Mob Movie: The Sicilian Girl



A young Rita rides with her beloved father Don Michele.

As every man knows there is always a woman who is nagging in the background. For me the one is Mob Mistress. She likes to dictate what I blog about. (It is probably good that she does. If not I'd probably only blog about how I want to run off (with Karen Gravano of Mob Wives and Jacqueline Laurita of The Real Housewives of New Jersey). I digress.  As you some have read I like watching movies. The mistress of the blog asked if I had ever seen "The Sicilian Girl." Of course I hadn't. She would pick one of the few movies I have not watched. 

Today I made an appointment with Netflix and "The Sicillian Girl." The original title of the movie is La Siciliana Ribelle which translates to The Sicilian Rebel. I prefer the original title.  I think it's a better fit for the film than the American title.  But hey what do I know?

The movie is based on a true story of Rita Atria who took on the mafia. It covers the lengths she went to in order to find justice. In a society or lifestyle which does not believe in legal forms of justice. She went against the omertà of the mafia by utilizing the police to help her get justice.



The body of Nino

Why does Rita need justice? The movie starts out with Rita as an eleven year old girl in the mid 1980s.  She lives with her parents and older brother in Balata, Sicily.  She is a typical daddy's girl who follows and idolizes her father. Daughter and father go places and experience their community together.  Rita's mother seems jealous of their bond. Rita's father is Don Michele Mancuso who is a respected person in the community. He's not your local grocer.  He's a wise guy. He believes in the old ways of business talk first but will utilize the whole eye for an eye saying. He uses violence & kills only as a last resort.   There is a fire, a man named Nino has been murdered. A village boy Vito is instructed to take Rita away from the murder seen. Nino's brother and daughter ask the Don for justice.

We fast forward to a procession during a feast; we first see his power as their family walks through the village. Don Michele meets up with Don Salvo Simi. You get the feeling they respect each other.  They are equally cautious with one another. Shortly after, we see the man Bellafiore who committed the murder. He has the murder victim's daughter with him.  Salvo requests to have a talk alone with Bellafiore. He doesn't understand why Michele is upset over the murder of a peasant.  He brags how the victim's daughter is a virgin. He even offers her to Don Michele to enjoy.  He also shares with Don Michele that the wind is changing.  He suggests he sell his land in order to fund a drug business.

We see Bellafiore in the mist of raping the young woman. The next thing we see is the Don with his men taking care of Bellafiore. The police investigate the murder of Bellafiore. They ask questions. The Chief Prosecutor Borsellino laments, "...you keep living behind the guise of justice and protection from the Mafia. You will never have any justice."

We flashed forward to Rita with her father Don Michele, once again. She is riding her new bike while Don Michele and Don Salvo are discussing business. The discussion pertains to drugs. Don Salvo wants to leap into to drug business full throttle. Don Michele does not. As they finish their conversation, we see men all around, shots ring out. Don Michele is shot. Rita screams for help.  In a neighborhood controlled by gangs, her screams go unanswered.  People turn a blind eye. Rita runs to Don Salvo, not realizing he has a hand in the murder of her beloved father.  She believes him to be a family friend. Her brother Carmelo tells her to never go to him again. Rita is told Don Salvo is the one who murdered their father. They both pledge to get justice. As time goes on, little Rita begins writing in her diary about the people in her village.

We now move forward to 1991. Rita is 17 years old and her brother Camelo tells her it is time to get their revenge. Carmelo goes to the waterfront. Later we hear that there is a body in the water. Rita goes quickly hoping to see Don Salvo, finally avenging the death of her beloved father. Instead she finds that Carmelo has been killed. The boy Vito is now a man.  He and Rita have been boyfriend/girlfriend since the night of Bellafiore's death. She loves Vito and wants to spend her life with him. The twist thickens. Vito works for Don Salvo. The drug business is good money for a young man. Rita seeking justice finds Chief Prosecutor Borsellino in Palermo. He does not want to help because it is the mafia. He discovers Rita has some valuable information.  Information that leads to a major police sting confiscating Don Salvo's drugs. Don Salvo tries to figure out who ratted to the police. Vito (the little bitch) tells Don Salvo that Rita went to the police in Palermo.

