(Picture: A sign that marks the neighborhood known as Little Italy.)

The Godfather: Part II was released in 1974 and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This film is revered as one of the greatest movies of all time as well as considered the best installment of the Godfather trilogy. Set in the 1960s, the film explores the nature of power and corruption as we follow Michael Corleone as he comes to terms with inheriting his father’s sins and slowly losing himself. The film also goes back to the 1920s and introduces a young Vito Corleone, Michael’s father, as we travel with him through his Sicilian childhood and his founding of the family business in Little Italy in New York City. In this paper, there will be more of a focus on Vito’s history and his experiences in New York City during the time period rather than Michael’s story; and to that extent, how Vito’s experiences and other Italian immigrants like him correlate with the evolution of this neighborhood becoming known as Little Italy in the Lower East Side.

The Little Italy of our focus is located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The phrase Little Italy on its own refers to an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians usually in an urban neighborhood. The influx of Italian immigrants in Lower Manhattan resulted in the establishment of primarily Italian owned businesses and residences. However, this neighborhood did not have the largest Italian population; this titled belonged to Italian Harlem in the Upper East Side. Despite this, Little Italy was still regarded as “an insular

Neapolitan village re-created on these shores, with its own language, customs, and financial and cultural institutions” according to Bill Tonelli from New York magazine.(1) Another notable fact is that Little Italy was one of the poorest Italian neighborhoods in New York City. Perhaps this is a contributing factor to the rise of the Corleone crime family during the 1920s. In the twenty-first century however, things have changed and according to the 2010 U.S. census only 8.25% of residents in Little Italy claim Italian ancestries. This can be attributed to several factors including the mass influx of Chinese immigrants following the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965 and the fall of many businesses. It was Tonelli who claimed “real-estate prices zoomed, making it even tougher for the old-timers; residents and businesspeople alike, to hang on” in his article titled “Arrivederci, Little Italy.”(2) Now, Little Italy is regarded as more of a nostalgia trip rather than the Italian-dominant neighborhood it used to boast.

One may be asking, what does The Godfather: Part II  have to do with the immigration and cultural progression of Little Italy? My first response to this direct question is that a large part of this movie is essentially the story of an Italian man’s journey from losing his family to Mafia violence in Sicily, Italy to becoming a respected figure in a Lower Manhattan community. Furthermore, there is a clear similarity between Vito’s story and the romanticized American dream that films regarding immigration love to touch upon. When the audience visits Vito’s past again the time is 1917 and he lives in New York with his family. He loses his job due to the actions of a local extortionist named Don Fanucci. This is when Vito is first involved in crime as he is invited to a burglary. Three years later, Vito’s continued criminal acts have attracted the attention of Fanucci, who is still extorting him. In a well-directed scene set during a neighborhood festival, Vito shoots Fanucci, marking a turning point in his life and his rise to becoming a respected figure in the Little Italy community. Following this, Vito and his partners create their own crime business and name it “Genca Pura Olive Oil.” His story ends with his murder of Don Ciccio, the man who murdered his family, in Sicily, Italy. Second, the rise of Vito’s reputation and the establishment of his business marks a progression in this neighborhood. Prior to the advent of “Genca Pura Olive Oil,” men like Don Fanucci took advantage of less powerful people and trapped business in webs of extortion. With the death of Fanucci, people gain more courage and start standing up to these men. An example of this is when Vito saves a widow from being evicted after the landlord learns of his reputation as a man of crime and strength.

While the story of Vito Corleone is not one every Italian immigrant can relate to, there are certain themes that resonate with these people. First, the struggle of being thrust into a new environment. Vito even gets his last name changed at Ellis Island from Andolini to Corleone; the name of his birthplace in Italy, due to a clerical error. Stories of immigrants experiencing discrimination, poor working conditions, less than acceptable living conditions, and much more are very common and I feel The Godfather: Part II touches upon it early in the film. However, the more powerful theme is that of achieving success in America or “the pursuit of happiness.” Vito shooting Don Fanucci marks the beginning of his rise to power. Eventually he would obtain wealth, control over

politicians and judges, the ability to form alliances with other notable gangsters, and numerous loyal capos ready to jump at his order. The extent of his success is further validated when one considers the adversity he overcame in the form of his family’s death and his life under Don Fanucci and his associates’ thumb. As Vito’s power rose, so too did the strength of local businesses associated with him. And while the story is fictional, there are some truths to the idea that Mafia culture shaped much of Little Italy during early twentieth century.

