Women in Mafia Movies

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Mafia movies portray women. Through an examination of movies such as 'Prizzi's Honor', 'The Godfather' and 'Casino', this paper explores how gangster films both uphold and challenge the traditional roles of women in Italian American societies.

From the Paper:

"Women who were not sexual objects are then the "good wives" and the mothers. The movie Casino implies, for example, that one of the reasons why Ginger is a bad mother is due to her desire to be ogled. A woman who revels in her sexuality clearly cannot fulfill the mother role. In The Godfather, Mama Corleone was the best characterization of the mother figure - a nurturing woman who was therefore worthy of the respect of her sons. Even the portrayal of the role of Kay changed from The Godfather I to its sequel, The Godfather II. In the first movie, Kay was the girlfriend who was the outsider. They had a few tender moments together, but nothing overtly sexual. In the second movie, Kay's character is pregnant, and even the few playful scenes from the first movie were no longer depicted."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bernardelli, James. "Casino: A Film Review by James Berardinelli." Agailable online at http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/c/casino.html
• Kristeva, Julia. Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. New York: Columbia UP 1982, p. 70.
• O'Brien, Tom. "Prizzi's Honor." Commonweal 12 July 1985, 408.
• Robson, Ruthann. Lesbian (Out)law: Survival Under the Rule of Law. Ithaca NY: Firebrand, 1992.

More papers on Women in Mafia Movies:

• Comparison Essay # 16894 : "Italian-American Women in Cinema"
• Analytical Essay # 10037 : "Women in the "Godfather"
• Analytical Essay # 32077 : "Women in Faulkner"

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