Capitalist
It was 50 years ago today that the first Godfather movie was released. The film struck a chord with an astonishingly large proportion of the world’s population (around 12% went to see it in 1972).
It made stars out of Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and James Caan (hitherto obscure actors) and regenerated the fading career of Marlon Brando. Various of its scenes and one liners entered popular culture.
Although excellently made and acted, the Godfather does glorify criminals and criminal activity by implying that certain very serious crimes (murder, for instance) are justified in some circumstances, and established the utter nonsense that members of la cosa nostra (or “mafia”) are “men of honour” – the biggest crock of ‘you know what’ imaginable!
The movie also delves into areas of complete fantasy, especially its ludicrous ending – which had me bursting out laughing at its absurdity when I first saw it. The notion that it’s even possible to organise the simultaneous assassination of 7 people, time it perfectly, and all with nothing going wrong, is not only preposterous but actually quite hilarious. (It took a decade to locate Osama Bin Laden!)
One person who became famous (of a sort) due to his role in the Godfather movie is a man called Gianni Russo, who played Carlo. He has enjoyed a 50 year journey of business deals, celebrity, and rubbing shoulders with all manner of people by cashing in on his minor role in the Godfather.
A couple of years back Russo wrote his autobiography Hollywood Godfather – My Life in the Movies and the Mob. It is a highly entertaining book covering his polio stricken childhood, when he spent several years in hospital, becoming an errand boy for Frank Costello (head of the Genovese crime family) from age 12. He lost his virginity to Marilyn Monroe and rubbed shoulders with a large cross section of well known figures in the second half of the 20th century during his numerous business activities.
He also details a couple of occasions when he ending up killing people in self defence – one of whom turned out to be an associate of Pablo Escobar. As autobiographies go, Gianni Russo’s is undoubtedly the most enjoyable I have ever read. But is any of it actually true?
Either Russo is a wonderful storyteller and/or fantasist, or he is the ‘Forrest Gump’ (so to speak) of the Mob who was present at a quite extraordinary number of major events; in the right place at the right time on a couple of hundred occasions over the last 70 years. A man who has led an amazing life.
Having read his book I have an open mind on the matter. On the one hand no “fact checker” seems to have disproved any claims Russo makes but, on the other hand, is it really possible to bed Marilyn Monroe one day then deliver a briefcase full of cash to a New Orleans mob boss on behalf of Frank Costello and whilst there bump into Lee Harvey Oswald, the next? You be the judge!
Here is an interesting podcast Gianni Russo was part of a couple of days ago in the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of the Godfather movie release. His two hosts seem ever so slightly sceptical but Russo nonchalantly bats away their concerns.
Watch and enjoy.