I know some of you may be planning on watching this movie on Netflix.  So not wanting to spoil The Sicillian Girl, I suggest you stop reading now.

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From this point forward, we see Rita who in the protection of the state. Rita becomes Silvia Bonura the daughter of shopkeepers. The Chief Prosecutor is trying to build a case against the Mafia. He utilizes the jounals that the Rita kept for many years as the basis for his case. Rita for once seems happy but she is alone. She had to leave Vito her first love behind. She left her mother who did not seem to want her anyway. As we progress towards the trial Rita finds another friend Lorenzo who likes her in Rome. She seems happy for a moment.  She seems to be living life.  However, in the bliss of a blossoming romance, she withdraws.  One doesn't know if it's because of her feelings toward Vito or the knowledge she will not live long.


Rita returns to court with the gun of Don Michele and her brother Carmelo.

The trial of Don Salvo and his gang begins. Rita begins to give her testimony. The defense produces a witness who claims Don Michele raped her many times.  The witness is Nino's daughter who Don Michele Mancuso saved from being raped by Bellafiore. The strategy is to bring discredit the information written by a little girl long ago. The Chief Prosecutor asks her to look back and acknowledge her father was also a killer. She meets with her mother who confirms the truth of who her husband and son were. We also understand what the barrier is between mother and daughter. The mother resents how both men protected Rita from the truth. How her daughter was protected from the ugliness of the lifestyle while she washed blood stained clothes of their victims. We get a glimpse of Vito with a bomb maker. 

In court the defense has made it seem as if Rita is delusional and ratting out her father. She returns to court to add to her testimony. Rita owns the truth; her father and brother were killers. They were no better than the filth now on trial. Afterwards, Rita meets with the Chief Prosecutor; they embrace. She knows that they will get a conviction now. As they depart for the night, you get the feeling someone is going to die. As the Chief Prosecutor leaves the courthouse, we hear a large explosion. He is killed. Rita has no one left. Her mother has turned her back completely. She, by tradition, is a victim of the Mafia lifestyle and ways.

Rita is moved to a new hiding place. Lonely she reaches out to Lorenzo and then her mother with no luck.  Finally she calls Vito, thinking she can trust him. He shows up at her hiding place. They embrace, kiss and make love. They both profess their love for each other. Vito asks Rita to take back all of her testimony. He wants her to say it was just an imaginary tale from a little girl. Vito claims he can save her. He wants to marry Rita, making her a proper woman. Vito said that he had Don Salvo's word. Rita is pissed. If she does what Vito asks the Mafia will not be brought to justice. She is angered that Vito would talk of loving her when his loyalty truly lies with his boss, Don Salvo. With the Chief Prosecutor dead, she knows that she will not live for long. Knowing her death with Vito in her room ensures justice will be brought down on Don Salvo, Rita takes her life by jumping off the balcony.  She frees herself and guarantees justice is done for her family and so many others.



Rita Atria, a young women who laid down her life for justice.



Now I really loved The Sicillian Girl. It takes a strong girl with deep convictions to go against a way of life. Even though she killed herself, I think that she was finally free of a lifestyle she did not choose for herself. She became a champion for the people who hated the rise of the Mafia in Italy and the importing of drugs into the country. From beginning to end Rita demonstrated an incredible will and strength. It is subtitled in Italian. I highly recommend the movie! You will not be disappointed, even if you read this entry with the spoiler.  If you've already seen this one or take my advice in the future,  please let me know what you think of The Sicillian Girl. I appreciate all feedback. My wife keeps on watching this movie.  I have a funny suspicion, she has a thing for a couple of the Italian cops;  Women! 

Mob Movie: The Loyalty of "A Prophet"

Now many of you only drop by to read about VH1's Mob Wives series which I can appreciate. The ladies do a great job giving you information relevant to the show's cast and their lifestyles. If you don't know, these ladies are diggers. I have watched the show a few times. This may read like blasphemy but I really cannot get into it. It could be due to my missing a couple of episodes. Maybe I just can't relate to the women. Which is probably a good thing because I am 100% all man. I was asked to contribute to this blog strictly based on my encyclopedia type knowledge of pop culture, movies and music. My memory is serious business.  I can read; I can watch; I can listen whether books, movies, albums, newspapers,  magazines and remember all sorts of details.

