best of mafia cinema

Happy 86th birthday to Al Pacino. In The Godfather, he gave us one of the greatest transformations in film history. From quiet outsider to the most dangerous man in the room. Cinema was never the same after Michael Corleone.

Vito Corleone understood power better than anyone in The Godfather (1972). Not just fear the kind of favor that turns into a debt for life.

Al Pacino's maternal grandparents and his father immigrated to America from Corleone, Sicily, just as Vito Corleone had in "The Godfather" (1972), dir. by Francis Ford Coppola.

Jeremy is not scared of A.J. He is scared of the name behind him. A.J. is just standing in Tony’s shadow, and that shadow is so heavy it shapes his whole life before he even understands it.

Behind the Scenes of The Godfather: Part II.

In Goodfellas, the garlic-slicing scene was inspired by Nicholas Pileggi’s real interviews with mobsters — they actually shaved garlic with razor blades in prison so it would liquefy in the pan.

The final moment of glory for Junior

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A piece of Al Pacino's audition tape for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather.

Which Sopranos scene hit you the hardest?

Tony’s tears say it all: he has forgiven him, and he knows he will never see him again

The Godfather Part II Deleted Scene - Clemenza's father.

Jimmy Conway, who was portrayed by Robert De Niro in GoodFellas (1990) was called Jimmy Burke in real life, but Burke's mother Mary's last name was Conway.

The door closes. So does Michael

Mafia cinema, but wearable and subtle. thefilmspoint.com/collections/ma…

Part of what makes Connie’s wedding feel so alive in The Godfather (1972) is that many of the guests were real friends and family of the cast and crew. That warmth was not acting.

Don Corleone

The Godfather Part II Deleted Scene - Kay talks to Frank Pentangeli.