Origins of the Mafia
1976 television crime-drama miniseries
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Origins of the Mafia (Italian: Alle origini della mafia) is a 1976 television crime-drama miniseries directed by Enzo Muzii. A co-production between Italian RAI and British ITC, it deals with the roots of the Sicilian mafia between 1575 and 1875.[1] It consists of five episodes, and each episode is structured as a standalone narrative.[1][2]
Enzo Muzii
David Rintels
Eric Hobsbawm
Roberto Ciuni
| Origins of the Mafia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Screenplay by | Brando Giordani Enzo Muzii David Rintels |
| Story by | Leonardo Sciascia Eric Hobsbawm Roberto Ciuni |
| Directed by | Enzo Muzii |
| Narrated by | Richard Johnson |
| Composer | Nino Rota |
| Countries of origin | United Kingdom, Italy |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Brando Giordani Bernard J. Kingham |
| Cinematography | Giuseppe Rotunno |
| Editor | Mauro Bonanni |
| Original release | |
| Release | November 19 – December 17, 1976 |
Plot
Cast
Episode 1: Gli antenati (The Ancestors)
- Lee J. Cobb as Bartolomeo Gramignano
- Joseph Cotten as the King's envoy
- Edward Albert as Sebastian
- Renato Salvatori as the Captain
- Claudio Camaso as Giuseppe Gramignano
- Franco Garofalo as Vittorio Gramignano
- Giuseppe Addobbati as the Miller
Episode 2: La legge (The Law)
- Mel Ferrer as Armando Della Morra
- John McEnery as Pietro
- Massimo Girotti as Viceroy Caracciolo
- Laura Troschel as Isabella
- Biagio Pelligra as Angelo La Parma
- Cesare Gelli as Rosario
- Donato Castellaneta as Tomassino
- Valentino Macchi as the Lawyer
- Rodolfo Baldini as Prince Ostuni
- Loris Bazzocchi as Nicola
- Vittorio Duse as the Sacristan
Episode 3: Gli sciacalli (Jackals)
- Tony Musante as Michele Borello
- Fernando Rey as Baron Della Spina
- Fausto Tozzi as Nicu Borello
- Rejane Medeiros as Barbara Della Spina
- Remo Girone as Antonio Della Spina
- Leopoldo Trieste as Lawyer Mazzullo
- Guido Alberti as the Maltese
- Paul Müller as the Judge
- Marzio Margine as Salvatore
- Stefania Spugnini as Serafina
- Luigi Uzzo as Gioacchino
- Guido Cerniglia as the Manager
Episode 4: La speranza (Hope)
- Trevor Howard as Don Consalvo Saccone
- Tom Skerritt as Bernardino Campo
- Giancarlo Sbragia as Prefect Mieli
- Massimo Serato as Marquis Tarcone
- Valeria Moriconi as Isabella Mieli
- Spiros Focas as La Monica
- Francesca Muzio as Lucetta
- Gianfranco Barra as the Secretary
- Umberto Spadaro
- Enzo Consoli as Nicola
- Consuelo Ferrara as Mara
- Alessandro Haber as Pietro
- Stanko Molnar as Leonardo
Episode 5: L'omertà (Omertà)
- Katharine Ross as Rosa Mastrangelo
- Tony Lo Bianco as Nino Sciallacca
- James Mason as Vianisi
- Paolo Bonacelli as Vincenzo Biscetta
- Renzo Montagnani as Antonio Mastrangelo
- Claudio Gora as Felice Balsamo
- Piero Di Iorio as Corrao
- Massimo Sarchielli as the Sheriff
- Luciano Catenacci as Rocco Matranga
- Amedeo Nazzari as the Senator
Production
Before shootings, Muzii and Leonardo Sciascia spent over two years in historical researches.[1] The series was shot in Sicily, with shootings wrapping in August 1975.[3]
Release
Reception
Paul Mavis from DVD Talk wrote: "Storytelling comes first and last here; watching Origins of the Mafia is like diving into a really long, good book that, while not stylistically compelling, is dramatically most satisfying", and noted: "If you love Mafia movies, Origins of the Mafia is necessary viewing […] a leisurely paced, confident, cleanly executed TV miniseries".[4]
