Summaries

When a good-natured factory supervisor living in Milan with his Northern wife returns to his native Sicily, a decades'-old oath forces him to fulfill a nightmarish obligation.

Antonio is a jolly, precise fellow working for an auto factory in northern Italy. He decides to take his wife and two daughters on vacation to Sicily so they can finally see his hometown and meet his family. He's excited to show them around and dispel many of the negative stereotypes about Sicilians. He even dispels stereotypes about the Mafia, saying that being a mafioso as a teen amounted to just being a messenger boy. But as Antonio reconnects with his past in Sicily, he realizes that there are more sides to being a Sicilian than he remembers.—krasnoludek

Antonio Badalamenti, a good-natured supervisor at the Fiat plant in Milan, is a native Sicilian who has lived in the North for a decade with his blonde wife and two beautiful daughters. Before leaving on a two-week vacation back to his ancestral hometown, one of the plant managers tasks him to personally convey a mysterious gift to Don Vincenzo, the local Godfather. Although Nino's wife has misgivings about leaving the comforts of her comparatively luxurious life, she is unprepared for what she encounters. Marta undergoes culture shock when confronted by the poverty and comparatively crude customs of the provincial Sicilians, especially the Baladamenti family, who in turn view the refined blonde Northerner as a snobbish interloper. Bringing his family with him to pay respects to Don Vincenzo, the always-obedient and affable Nino discovers that the gift is a beautifully-jeweled heart pendant enigmatically inscribed with the names of of 9 deceased "friends" of the Mafioso. After the godfather's nephew Don Liborio reminds Nino of a loyalty oath he took decades ago at 18, he becomes further indebted when the Don settles a controversial land transaction in favor of Nino's father. Feeling he has no choice, Nino agrees to honor his fealty by fulfilling a favor to the Don--a nightmarish favor which shakes Nino's safe, complacent world to its very core.—duke1029

Details

Keywords
  • one word title
  • mafia boss
  • woman with a mustache
  • tradition versus modernity
  • depilatory
Genres
  • Comedy
  • Crime
  • Drama
Release date Mar 3, 1965
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) Not Rated
Countries of origin Italy
Language English German Italian French
Filming locations Belmonte Mezzagno, Sicily, Italy
Production companies Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica Compagnia Cinematografica Antonio Cervi

Box office

Gross US & Canada $400019
Opening weekend US & Canada $29965
Gross worldwide $400019

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 45m
Color Black and White
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1

Synopsis

Antonio Badalamenti (Alberto Sordi) is a Sicilian from Calamo living in Milan Italy working as a foreman in an auto plant and has almost completely forgotten his roots but decides to take his northern Italian blonde wife and two blonde children back home to meet his family. Before he leaves work for the trip he is asked by his boss to pass along a gift to Don Vincenzo (Ugo Attanasio) the local mob boss in Calamo. Alberto's plain family is a shock to Alberto's wife Marta (Norma Bengell) whose blonde hair and refined features make her appear exotic in their midst. Alberto attempts to intercede in a land purchase for his father but is stonewalled until Don Vincenzo arranges the deal. Alberto is asked by Don Vincenzo to carry out a mysterious task which Alberto agrees to and he is whisked away surreptitiously in the middle of the night to meet a group of strangers and carry out a serious deed.

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