La Cosa Nostra Movies & Orange Donnie Trump The Mafia Wannabe!

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By Ron Signore

Perhaps we should look to thank directors like Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola for bringing to life the portrayals of life in America La Cosa Nostra. Both directors do a phenomenal job at showing the glorifications of the lifestyle as the story builds, and an even better job at showing the declines as time goes on.

While Coppola brought to life the business-like corporation formed by the Corleone Family, the adopted screen play of the Godfather from Mario Puzo begins with a celebration of the wedding for Vito Corleone’s daughter Connie. Vito, the Godfather or head of the family, presents as a more soft-spoken man of reason who analyzes each and every move to be fair and precise in his actions to any given scenario. As we begin to fall in love with the criminal protagonist, we see how the corporation is built on violent acts of bloodshed and death. It does not matter to us that the main character is a man who orders murder or using blackmail and bribery to get his business objectives accomplished. It does not matter that the members of this underworld society are villainous in nature to the casual viewer. In fact, it becomes an envious and desirable world for many as they see more and more.

However, Scorsese had a constant theme in all his mob related movies. Scorsese masters the art of bringing a story to show the immense glorifications of a more realistic story of modern Cosa Nostra to a pinnacle then feverishly shows the unravelling decline to illustrate the sad truths to organized crime.

While I love Mean Streets, Goodfellas, The Departed and even The Irishman, no Scorsese movie depicts this up and down trend better than Casino. While it is based off the true story of Lefty Rosenthal (Robert DeNiro) and Anthony Spilotro (Joe Pesci), we see how the two came to power in Las Vegas. Spilotro, a member of the Chicago Outfit, was sent to protect the head figure the Outfit sent out to put in charge of running a casino, all while they skimmed profits back to the Outfit. We see the extensive nightlife parties, the gambling, illegal activity with no consequence including violence and murder. The essence of power connects with the average viewer to again get to that envy of thinking their plain life lived inside the boundaries of the law is boring and unfulfilling. Like each of the preceding movie titles from Scorsese, the bottoming out for each protagonist is dramatic. Ultimately (spoiler alert), in these movies, many winds up dead or left with just about nothing. Henry Hill in Goodfellas spiraled so far out to become a rat, put in witness protection, and must live his life like a “schnook,” an “average nobody.”

The generation of Americans most aligned with these movies actually lived through many of the real-life instances of news related mafia events. The 1970’s and 80’s films portraying the ever feared mafioso lifestyle were the foundation to the ever-growing interest in the unknown of the secret life. It is really David Chase who took us into the world of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and both his families to give a more modern view into this sacred organization.
While this series on HBO is a drama, there is plenty of comic relief throughout the 6-season series depicting a New Jersey crime family led by Soprano, who also has his own battles on the home front with his traditional family. One can argue the success or failure of balancing life between the two families, but nonetheless incorporation of both lives in the modern era.

The overarching story line takes all the elements from successful mob titles of the past. The protagonist is tough guy boss, Tony Soprano, takes qualities and characteristics that resemble a mesh of previously famous mob movie figures. Tony shows his business intelligence with strategies well thought out like those of Vito and Michael Corleone. He demonstrates the explosive enforcer to not be messed with, occasionally flying off the handle like that of Tommy DeVito (Tommy DeSimone) or Nicky Santoro (Anthony Spilotro) as acted out by Joe Pesci. Elements of pride, ego, and greed like we saw from famous mafiosos like John Gotti or Jimmy Hoffa. And outside of that world, Soprano shows an unconditional love for his children, and despite any transgressions of infidelity or betrayal, eventually became the loving husband, son, and nephew.

Through the eyes of Soprano, we get a little more realistic insight to the day to day of members. We learn these concepts of how to evade taxes on the undocumented income from their illegal business ventures. Controlling the unions to schematically curve bids to get work for the real union workers, but also the appropriately called no show jobs for higher ranking members of the crew. In the most simple explanation, these are fixed W-2’s budgeted out of the project to provide for members so they can show taxable income, all well providing zero effort in actual work. The hands the mafia has in the unions around construction, politicians, and waste management become apparent in things that may affect a wider number of citizens that those affected by the stereotypical vices we tend to associate with the mob: gambling, loansharking, murder…etc…

Spending most his days in Hawaiian shirts and slacks in a mob operated strip club or butcher shop, Soprano hits the night life like that image we all have of John Gotti. Custom suits, bottle service and constant meals in upscale restaurants help put in perspective the popularity of his reputation of power in the neighborhood and other more prominent circles. The glorification of this life for men is easily attained. A strong portion of the male population would not be too upset with a mansion, trophy wife, kids, girl on the side, free flowing cash, eating awesome food, chilling at strip joints drinking, gambling like a degenerate and no accountability for the crimes committed.

