Tagged: Mafia
Poolside De Niro in Casino
Robert De Niro as “Ace” Rothstein in Casino (1995)
Vitals
Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, Vegas casino manager and mob associate
Las Vegas, Summer 1972
Film: Casino
Release Date: November 22, 1995
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Design: Rita Ryack & John A. Dunn
Background
With tomorrow marking the first official day of summer, people will be flocking to the pool. It’s a nice place to catch some sun, but maybe you’re not in the mood for swimming. Who knows why – maybe you’re afraid of water, or maybe you have lice. Still, you’ll want to make sure you look cool while sitting poolside, puffing away on a cigarette while dealing with your city’s major power brokers and delegating control of your turf…assuming you’re a ’70s casino executive in Martin Scorsese’s world. Continue reading
The Sopranos: Christopher’s Black Leather Jacket in “Pine Barrens”
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti in “Pine Barrens”, the eleventh episode of the third season of The Sopranos.
Vitals
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti, recently “made” New Jersey gangster
New Jersey, January 2001
Series: The Sopranos
Episode: “Pine Barrens” (Episode 3.11)
Air Date: May 6, 2001
Director: Steve Buscemi
Creator: David Chase
Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa
Background
For a series arguably among the greatest shows of our time, it is difficult to pick out which episode of The Sopranos is truly the best. While some episodes are more polarizing than others, most everyone who has seen and appreciated the show can agree that season three’s “Pine Barrens” is one of the most enjoyable and rewatchable episodes of television.
Much of the particular episode’s humor comes from the byplay between Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) and Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri (Tony Sirico), two of my favorite characters of the show.
The two manage to play a pair of “bumbling” mobsters without being too over-the-top and comical. They’re efficient enough to survive in their jobs (especially in a career where the retirement policy is grim), but believably stupid enough to find themselves in this situation. Continue reading
Goodfellas – Henry’s Brown Leather Blazer
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill in Goodfellas (1990). However, his expression kinda makes him look more like Kurt Russell here.
Vitals
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, Lucchese family Mafia associate
New York City, Summer 1964
Film: Goodfellas
Release Date: September 19, 1990
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Designer: Richard Bruno
Background
What could be more appropriate for this blog on the Mafia Monday after St. Patrick’s Day than our favorite Irish-Italian cinematic Mafioso?
Henry Hill’s Irish background was very prominent for a movie about such an Italian-centric tradition. Besides preventing him from being a made man, his Irish heritage also led Henry into the open arms of brutal mob associate Jimmy Conway, a man who looked past twenty years of friendship to turn on Henry after suspecting him of complicity with the police. Of course, these guys were all brutal thugs, but it’s sad to see Henry’s eyes when he realizes his former best friend is about to kill him. Especially when that best friend is De Niro. Continue reading
The Godfather: Don Corleone’s Tuxedo for his Daughter’s Wedding
For the final entry of BAMF Style’s Week of Weddings, we’re examining one of the cinema’s most iconic characters.
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972)
Vitals
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, powerful Mafia boss and father of four
Long Island, NY, August 1945
Film: The Godfather
Release Date: March 15, 1972
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Costume Designer: Anna Hill Johnstone
Background
You’ve come across the scene a million times, whether actually watching it, seeing photos, or hearing your friends quote it. And indeed it is one of the most quotable sequences in film history.
I’m gonna make him an offer he won’t refuse.
De Niro’s Black Wedding Suit in Casino
Robert De Niro in Casino (1995)
Vitals
Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, brilliant sports handicapper, gambler, and mob associate
Las Vegas, Spring 1974
Film: Casino
Release Date: November 22, 1995
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Design: Rita Ryack & John A. Dunn
Background
Robert De Niro is arguably one of the screen’s most famous BAMFs. My first De Niro post, however, isn’t about boxer Jake LaMotta (Raging Bull) or vicious mobster Jimmy Conway (Goodfellas) or even the dapper Mafia chief Vito Corleone (The Godfather, Part II)… so to kick off BAMF Style’s Week of Weddings (since Valentine’s Day is coming up!) and bring in Mafia Monday on a BAMF note, here is De Niro getting married in Casino.
I don’t know why it’s taken me this long, other than the fact that it’s a three-hour movie that features over fifty costume changes for its main character—pretty much all of them suits or sport jackets—but here is the first breakdown from Casino. As mentioned, it’s said that De Niro had at least 52 costume changes throughout. Most of his suits and jackets are very loud, a series of silk pastels ranging from hot pink to lime green (if limes were radioactive), so the suit chosen for his wedding was relatively conservative. Continue reading
Michael Corleone’s Gray Dupioni Silk Suit
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Part II (1974)
Vitals
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, powerful Mafia boss
Lake Tahoe, Fall 1958
Film: The Godfather Part II
Release Date: December 12, 1974
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Costume Designer: Theadora Van Runkle
Background
The Godfather is an American cultural phenomenon that needs no explanation. (For all the people secretly bummed out that I won’t give an explanation, here: It’s an epic three film journey following the rise of a Mafia family in the United States from 1901 to 1979).
There are differing opinions as to whether the first or the second part was the best. (No one ever says it’s the third one.)
In the first two films especially, costumes were a large indicator of the story. Much credit for this should be given to costume designer Theadora Van Runkle. When Michael is a proud Marine, he wears his uniform. When he is a college man looking for work, he wears a simple odd jacket, tie, and trousers. As he grows into the Don we have come to know, he wears expensive suits. Interestingly, Michael never wears a hat (aside from his USMC officer’s cap) until he becomes involved in the family.
This post will focus on the first act of The Godfather, Part II, where Michael Corleone is holding court on the day of his son’s Communion. Continue reading
Goodfellas – Henry at Idlewild Airport, 1963
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill in Goodfellas (1990)
Vitals
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, Lucchese family Mafia associate
New York City, Summer 1963
Film: Goodfellas
Release Date: September 19, 1990
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Designer: Richard Bruno
Background
The popularity of Nicholas Pileggi’s mob expose Wiseguy in 1985 and the subsequent film version, Goodfellas, five years later changed the pop culture view of Mafioso. For thirty years, they were a crew of fedora-wearing guys in loud suits and pinkie rings who would shove a .38 under your chin and hope the coppers weren’t onto them, get me? In 1972, The Godfather paved the way for mob films about honor and family. Great movies but still hardly closer to depicting the truth about the mob.
Finally, in 1990, a realistic depiction of the American Mafia was released in theaters. Made with the help of “advisors” such as mob associates Henry Hill and Jimmy Burke and even starring ex-mob associates such as Tony Sirico (later to become famous as Paulie on The Sopranos), people were seeing the mob for what it was: a business made up of criminally-inclined lowlifes who saw themselves as much more important than they were.
Many terrific suits (and many awful ones) are worn throughout the film. Although it takes place from 1955 to 1980, some of the most stylish attire, as one would expect, is seen during the sequences set in the early ’60s. Continue reading
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