The representation of women vary across different films in order to reflect the reality of the organization represented in the film in question. Across the semester we have examined different films detailing the activities of four different organizations: la cosa nostra, ‘Ndrangheta, Camorra and La sacra corona unita, with wildly different organizations and history which all molded the role of women in their organizations. For the most part the only organization examined in the film where women could rise through the ranks of the organization, and become a part of the business in a relevant role was the Sacra Corona Unita. I believe one of the main factors deciding the role of women in the Mafia is how old the organization in question happens to be. Most of the mafia organizations examined during class that relegated women to the role of mothers and wives ,unaffiliated to the business, where organizations that trace their origins to the 19th and even the 17th century; in contrast the Sacra Corona Unita which traces its origin to the 1980’s, which makes it the youngest of the four, has less of an issue with women becoming involved with the business, since its rules were made in a more recent time than the other four, yet even the Sacra corona unita experiences a high level of misogyny among its rank. Some of the most meaningful scenes examined during class that pertain to these argument are: the ending scene of the “Godfather”, the conversation at the shoe store in “Angela”, and the conversations between Lucia Rizzo and Barabbas in “Galantuomini”. The “Godfather” follows story of a Cosa Nostra family in New York, and trough the film we see several scenes of women not been allowed to ask the men about the business, and are relegated to the roles of wives and mothers, with the culmination of these being the last conversation between Michael Corleone and his wife Kay, where she accuses him of killing his brother in law, and becoming his father, to which Michael becomes infuriated to Kay questioning him, and tells her to “Never ask me about the business”, and even when he lets her ask him about Carlo’s murder, he lies to her and denies any involvement, and the scene comes to a close with a POV shot from Kay’s perspective, where we see the door closing as different Mafiosi come and address Michael as the godfather; this symbolic shot represents the separation from the family life of Michael and his new role as a mobster, a world to which Kay will never be privy or a part of.
In the film Angela we observe another section of the Cosa Nostra but this time in Palermo rather than New York. Trough the beginning of the film we see Angela, the main character and the spouse of Saro a crime boss, participating in her husband’s drug operation, which directly contrasts to previous depictions of women in la Cosa Nostra as she is not only a wife and a mother, but also a willing associate in the criminal activities of the mafia. One of the most meaningful scenes regarding her role comes near the middle of the film, as Angela is ask to leave right before a big meeting between her husband and one of his colleagues. During the meeting Saro’s associate criticizes Saro for allowing Angela to be part of the business, a role that her husband defends as he claims that she has a right to be involved too. This is a change of the role of women in similar situations with the Cosa Nostra, as her husband’s organization was more willing to grant Angela an expanded role in the business, and while she was still far from being a full member she was more than the usual mother and wife archetype.
A third example comes from “Galantuomini”, as the main character is a female boss within the Sacra Corona Unita. In this case Lucia’s role is completely different than both Kay and Angela, as she is allowed to become a full member of the SCU, and even has a leadership role within it. While she is not the highest person in command, as she still has to answer to her uncle, her role in her organization is a far cry to that of other women in mafia films. One of the main scenes to examine her role in the organization is the conversation between Lucia and a rival mob boss, Barabbas, where they discuss the division of the drug trade. The lead up of this conversation comes after Lucia’s uncle trust her to go negotiate with Barabbas as a representative from her clan, and during the conversation she and Barabbas talk as equals something that is rarely seen in other mafia films.
So while most organizations still follow their conduct and rules from the 17th century, which exclude women, women have overall seen an expanded role in the world of the Italian underworld. And while films that explore the past of the mafia such as “Godfather” or “Mean streets”, which are set in the 50’s and 60’s respectively, will keep exploring the archetype of the mafia woman as a mother and a wife; films like “Galantuomini” and “Angela” which explore a more modern side of the mafia, post 1990, will have to explore a vastly different female archetype exploring the role of women as associates and bosses within their organizations.
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