Like the stock market, Chase did an amazing job of building up to a point, pulling back for a dip and then breaking through in a supernova type trade pattern. Tony hits the lows and in serious fashion. Over the course of the series, the depression battling Soprano experiences just about everything negative someone in the life would experience. The differentiation between the family and “family” is a theme that rides the show like a roller coaster. The lines between family member and member of the family becomes very blurred. Battles between Tony’s mother and uncle Junior beg to understand what is business and what is family? The classic Michael and Fredo Corleone complex we experience in Godfather 2 where Michael eventually ends up ordering the death of his brother. While Tony never ordered the death of his mother or uncle, his rage because of the two very well could have gotten to that point.

The ongoing burden of Tony’s nephew Christopher, a rising star in the family. He was an outspoken soldier and captain as he rose in rank operated with the classic Napoleon syndrome. Always operating with a chip on his shoulder, he would act out of a doubting emotion often causing anger in Tony.

Arguably the lowest low of the show would be the approximate season we go through with Tony and his wife Carmela separated. Parallels of the mafioso lifestyle ended up interchanging paths with his home life. The discretions of Tony outside the home with his extramarital women ultimately cause the split. However, the road map to divorce really tests the loyalties of family. Knowing Tony provided their way from illegal income, pursuing divorce for Carmela became increasingly difficult with the pursuit of what she may have been entitled to, unbeknownst to the government on paper.

This point in the show is really the pinnacle. This is where we start to see the beginning of the end. Betrayal and ego guide the New Jersey family to war with a rival New York family. As the bodies piled up on both sides, several in very close capacity Tony, negative paranoid tensions are on full display helping people realize the negative aspects of the life…. if one lives. In addition to the underworld warring families, the head always needs to be on a constant swivel for law enforcement. In the end of this life, you only have two options to exit: death or prison.

In true fashion, the end of the series hits a pinnacle of the Sopranos winning the war with the rival New York family. The triumph of victory allows for the positive happy family image. That horrible feeling a family must have to know the risks of what a loved one does for a living. From experience, the feeling we have for our police family and our military family. The sense of relief when a tense series of events leading to sorrow comes to an end. The protagonist wins. The hypothetical good defeats evil. Everyone went into the last 10 minutes of the series with exactly that feeling that “John Wayne would ride off into the sunset.”

The referred to 10-minute time span as the series concludes would not even be explained and confirmed until years after the series concluded. As the final scene draws out, “Don’t Stop Believin’” is playing through the jukebox as Tony, Carmela and son AJ sit eating in a Jersey diner. Several flashes to multiple people throughout the restaurant happen intermittently with footage of Tony’s daughter Meadow struggling to park her car to join the family in celebration. As she finally starts towards the diner, she looks as if she has urgent news and busts through the door. The camera shifts back to Tony looking up as if he saw Meadow enter. In the most controversial ending I have ever heard discussed, the screen goes black and silent.

Though many speculate reasons as to why or why not, that cut to black symbolized the death of Tony. In the opening episode of the final season, Tony and his brother in law, Bobby, are depressingly joking about what they feel happens when you get clipped. One example in that discussion was that not only could it be from your best friend, but you wouldn’t ever know as everything goes black. Tony never saw the hit coming. While many argue that they do not see any physical evidence of Tony getting whacked, Chase comes out and confirms it in an interview a few years back.

Why do we envy this lifestyle? Is it as shallow as the examples I gave earlier where no accountability, cash and promiscuous sex are the driving motivators? If that is all, then just run for President of the United States, you are probably more qualified than what we have now. We all crave power and independence. We all have desires and fantasies. We all want that 15 seconds of fame profile. This alternate world led, and driven, by crime crosses into the freedoms for all the above examples. The power profile portrayed by leaders fictionally and non-fictionally is glamourized by Hollywood. The fame, though it’s requirement of secrecy, is as popular as “Fight Club.” It’s one of those concepts of “Rule 1, don’t talk about Fight Club…Rule 2, don’t talk about Fight Club.” Don’t talk about La Cosa Nostra, there is not La Cosa Nostra. That forbidden society of limited entry living the high life is the attraction along with the alpha ego of invincibility from all. The realities of the life should be deterring. The constant tension knowing your life is most likely to end in jail or disappeared. If you want to live in a life that is out to screw a bunch of people and the government over, there are safer ways to do so, like study the business practices of Donald Trump.

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