Gomorrah

[Guest]

It looks crazy.


[YOUTUBE]IHpf_Xv5hYk[/YOUTUBE]

A viewer's comment from the Times...

I am Italian, and I have always felt very angry at the glamour that American movies have attached to organized crime. Americans have this distorted idea that organized crime and mobsters are cool people. Gomorroah show exactly the situation in Italy. Whether is mafia, camorra or n'drangheta mobsters are murderers and disgusting criminals. Not fancy Sopranos dressed in Armani clothes.

I hope you will all see this movie and see what Italy has been fighting against for almost a hundred year.

http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/movies/13gomo.html

[il Padrino Ute]

I agree with the comment you posted. Mafiosi types really are scum of the earth types. Common folks in Italy - Sicily in particular - are starting to not overlook or even look up to the figures in organized crime.

Billboards like this are showing up all over the island:



"The mafia sucks. Let's protect our freedom."

[SteelBlue]

When I was at Tufts we lived in a little town just out of Boston called Medford. Medford was still a pretty Mafia ridden town and in fact while I lived there one "Vinny the Pig" was shot 8 times in broad daylight in a Mafia hit just down the street from my house. Medford is also the town where the "made man" ceremony was actually taped by an undercover agent. I think it's the only instance. Anyway, I was always amazed at the respect the locals had for the Mafia. I remember having dinner with some neighbors across the street and they went on and on about how the Mafia keeps crime down and only people who try to move in on their territory get killed. "Plus, they kill in a classy manner" the mother of the family told me in all seriousness.

[il Padrino Ute]

When I was at Tufts we lived in a little town just out of Boston called Medford. Medford was still a pretty Mafia ridden town and in fact while I lived there one "Vinny the Pig" was shot 8 times in broad daylight in a Mafia hit just down the street from my house. Medford is also the town where the "made man" ceremony was actually taped by an undercover agent. I think it's the only instance. Anyway, I was always amazed at the respect the locals had for the Mafia. I remember having dinner with some neighbors across the street and they went on and on about how the Mafia keeps crime down and only people who try to move in on their territory get killed. "Plus, they kill in a classy manner" the mother of the family told me in all seriousness.

That way of thinking is starting to go away, finally. My friends over in Italy have told me that people are starting to realize that the only people benefiting from the old way of letting the mafia do it's thing, are the people in the mafia.

[Jeff Lebowski]

A viewer's comment from the Times...

http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/movies/13gomo.html

Anyone who thinks that the Sopranos series glamorized crime didn't pay attention very closely.

[Green Lantern]

I watched this last night and it was fascinating. One of the most interesting aspects of the film was the air of banality that hangs over all of the horrific proceedings. Whereas in THE GODFATHER, every scheme and murder is given much import and gravitas, in GOMORRAH murder, robbery and double-crosses are just everyday occurrences. For the characters, nearly every interaction can turn into a shooting at the drop of a hat.

The film was also reminiscent of the TV series THE WIRE in that the viewer is dropped right into the middle of huge cast of characters and a bunch of complicated relationships and is then expected to pay close attention and catch up to what is going on. Some of the themes are the same too.

[Katy Lied]

One of the most interesting aspects of the film was the air of banality that hangs over all of the horrific proceedings. .

I got the same feeling from Ciudad de Dios. Maybe Hollywood (and the French) cannot resist the dramatic pause that seems to accompany every death.

[pellegrino]

the book will likely be better. I honestly don't know how they expect to adapt this one as the book is not a traditional narrative, it's much more of a documentary.

[Green Lantern]

I got the same feeling from Ciudad de Dios. Maybe Hollywood (and the French) cannot resist the dramatic pause that seems to accompany every death.

CITY OF GOD is another good comparison. Despite some stylistic differences, I would recommend GOMORRAH to admirers of that film.

And hey, don't forget the Japanese! You ever see how long it takes somebody to die in a Kurosawa film?

[Green Lantern]

the book will likely be better. I honestly don't know how they expect to adapt this one as the book is not a traditional narrative, it's much more of a documentary.

Much of the movie has a very documentary-like feel. It doesn't even try to cram everything into a conventional narrative structure. I'm sure the book is excellent, but the movie is very effectively made and contains some great filmmaking.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Time to take a few days off work. I read the title of the thread as "Gonorrhea" and wondered why it would be in The Critics Corner.

[pellegrino]

Much of the movie has a very documentary-like feel. It doesn't even try to cram everything into a conventional narrative structure. I'm sure the book is excellent, but the movie is very effectively made and contains some great filmmaking.

I trust you. I just remember thinking when the film was announced that it didn't make sense to adapt it. It would almost be like adapting an academic text about the mafia to the screen.

[il Padrino Ute]

I trust you. I just remember thinking when the film was announced that it didn't make sense to adapt it. It would almost be like adapting an academic text about the mafia to the screen.

You don't think textbooks would make for a good film? Imagine how much excitement would be generated on this text:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Methods-Public-Administration-Applications/dp/1577664930"]Amazon.com: Quantitative Methods for Public Administration: Techniques and Applications (9781577664932): Susan Welsh, John Comer: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GA8DVHGAL.@@AMEPARAM@@51GA8DVHGAL[/ame]

[BoylenOver]

You don't think textbooks would make for a good film? Imagine how much excitement would be generated on this text:

Amazon.com: Quantitative Methods for Public Administration: Techniques and Applications (9781577664932): Susan Welsh, John Comer: Books

That might be one of your funniest posts ever, IPU. Well done.

[Green Lantern]

I trust you. I just remember thinking when the film was announced that it didn't make sense to adapt it. It would almost be like adapting an academic text about the mafia to the screen.

That's kind of how I felt when they announced they were making THE PERFECT STORM. Of course, that didn't turn out to be that great of a movie.