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 Movies: Life Lessons & Big Balls

First off, I guess I should do a quick introduction. I am an average man who works hard and plays hard. I am not a writer like the Mistress or Chiara. I do not have their wit and style when it comes to writing. I am straight shooter who will pull no punches. I have opinions on many things.  I will share with anybody who dares to actually read. I am excited that the Mistress has allowed me to post my thoughts on the "Mob Wives" and other shows. Now here comes my first attempt to share my thoughts for you to consider, enjoy, disagree or whatever you choose. I actually don't give a fuck. Now on to my thoughts about mob and mafia movies.

Growing up, I watched every movie that dealt with the mafia. I have spent weekends watching "The Godfather" trilogy. I have lumbered through Scarface and Goodfellas. Now I will share some thoughts on it. In the movie, "Scarface", there are many quotes that I can think of that have molded me into the man that I am.

The first one is this: "All I have in this world is balls and my word." This is appropriate for any man worth his weight. The man can be the don or just an earner; this quote applies. A man is only as good as the word he gives. If I am a liar and a snake then I do not command the respect of other people. Nobody would be willing to listen. If I am not honest then I cannot be trusted. That is why when I give you my word you know that you can trust it. The second part of the quote deals with my balls. If you think of the Greek statues of nude men specifically David you'll see a small penis and adequate balls. The true measure of a man is the size of his balls. It is a sign of masculinity. A signal if you will that I am ready to impregnate the entire population of women in the world. A man who is gutsy is referred to as having big balls. You are a man if you are willing to stand up for what you believe in.  This is why in my line of work I do speak my mind and stand behind my balls. This is a quote for all men to live by.

Another quote is, "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer." This is great because you have to keep an eye on your friends but a closer eye on your enemies. They are trying to cause your downfall. They will rat on you and hit you when you are not looking. This is the reason why I feel you need to keep your enemies closer.

Today, I was talking to some of my earners.  One brought up the scene in which Manolo and Tony are hanging out on a beach in Miami. Manolo tells Tony that American women like when you flick your tongue rapidly while trying to hit on them. Tony calls Manolo sick for doing so.  In the movie it is a funny scene because this fails miserably for Manolo. However, I understand his point. American women want a bold man. They do not need a man who is weak or afraid. They want a person who is strong and willing to be straightforward when it comes to decision making and sex.

"Never sit with your back to the door." Now this should be easy to understand but I will give you my everyday explanation. You have to always be aware of your surroundings. You have to keep your head on a swivel.  You never know when somebody is trying to cause you or your family harm. I live by this day in and day out.

There are many examples of how the mob life has affected me and my everyday activities. I could go on and on.  But I think you get the idea. We have all been influenced by these movies and television shows.

Now that I gave you a bit about my philosophy, I look forward to forcing my opinion on you about a few shows. Stay tuned for my next post about the Housewives of New Jersey season opener.

Credit: YouTube

Mob Wives: Lingo Of The Mob

My name is Chiara. In Italian that means “light” or “clear.” In this blog I am going to shed some light on the language used by the mafia so it all becomes clearer to you. The Mob has a language all it’s own. It might be fun to get familiar with some of the standard, more popular vocabulary which may come out of the “mouths of the babes” on VH1’s new show Mob Wives. If, during the course of the show, other words come out in their conversation, you will find them translated in my blog review of the episode. Now let’s get down to business!

La Cosa Nostra - translates into “Our Thing” and refers to the Mafia in the US

There are/were five Italian American crime families in New York: Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese.

The Mafia is an organization and, like any other business, ranks its members:

The Boss or Don is the head of the Mafia family. He decides who gets killed and gets a portion of all money made by his workers.

The Underboss is the one that runs the family and oversees all the other workers. He is next in line for the position of Boss. There is only one of these per family.

The Consigliere is an advisor to the Boss and assists him in making important decisions. He also represents the Don in meetings within the family and with other crime families. There is usually only one of these in a family.

Caporegimes or captains are in charge of a crew of workers/soldiers. They answer to the underboss and collect money from the workers to give to the Boss, underboss, consigliere and keeps some for himself. There can be from 2 to 20 “capos” in a family.

Soldiers are the workers, in Italian “soldati“, who earn money to give to their captain. They do what ever is asked of them by the capo or underboss and there can be 10 to 300 of them in a family.

Associates are people who work with the Mafia family, but are not members.
　
Common words and expressions:

Babbo - a soldier who is consider to be useless and expendable.
Burn - to murder (clip, do a piece of work, hit, ice, pop, whack, put a contract on)
Comare (goomah, goomar, goomatta) - a mafia member’s mistress, every wise guy has one.
Come heavy - bring a loaded gun
Earner - refers to those who bring in money to the Mafia family
Facia Bruta - Ugly face, what you call someone you dislike
Flip - one who breaks the omerta code and cooperates with authorities
Guests of the state - doing time in prison
Juice - the interest paid to a loanshark
Lam - lay low or go into hiding
Large - one thousand dollars, a grand, G
Made guy - join the family as a member; mother must be Italian
Mezza morta - half dead
Mock execution - beat someone up to the point of scaring the shit out of them
Omerta - code of silence
Pinched - to be caught by the police
Puttana - whore
Rat - a snitch
Shakedown - blackmail or scare someone into handing over money
Shy - interest charged by loan sharks
Shylock business - loan shark business
Spring cleaning - getting rid of or hiding evidence
Strunz - a piece of shit
Taste - a percentage of the take
Tax - to take a percentage of someone’s earnings
Wise guy - a made guy, member of the mafia.