Mafia

The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as La Cosa Nostra (variously translated as This Thing Of Ours or Our Thing), is the name for a secret, criminal organisation which evolved in mid 19th century Sicily, and led to an offshoot on the East-Coast of the United States emerging during the late 19th century with the waves of Italian immigration to that country.

Media portrayal of the Mafia

• The Godfather, novel by Mario Puzo; later made into films by Francis Ford Coppola which are probably the most influential depictions of the Mafia in American popular culture. The Corleone family is an amalgamation of several real life Mafia families.
• La Piovra, Italian TV series by Luigi Perelli after stories by Sandro Petraglia is the most vast and dramatic Italian series on the Mafia spawning over 9 series and 60 hours.
• Goodfellas, a film directed by Martin Scorsese based on the life of Henry Hill.
• Bugsy, a film about Bugsy Siegel starring Warren Beatty.
• Donnie Brasco, a film about the first FBI agent to infiltrate the Mafia.
• Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag, a comedy about a Mafia hit-man (Joe Pesci), who accidentally exchanges his duffel bag with eight gangsters' heads inside with one that belonged to a family of tourists.
• Mafia! is a humorous spoof film of Mario Puzo's The Godfather.
• ', a video game by Gathering of Developers and Illusion, portraying 8 years in the life of a gangster during the 30's. The game is set in the fictious city of Lost Heaven (amalgamation of several real cities) and follows Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver who through certain circumstances becomes a part of the Salieri mafia family.
• The Untouchables, film portrayal of Eliot Ness and the Untouchables, a group of law enforcers organized to fight Al Capone's organization.
• Hoodlum, film about Dutch Schultz's rise and fall starring Lawrence Fishburne and Tim Roth.
• Casino, film portrayal of "Lefty" Rosenthal, general manager of a Las Vegas casino starring Robert De Niro and directed by Scorsese "Lefty" was renamed as Sam "Ace" Rothstein in the film.
• Gotti, an HBO feature on the recently deceased former Gambino family chieftain.
• Road to Perdition, a film about a mob hitman (Tom Hanks) whose family is killed. Hanks flees the city with his only surviving son, and tries to get revenge.
• The Sopranos, an HBO series featuring a Mafioso and his two families.
• A Bronx Tale, story about a mob boss (Chazz Palminteri) in the Bronx who befriends the son of a working class Italian father (Robert De Niro).
• Raging Bull, true story about boxing great Jake LaMotta amidst an atmosphere of Mob influence, also starring Robert De Niro.
• Once Upon a Time in America from Italian director Sergio Leone.
• Analyze This, comedy starring Robert De Niro, and its sequel Analyze That also with Robert De Niro.
• The Whole Nine Yards and its sequel, The Whole Ten Yards, comedies with Bruce Willis.
• Ghost Dog, director Jim Jarmusch late 90's film on American mafia and 'button men'.

See also: List of Mafia movies

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