Origins of the Mafia

Origins of the Mafia is a 1976 television crime-drama miniseries directed by Enzo Muzii. A co-production between Italian RAI and British ITC, it deals with the roots of the Sicilian mafia between 1575 and 1875. It consists of five episodes, and each episode is structured as a standalone narrative.

Cast

Episode 1: ''Gli antenati'' (''The Ancestors'')

Lee J. Cobb as Bartolomeo Gramignano
Joseph Cotten as the King's envoy
Edward Albert as Sebastian
Renato Salvatori as the Captain
Claudio Camaso as Giuseppe Gramignano
Franco Garofalo as Vittorio Gramignano
Giuseppe Addobbati as the Miller

Episode 2: ''La legge'' (''The Law'')

Mel Ferrer as Armando Della Morra
John McEnery as Pietro
Massimo Girotti as Viceroy Caracciolo
Laura Troschel as Isabella
Biagio Pelligra as Angelo La Parma
Cesare Gelli as Rosario
Donato Castellaneta as Tomassino
Valentino Macchi as the Lawyer
Rodolfo Baldini as Prince Ostuni
Loris Bazzocchi as Nicola
Vittorio Duse as the Sacristan

Episode 3: ''Gli sciacalli'' (''Jackals'')

Tony Musante as Michele Borello
Fernando Rey as Baron Della Spina
Fausto Tozzi as Nicu Borello
Rejane Medeiros as Barbara Della Spina
Remo Girone as Antonio Della Spina
Leopoldo Trieste as Lawyer Mazzullo
Guido Alberti as the Maltese
Paul Müller as the Judge
Marzio Margine as Salvatore
Stefania Spugnini as Serafina
Luigi Uzzo as Gioacchino
Guido Cerniglia as the Manager

Episode 4: ''La speranza'' (''Hope'')

Trevor Howard as Don Consalvo Saccone
Tom Skerritt as Bernardino Campo
Giancarlo Sbragia as Prefect Mieli
Massimo Serato as Marquis Tarcone
Valeria Moriconi as Isabella Mieli
Spiros Focas as La Monica
Francesca Muzio as Lucetta
Gianfranco Barra as the Secretary
Umberto Spadaro
Enzo Consoli as Nicola
Consuelo Ferrara as Mara
Alessandro Haber as Pietro
Stanko Molnar as Leonardo

Episode 5: ''L'omertà'' (''Omertà'')

Katharine Ross as Rosa Mastrangelo
Tony Lo Bianco as Nino Sciallacca
James Mason as Vianisi
Paolo Bonacelli as Vincenzo Biscetta
Renzo Montagnani as Antonio Mastrangelo
Claudio Gora as Felice Balsamo
Piero Di Iorio as Corrao
Massimo Sarchielli as the Sheriff
Luciano Catenacci as Rocco Matranga
Amedeo Nazzari as the Senator

Production

Before shootings, Muzii and Leonardo Sciascia spent over two years in historical researches. The series was shot in Sicily, with shootings wrapping in August 1975.

Release

In Italy, it was broadcast on Rai 2 between 19 November and 17 December 1976.

Reception

Paul Mavis from DVD Talk wrote: "Storytelling comes first and last here; watching Origins of the Mafia is like diving into a really long, good book that, while not stylistically compelling, is dramatically most satisfying", and noted: "If you love Mafia movies, Origins of the Mafia is necessary viewing a leisurely paced, confident, cleanly executed TV miniseries".