Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. Literature Review. 1
3. Synopsis of “The Godfather” 2
4. Plot Analysis: from the Movie to the Real World . 3
4.1 Political Relations of American Mafia 3
4.2 Judicial Connections of American Mafia 4
4.3 Economic Activities of American Mafia . 4
5. Reasons for the Development of American Mafia 5
5.1 Economic Reasons . 5
5.2 Political Reasons 7
5.3 Judicial Reasons . 8
5.4 Social Reasons . 8
6. Influences of American Mafia Culture on American Society. 9
6.1 Economic Influences 10
6.2 Political Influences . 10
6.3 Cultural Influences . 11
6.4 Social Influences 12
7. Conclusion 12
Works Cited 14
1. Introduction “Culture is the total accumulation of beliefs, customs, values, behaviors, institutions and communication patterns that are shared, learned and passed down through the generations in an identifiable group of people.” (Davis, 2001: 41) There are many ways for people to spread culture, among which the film plays a significant role in culture expression. The film is an audio-visual art, which can reflect different national spirits and social culture. Through the artistic image, emotions and thoughts, films can directly reflect the culture of a nation. “The Godfather” is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of the world, which is based on Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel of the same name. To many audiences “The Godfather” is not only a movie, but also a microcosm of American Mafia culture of the 20th century. Through it, we can get a glimpse of the real American Mafia groups and their culture. 2. Literature Review Over the years, a great many of well-known Chinese scholars have made lots of researches on the movie and the novel