The Brotherhood (1968)

The son of a powerful Mafia don comes home from his army service in Vietnam and wants to lead his own life, but family tradition, intrigues and powerplays involving his older brother ... See full summary »

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writer:

Lewis John Carlino

Stars:

Kirk Douglas, Alex Cord, Irene Papas

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kirk Douglas	...	Frank Ginetta
Alex Cord	...	Vince Ginetta
Irene Papas	...	Ida Ginetta
Luther Adler	...	Dominick Bertolo
Susan Strasberg	...	Emma Ginetta
Murray Hamilton	...	Jim Egan
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Don Peppino
Joe De Santis	...	Pietro Rizzi (as Joe DeSantis)
Connie Scott	...	Carmela Ginetta
Val Avery	...	Jake Rotherman
Val Bisoglio	...	Cheech
Alan Hewitt	...	Sol Levin
Barry Primus	...	Vido
Michele Cimarosa	...	Toto
Louis Badolati	...	Don Turridu

Storyline

The son of a powerful Mafia don comes home from his army service in Vietnam and wants to lead his own life, but family tradition, intrigues and powerplays involving his older brother dictate otherwise, and he finds himself being slowly drawn back into that world.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | mafia | new york city | sicily | gangster | 

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Taglines:

Honor. Loyalty. Betrayal.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Much of the film's failure was attributed to the far-fetched notion of Kirk Douglas and Alex Cord believably portraying the physical aesthetic and singular temperament of Sicilians. But Douglas, who fancied this as a welcome stretch in his acting range, produced the picture himself, so there was no one to argue the casting process. Four years later, Marlon Brando would successfully achieve the stretch that Douglas sought with his Oscar-winning performance in The Godfather (1972).

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Connections

Edited into The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

User Reviews

Starts Slow But Really Builds Up to a Strong Punch

Brotherhood, The (1968)

*** (out of 4)

Calm but effective tale of Mafia boss Frank Ginetta (Kirk Douglas) who welcomes his younger brother Vince (Alex Cord) into the "family" but soon the two are at odds. Frank, being of an old school, wants to keep old traditions while Vince wants to move ahead and try new things. Soon Frank starts to battle the heads of the other families trying to get his way. THE BROTHERHOOD was apparently a disaster when it was first released and legend has it that this is the film that made Paramount nervous about giving money for THE GODFATHER. Whether or not that legend is true is beyond me but I think it's fair to say that had THE GODFATHER not been a hit and become known as one of the greatest films ever made then perhaps this 1968 movie might have gained a cult following over time. As it is, THE BROTHERHOOD has pretty much been forgotten over time and that's a shame because it's actually a pretty good movie. I think the film's weakest parts are the opening thirty-minutes or so as we get a few flashbacks and at times they don't make too much since. I think director Martin Ritt loses the story at times and a lot of this is due to some rather silly moments where we're being introduced to the mob and the lifestyle. These early scenes really don't add up to much and I think the screenplay also suffers at building up Frank's character. It's never quite clear what type of leader he is and it's never made clear whether we're supposed to be with him or against him. This changes once the real story kicks into place and that's pretty much your typical brother vs. brother thing that we've seen countless times in the past. This aspect of the story is probably the most unoriginal but it's where all the drama comes from and at times this drama is very high. I thought the second half of the film is where Douglas really came to life as well. Once he character starts to crack under all the pressure is when things really started to heat up and this includes Douglas who finally becomes very menacing. I really loved the way Douglas played the old tradition while being at odds with the new stuff in the family. Cord is also very good in his supporting role as is Murray Hamilton, Susan Strasberg, Luther Adler and Irene Papas. While watching the film you can't help but see a minor influence on the Coppola film but also there are a few bits and pieces in Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS. There are a couple extremely memorable moments including a "joke" that Douglas tells before carrying out a hit. Then, when we see this hit, it's quite disturbing to watch and even more shocking is that it's done without gore, blood or even much violence. The ending, which you'll see coming, is also done in a very nice way as there's an added twist that is very effective. THE BROTHERHOOD has many flaws but it's still worth viewing and even if you find it starting pretty slow, just stick in there and you'll be rewarded.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

1969 (Austria)

Also Known As:

The Hoods

Filming Locations:

Filmways Studios - 246 East 127th Street, East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brotherhood Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1