It is very true that the Mafia was primarily an evil entity. Steeped in corruption and fear, they controlled politicians, local authorities, and commanded respect on their turf. However, it cannot be forgotten that they helped preserve the culture and traditions of Italians in this neighborhood. The Mafia granted those under their protection and alliance strength to push out competition and rising unaffiliated businesses who the became equivalent to mere fruit flies in the face of such power. When one types in “Little Italy” in Google, several articles highlighting the decline of the Mafia and the fall of Little Italy will surface. Upon reading, it becomes clear that this decrease in Italian population and culture in the neighborhood is due to the loss of local businesses, the rapid increase

of rent, and the influx of Chinese immigrants after World War II blurring the lines between Chinatown and the dying Little Italy. These are the exact issues that Mafias prevented. First, local businesses under the protection of these gangs grew stronger and stomped out any competition. Second, we can look towards the actions of Vito Corleone regarding the widow getting evicted from her home and how fast the landlord changed his tune when he found out the Mafia was involved. And finally, gangs based in ethnicity are highly hostile towards those of other races messing with their turf or business. Therefore, it can be assumed that the Mafia would keep the neighborhood primarily Italian populated, and more importantly, Italian owned.  

Today, Little Italy is nothing like the neighborhood described in the previous paragraph. Articles such as Kate Briquelet’s “Little Italy is on the brink of extinction” published on the New York Post litter the internet and city as the remaining Italian culture is slowly bled dry. In the article, Briquelet reports that while the area known as Little Italy once stretched 50 square blocks it has now been reduced to three blocks on Mulberry Street and even this territory is being threatened. Robert Ianniello told Briquelet, “You can’t rebuild Little Italy…If we go away, it will never be here again. You can’t build an Olive Garden and say it’s Little Italy.”(3)  And based on other Italian residents opinions, it is clear that this stance is a collective one. Causes of such a decline can be traced to the developing real estate in the area bringing the costs of rent way up. Instances of landlords doubling rent are quite common. Another cause is the encroachment of new establishments like art galleries, high-end clothing stores, and brunch cafes upon the old Little Italy. The new neighborhood is much more culturally diverse with people from Chinatown slowly buying real estate in the area near Mulberry Street. Perhaps a more positive cause of the decline is that as Italians prospered they moved to more upscale New York City neighborhoods and the suburbs. Owner of Ferrara (an espresso and pastry shop) Ernest Lepore summarizes, “When the Italians made money they moved to Queens and New Jersey, they sold to the Chinese, who are now selling to the Vietnamese and Malaysians.”(4) In this way, the neighborhood experiences a cyclic system where Italians struggle to retain the culture and traditions that their grandfathers instilled in every “mom and pop” shop and every boisterous festival. Some give up and move way, which gives real estate for the Chinese who can fulfill the same cycle with the Vietnamese and Malaysians.

The Godfather: Part II has remained not only a fantastic film, but also a record of the Italian culture during Little Italy’s peak in the 1910s. Family operated businesses were as common as the pigeons that dotted the streets. The Italian immigrants here experienced hardship; yes, but they had a space all their own. A space that spanned nearly 50 square blocks! Things are very different now. Most of the Italians have left either because of lost businesses or eviction; or because they prospered and moved to a better neighborhood or suburb. In 2010 only 8.25% of residents in Little Italy claimed Italian ancestry. Today, Little Italy is closer to being Little Chinatown. This is the result of the many Chinese businesses and real estate that has collapsed on what is now just a small strip of three blocks. The Mafias may be all but gone, but  movies like The Godfather: Part II preserve appreciation for the depth of culture that once was and the diversity that has now taken it’s place.

Footnotes/Endnotes:

1. Bill Tonelli, Arrivederci, Little Italy (New York Magazine), http://nymag.com/nymetro/urban/features/9904/
2. Bill Tonelli, Arrivederci, Little Italy (New York Magazine), http://nymag.com/nymetro/urban/features/9904/
3. Kate Briquelet, Little Italy is on the brink of extinction (New York Post), http://nypost.com/2014/03/30/changing-times-pushing-little-italy-to-brink-of-extinction/, (March 30, 2014)
4. Sam Roberts, New York’s Little Italy, Littler by the Year (The New York Times), http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/nyregion/22littleitaly.html,  (Feb. 21, 2011)