Entry 8 – The Godfather

One of the biggest surprises of my time in Sicily is the constant promotion and advocacy for The Godfather films. In Taormina every souvenir stand has some sort of “Il Padrino” merchandise. There is even one whole store dedicated to knock off merchandise. I seriously doubt Marlon Brando and Francis Ford Coppola are getting a cut of the sales from the merchandise sold from these stores. The surprising reality is that while Italians are embracing the film and the stereotypes of mafia culture, Italian-American interest groups are denouncing it. As an Italian-American, I tend to agree more with the Italian point of view and embrace the Italian stereotypes. After all, it is just entertainment. It does not take a genius to figure out that every Italian-American is not in the mafia or participates in mafia-like activities or acts like the cast members of Jersey Shore. I never really understood these special interest groups that are very prominent in America these days. Why deny entertainment for millions of people because a few people think they know better than everyone else? It does not really make sense.

After seeing all this hype about The Godfather films we decided to go on the tour that took us to the actual places where it was filmed. In the movie, the scenes are said to take place in Corleone. However, Corleone is closer to Palermo on the northwest coast of Sicily. In actuality, the scenes take place on the east coast in small villages next to Taormina called Savoca and Forza D'Agro. These two villages are so small that I wonder how the director Francis Ford Coppola even found them. They are on top of the mountain secluded from the rest of Sicily, which makes it perfect for the movie. The sights and scenery are really amazing and provide a great backdrop for any movie. We had a very wonderful opportunity to visit and take pictures at all the same places Michael Corleone did in the 1970s. As this is our last excursion, it provides a full circle ending. We visited all the big cities, saw all the major sights, lived amongst tourists from all over the world in a beautiful setting and finishing it all off in two tiny villages. I am really proud to say I experienced the best that Sicily has to offer.

These Italian-American interest groups don't only fight against Mafia movies, any media that portrays Italian stereotypes is portrayed. Vicki Vasilopoulous reports on how anti-defamation groups are trying to make some characters in the children's move Shark Tale, “de-Italianized.” These groups have started a letter writing campaign to the producers and directors of the film claiming that the negative stereotypes portrayed in the film will perpetuate young children's minds. For me, the key point in the article is when one of the members of a different Italian-American group states that the Italian-American community is a conflicted community and they don't agree on every issue. Some find the Italian-American stereotypes a form of entertainment while others are enraged. That is my whole issue with what these groups are doing. If some people enjoy it, let them. If some people are angered, let them too. There does not need to be a group that is supposedly speaking for the whole community. Let the market decide if people enjoy this type of entertainment or hate it. I think you have to give the general public the benefit of the doubt and hope they realize that not every Italian-American is involved with the Mafia. I believe Americans are smart enough to make that connection.

Reference: Vasilopoulos, Vicki. "O.K., What About Sharks Is So Italian" New York Times 29 Feb. 2004

Just like the movie