Mafia: Coming to America

good

Nice documentaries. Received on 7th.

This was the absolute worst video I have seen, from childish re-enactments to it's dearth of historical presentations. Don't waste your time or money. This video is suited for 3year olds

Since their appearance in the 1800s, the Italian criminal societies known as the Mafia have infiltrated the social and economic fabric of Italy and now impact the world. They are some of the most notorious and widespread of all criminal societies. The American Mafia has evolved over the years as various gangs assumed--and lost--dominance over the years: the Black Hand gangs around 1900; the Five Points Gang in the 1910s and `20s in New York City; Al Capone's Syndicate in Chicago in the 1920s. By the end of the `20s, two primary factions had emerged, leading to a war for control of organized crime in New York City. The murder of faction leader Joseph Masseria brought an end to the gang warfare, and the two groups united to form the organization now dubbed La Cosa Nostra. This documentary series presents the evolution of the American Mafia, from the days of Al Capone to the 1980's.If you bought Madacy's THE MAFIA: LA COSA NOSTRA AN EXPOSE DVD set ( aka the "Tin can Mafia" set ) then don't buy MAFIA: COMING TO AMERICA because they are basically the same documentaries only under another name and a different package. The listing is very similar to the Tin Can's set, and if you already own that set you know what to expect; No narrator, low budget and a lot of black-and-white footages. However the people interviewed for this series is what makes these episodes so interesting. Experts on Organized Crime, Historians, Police Officers, Investigators, Journalists, Politicians, and FBI Informants share their stories about the Mafia and present to us the evolution of Organized Crime in America. All of them have interesting things to say, all of them obviously knows what they are talking about and all of them are very credible. These episodes are full of interesting informations, and a lot of different topics are covered ( see the full listing at the end of this review ). The quality of the footages and the sound are not great ( typical from Madacy ), but it's not that bad. These episodes were produced in the 1990's, don't expect anything in HD.Overall this is a good DVD set to buy if, like me, you want to add to your collection just about any documentaries you can find about Organized Crime. I might be generous by giving this product 4 stars, but I enjoyed watching these episodes, and I'm sure a lot of people are going to learn a few things while watching this series. However if you want something better then I highly recommend CRIME INC ( 1984 ) and LORDS OF THE MAFIA ( hosted by Robert Stack ). These two documentary series are superior to this DVD set in every way, by far the best series ever made about Organized Crime. :)Here's the full listing for MAFIA: COMING TO AMERICA-- Disc #1 --- Bonnie & Clyde- Immigrants Landing- Bank Robbery- Michael Milton- Al Capone- St. Valentine's Day Massacre- Capone Goes to Jail- Capone's Funeral-- Disc #2 --- La Cosa Nostra Killings- Mafia Hierarchy- Mafia & Politics- Drug Trafficking- Communism in the States- Frank Sinatra & The Mob- Mickey Cohen- Marilyn Monroe's Death-- Disc #3 --- Bugsy Seigel- The Desert Inn- Allan Glick-Mobster Frontman- Atlantic City- Sam Giancanna- Robert Kennedy- The Teamsters- Mafia Plot to Kill Fidel CastroBiographies: Al Capone, Albert Anastasia, Paul Castellano, Sammy Gravano, The Gambino Family, Meyer Lansky, Frank Constello, Vincent Gigante, Lucky Luciano, The Genovese Family, Bugsy Siegel, Jimmy Hoffa, Vittorio Amuso, Joe DeFede, The Luchese Family. Also included is a Trivia to test your knowledge.

Pros: Good history of the mobs rise in America. Really cool archival film footage, most of which I had never seen before. Includes a good deal of lesser known info.Cons: The only reason I didn't give a 5 star review is because many of the people interviewed(there is no narrator), which include former "associates", press, law enforcement and politicians, lean toward a romanticized version of the Mafia. There is definitely a recurring theme of how Italians were simply victims of bigotry and had no other choice in vocation, that many of the leaders were good, charitable people who just got in too deep, and in many cases it was Jews or Irish who were pulling all the strings in secret. You'll also hear that men like Rockefeller, Carnegie and Vanderbilt etc. were the real gangsters of the early 20'th century, but America "Demonized" the Mafia basically because they were Italian.But in summary, the cool footage and detailed history makes up for the often apologetic interviews which are clearly presented as opinions.

Horrible quality!!! Waste of money!