Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (TV 1999)

The true life story of mafia boss Joesph Bonanno. The story spans from Bonanno's early beginings in Italy, to his conquests in America.

Director:

Michel Poulette

Writers:

Bill Bonanno (book), Joseph Bonanno (book),

Stars:

Martin Landau, Guido Grasso Jr., Bruce Ramsay

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martin Landau	...	Joseph Bonanno, age 94
Guido Grasso Jr.	...	Peter Maggadino
Bruce Ramsay	...	Joseph Bonanno (Ages 17-27)
Tony Nardi	...	Joseph Bonanno (Ages 35-61)
Costas Mandylor	...	Salvatore Bonanno
Edward James Olmos	...	Salvatore Maranzano
Vito DeFilippo	...	Gaspar DiGregario (Young)
Domenico Fiore	...	Gaspar DiGregario (Older) (as Dom Fiore)
Zachary Bennett	...	Bill Bonanno
Aldo Tirelli	...	Bastiano Buster Domingo
Frank Pellegrino	...	John Tartamella
Jessica Welch	...	Fanny Labruzzo (Young)
Claudia Ferri	...	Fanny Labruzzo (Older)
Antonio Maltese	...	Italian Naval Cadet
Vito Rezza	...	Uncle Frank Labruzzo

Storyline

The true life story of mafia boss Joesph Bonanno. The story spans from Bonanno's early beginings in Italy, to his conquests in America.

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Plot Keywords:

mafia | crime boss | based on book | character name in title

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Taglines:

Inside the heart and mind of the Mafia.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

25 July 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Family: The Life and Times of Joseph Bonanno

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Armeda Ltd., Daniel L. Paulson Productions, Les Productions La Fête Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

170 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

September 10, 1931 caption of photo in NY Daily News has NY Mets Bobby Klaus sliding near catcher Vic Roznovsky of Cubs. Both players played in the 1960's.

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Quotes

Charlie 'Lucky' Luciano: You can't make money with a gun in your hand.

User Reviews

Ugh--fudgetaboutit!!

The true life story of an American mobster. If you're a fan of "The Godfather," then this film might be worth watching as it's alleged that Mario Puzo borrowed from Joseph Bonanno's life story. You can see many similarities from "being chased out of Sicily," to "the extravagant wedding," to "the confrontation of the local made man who's collecting with the up-and-coming godfather," etc. Other than that...fudgetaboutit! Told through the cliché flashback, Martin Landau's voice-over narration is excruciating. Director Michel Poulette should have taken notes on how Coppola handled flash-backs in "GF2." Not that the story is all bad--just long! It reads more like a documentary. Then what about this whole issue that these men are "bound by honor," yet the Bonanno's sell out to create this Hollywood tale? Peter Bonanno said he wanted Hollywood to show the truth instead of a fictionalized Mafia movie. Excuse me? What about "Casino?" or "Goodfellas?" or "Gotti?" or...you get the idea. Looks to me like these ex-Mafia gents aren't greasing the politicians anymore, but instead Hollywood producers to make themselves appear like American icons. Fud-get-about-it!!