Last night Janet and I watched a film on the Criterion Channel that we first viewed last year: Alberto Lattutada's 1962 film Mafioso. We first watched it because it was set in Sicily, which is almost certainly our final destination (I include the "almost certainly" designation simply because, well, as the old Persian saying reminds us, "if you want to make God laugh tell him your plans"). However, we discovered that Mafioso is a great film, and not simply because it was one of the first Italian films to actually deal with the issue of the Mafia. It's a odd and I would argue immensely effective film because it starts off feeling like a comedy based on a clash of cultures, but then turns into one of vague existential menace. Antonio (Alberto Sordi) and Marta (Norma Bengeli) Badalamenti leave Milan, where he works as a manager in an auto factory, to visit his hometown in Sicily. Blonde, and Milan-born, Marta and their two adorable blonde children, have never visited his hometown, and they completely stick out. There are several funny moments where Marta adjusts to this strange world, and eventually grows to like it. However, there is a separate thread that takes over the film, as Antonio is is asked by the local don to do a favor for him. I will not give away the ending, although I will admit that references to getting in the box have become part of the shared mythology of our cabin. Highly recommended.
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