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Italian Heritage Group Questions ‘Godfather II’ Legacy


Pickwick Theater, a Park Ridge landmark. (Dion Martorano/Journal photo)

The Pickwick Film Classics series plans to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s film, “The Godfather II,” with special showings on the Pickwick’s new Megatheatre screen on Jan. 19 at 5 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge.

Show times will be at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The evening show will include a 6:30 p.m. performance on the Wurlitzer organ by Jay Warren and additional information on the film.

Host Matthew Hoffman features the “classics” in his series once, but selects films which seldom get full screen treatment, or in this case, the new giant screens which are still rare in the Chicago area.

A showing of the original “The Godfather” several years ago drew a large crowd.

This time, the show is also drawing a big objection from the Chicago office of the Italic Institute of America, a national organization based in New York which is trying to improve the reputation of Italian-Americans’ overall contributions.

“Let’s be clear,” says Bill Dal Cerro, a senior analyst with the Institute and its midwest director. “We’re not abrogating anyone’s right to free speech nor telling anyone that they’re a ‘bad person’ if they like the Godfather movies.

“Our concerns are cultural and historical: To wit, this film — and the over 500 (yes, 500!) “mob” movies which it has inspired over the past 46 years — has ‘criminalized’ both Italian Americans and our history in this nation.

“To quote the late New York governor Mario Cuomo, who finally broke down and watched the film a few years before he died: ‘The message of these films is horrible. It says that Italian Americans have no respect for the Rule of Law.’ And it’s a message these films continue to spread.”

The Italic Institute, a group of Italian-American journalists and educators, would prefer Americans remember Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini, Dr. Rocco Petrone who headed NASA during the 1969 Moon landing, or Ella Grasso, the first female governor elected in America.

Dal Cerro objects that the fans of “The Godfather” know more about gangster lore than actual Italian- American history.

In contrast, Chicagoans have their own historic perspectives on Italian-Americans which predate the film.

It’s a city which continues to be remembered for mob activities during Prohibition, the St. Valentine’s Day massacre, and Elliot Ness’s pursuit of Al Capone.

Speakeasies and beer running were local issues in suburbs along Milwaukee Avenue and River Road in the 1920s.

The Chicago area also hosts the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and extensive collections of Italian art in the Chicago Art Institute.

It was the home of Mother Cabrini and Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.

And Coppola’s father, noted Italian-American composer Carmine Coppola, conducted his score for “Napoleon” at the Chicago Theatre.

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