I happened to be listening to the Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM.  He was reading an advertisement for a little movie called "A Prophet".  The ad said the movie was comparable to "The Godfather".  I hate when a movie is compared to a classic.  Most of the time, it will never stand a chance living up to the comparison. The advertisement mentioned it's Academy Award nomination for best foreign language film. It is a French movie with subtitles.  One day I was fooling around with my Netflix queue.  I came across "A Prophet".  So I said why not. At a minimum, it would be fun to see if the French can make a gangster movie. 

I've watched "A Prophet" twice now. Once for enjoyment and the second time for some of the themes that ran throughout. The thread through this movie is one we see with the Mob Wives; loyalty. Loyalty is near and dear to many.  It's everything for some.

A quick rundown of the movie, the movie's central character is a French Arab named Malik.  He is sentenced to 6 years in prison. He's in prison for fighting cops.  Malik is 19 years old with no family and no real identity.  All he wants to do is serve his time, and eventually move forward with his life. As in most prisons there are separate factions which run the prison. The factions are the Corsican mob and the Muslims. The Corsican mob boss in prison is Luciani. He is an older gentleman who is probably going to die in prison.  It appears the Corsican mob is the dominating faction in the prison.  While the Muslims seem very united.  We're not given a clear view of the Muslims beyond their loyalty.

Malik is jumped for his shoes in the prison courtyard. The Corsicans witness the incident.  They approach Malik with a job.  He is asked to kill a Muslim witness named Reyeb. Malik is conflicted.  He does not want to kill.  He does not want to kill a fellow Muslim. In the end, he has no choice.  The job completed; he earns the protection from the Corsicans.  Malik is looked at only as a dirty Arab. He does not get the respect from the mob. He is their bitch boy for lack of a better term.  He appears fiercely loyal.  Whatever is asked of him, he does.

Malik has visions of Reyeb in his cell. Many may interpret this as a haunting of his first murder.  I see this in a totally different way. Reyeb had been trying to find a friend in prison. Reyeb tried to get Malik to understand his Muslim heritage. The brotherhood which can be strong if they remain loyal to each other.

Luciani begins trusting Malik with bigger assignments.  Malik develops relationships outside of the mob.  As Luciani trusts grows, Malik begins identifying with his Muslim roots. He meets another Muslim who pushes Malik to education. The Corsicans' oppressive hand has no interest in Malik or any other Muslim's education.  They know the tide will turn with knowledge.  Malik appears closer to Luciani than the other Corsican soldiers.  He does not ask Luciani for anything.  He does not burden the boss.

The one thing that I loved about the movie was Malik's loyalty. He was loyal to whoever. Maybe he used them but it was never obvious.. He created a bond to the Muslims by giving money. Luciani trusted him enough because of his loyalty. Malik began handling big business. Malik was loyal to his friends who helped him along the way. He made money with a drug dealer. He supported Ryad because he showed him education.  The viewer watches Malik do bad things.  Yet most who watch will love this character.  Malik is fiercely loyal.  He just kept everything quiet and he made his way.  He raises to power.  He becomes stronger than the Corsicans.  He is respected.  Yet to the Corsicans after all the jobs and time spent with him, Malik is only a dirty Muslim.

I understand the comparison to the Godfather.  I don't know if "A Prophet" will ever be seen as a classic in the states.  It's a little seen movie.  It's a foreign film with subtitles.  I love the movie. I watched it last night again for this post. I saw things; I hadn't caught the first time around. It's a great mob or gangster movie. I know you read.  So grab your reading glasses and pop some corn.  "A Prophet" is the next best thing to having a French lover whisper sweet nothings in your ear.  Let me know your thoughts on the movie if you've seen it or after you watch it.  I'd also like your recommendations on some great movies.  I wonder what the ladies of Mob Wives would say about this movie.  Loyalty comes out of their mouths every Sunday @ 8PM/7PM central as if they get a buck everytime they say the word.