that resulted in the deaths of several members. Another family, the Lucchese family, ordered a series of murders of those suspected of disloyalty. It’s clear that violence surrounded the mafia families wherever they went. [ix] The true brilliance of The Godfather films is that they depict a fictional story with a fictional family, yet depict the true interworking’s of the notorious Italian American mafia better than any documentary. In that sense, The Godfather part 2 is a raw snapshot of the reality of Italians who came over seas as immigrants, as well as those whom joined the various Mafia families.
Works Cited:
Dibeltulo, Silvia. “Family, Gang and Ethnicity in Italian-themed Hollywood Gangster Films.” Film International 12, no. 4 (December 2014): 25-43. Accessed January 29, 2016. One Search.
“The Five New York Mafia Families.” The Telegraph, April 13, 2011. Accessed January 29, 2016. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8447929/The-five-New-York-mafia-families.html.
“Italian – A Century in the Spotlight – Immigration.” Library of Congress. Accessed January 29, 2016. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/italian9.html.
“Origins of the Mafia.” History.com. Accessed January 29, 2016. http://www.history.com/topics/origins-of-the-mafia.
Sanchez, Rebecca, Elissa Curtis, and Rachelle Klapheke. “Remembering the Cuban Revolution.” Msnbc.com. 2015. Accessed January 29, 2016. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/remembering-fidel-castro-and-the-cuban-revolution#slide1.
Film Trailer:
[i] “Italian – A Century in the Spotlight – Immigration”
[ii] ibid
[iii] ibid
[iv] “Origins of the Mafia”
[v] ibid
[vi] Rebecca Sanchez, “Remembering the Cuban Revolution”
[vii] “Italian – A Century in the Spotlight – Immigration”
[viii] Silvia Dibeltulo, “Family, Gang and Ethnicity in Italian-themed Hollywood Gangster Films,” 33-34.
[ix] “The Five New York Mafia Families”
History Goes to the Movies 