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THE GODFATHERS COLLECTION
The True History of the Mafia
Review by Chastity Campbell
Directors: Various
Video: 1.33:1 Standard Fullscreen
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: A&E
Features: See Review
Length: 300 Minutes
Release Date: January 27, 2004
“They
don't call me Lucky for nothing!”
Film ***
Throughout history there have
been many people and events that have influenced the development and progress of
the United States. During the early
twentieth century a window of opportunity was seized, and expanded upon by a
group of Italians with one thing on their mind: power!
A&E presents for your
historical viewing pleasure this two disc box set, The True History Of The
Mafia: Godfathers Collection. Within
these two discs, you will ride the wave of mob activity in the U.S. from its
beginnings in New York during the early part of the twentieth century, to the
crackdown on drugs and crime in the early 80s.
Disc I contains a biographical
and historical investigation into the heart and sole of the Italian Mob.
Never before seen video footage brings forth grizzly images that show the
resolve of these individuals when their territory was challenged.
Their love of power, money, and recognition led to an unbelievable amount
of death and destruction over an eighty year period.
All of which was captured by the media in one form or another, and is now
presented for you on DVD.
Disc II takes four of the most
well known gangsters, and goes in depth to bring you their story on a
semi-personal level. Lucky
Luciano: Chairman Of The Mob, Meyer Lansky: Mob Tycoon, Genovese: Portrait of a
Crime Family, and Bugsy Siegel: Gambling On The Mob, presents four
separate stories woven together by the lives these men chose to lead.
The images presented in these
two discs are completely amazing. The
early 1900's photographs and video footage are of better quality than most I
have seen from that time period. The
interviews with former New York City Mayor Rudolph Guliani and former New York
Governor Mario Cuomo, paint a very interesting picture of these Godfathers.
This box set contains an
extremely large amount of information, presented in an easy to follow format
that will make watching and understanding it a breeze. I highly recommend giving
this A&E Box set a chance to enhance your video collection.
Video ***
The video quality of these DVDs
must be forgiven a bit due to the historical video footage used within them.
The modern day interviews shot for these programs were very colorful and
vivid with very few errors. The stock footage of mob activities shot throughout the early
part of the twentieth century was cleaner than I expected it to be.
The images are grainy, and there is quite a bit of dirt in the prints.
Filmmakers from the time period were not overly concerned with quality.
That is, I suppose, why I am so surprised at how well these films
transferred to the digital realm.
Audio ***
The Dolby Digital stereo mix on
both of these DVDs was quit clean. The
levels remained constant throughout with a minimal amount of noise audible.
The mix between voiceover and music bed was well done without one over
whelming the other.
Features ˝ *
Scene selection was the only
feature this box set had to offer.
Summary:
