Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (1999) (TV)

Director:

Michel Poulette

Writers (WGA):

Bill Bonanno (book)
Joseph Bonanno (book) ...

Release Date:

25 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Inside the heart and mind of the Mafia.

Plot:

The true life story of mafia boss Joesph Bonanno. The story spans from Bonanno's early beginings in Italy, to his conquests in America. |

Plot Keywords:

Crime Boss | Mafia | Based On Book | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Martin Landau	...	Joseph Bonanno, age 94
Guido Grasso Jr.	...	Peter Maggadino
Bruce Ramsay	...	Joseph Bonanno (Ages 17-27)
Tony Nardi	...	Joseph Bonanno (Ages 35-61)
Costas Mandylor	...	Salvatore Bonanno
Edward James Olmos	...	Salvatore Maranzano
Vito DeFilippo	...	Gaspar DiGregario (Young)
Domenico Fiore	...	Gaspar DiGregario (Older) (as Dom Fiore)
Zachary Bennett	...	Bill Bonanno
Aldo Tirelli	...	Bastiano Buster Domingo
Jessica Welch	...	Fanny Labruzzo (Young)
Claudia Ferri	...	Fanny Labruzzo (Older)
Antonio Maltese	...	Italian Naval Cadet
Vito Rezza	...	Uncle Frank Labruzzo
Vince Corazza	...	Charlie 'Lucky' Luciano (as Vincent Corazza)

Also Known As:

Bonanno: The Youngest Godfather (UK) (DVD title)
Family: The Life and Times of Joseph Bonanno (USA) (working title)
The Family (USA) (working title)
The Youngest Godfather (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

170 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Armeda Ltd.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In a scene where Bonanno is reading a newspaper announcing Germany and Italy's declaration of war on the US (December 11, 1941), the back page of the paper announces the results of a Brooklyn Dodgers double-header, and the Yankees, Indians and Tigers wins. The baseball season in 1941 ended on October 6th at Ebbets Field, in the very first "Subway Series", when the Yanks beat the Dodgers 4 games to 1.

Quotes:

Charlie 'Lucky' Luciano: You can't make money with a gun in your hand.

Ugh--fudgetaboutit!!

The true life story of an American mobster. If you're a fan of "The Godfather," then this film might be worth watching as it's alleged that Mario Puzo borrowed from Joseph Bonanno's life story. You can see many similarities from "being chased out of Sicily," to "the extravagant wedding," to "the confrontation of the local made man who's collecting with the up-and-coming godfather," etc. Other than that...fudgetaboutit! Told through the cliché flashback, Martin Landau's voice-over narration is excruciating. Director Michel Poulette should have taken notes on how Coppola handled flash-backs in "GF2." Not that the story is all bad--just long! It reads more like a documentary. Then what about this whole issue that these men are "bound by honor," yet the Bonanno's sell out to create this Hollywood tale? Peter Bonanno said he wanted Hollywood to show the truth instead of a fictionalized Mafia movie. Excuse me? What about "Casino?" or "Goodfellas?" or "Gotti?" or...you get the idea. Looks to me like these ex-Mafia gents aren't greasing the politicians anymore, but instead Hollywood producers to make themselves appear like American icons. Fud-get-about-it!!