Search - Hollywood VS the Mob: Fact VS Fiction on DVD

Cinema's fascination with organized crime

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 09/16/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"MILL CREEK's HOLLYWOOD VS. THE MOB consists of nine documentaries that focus on American cinema's depiction of organized crime, right from its early 20th Century roots. Bonus features include an interactive Mob timeline, plus a slide show comparison between actors and the Mob bosses they portrayed.


A related item of interest: MADACY's 6-hour documentary series, CRIME INC: THE TRUE STORY OF THE MAFIA.


PROGRAM for "Hollywood vs. the Mob"--

DISC ONE--
1. The Mafia Comes to America - Little Caesar
2. The Irish Gangs - The Public Enemy
3. Al Capone's Chicago Mob - Scarface

DISC TWO--
4. The Law Gang: AKA the F.B.I. - G-Men
5. Lucky Luciano's New York Mafia - Marked Woman
6. The Rackets - Loan Shark

DISC THREE--
7. The Black Mafia - The Black Godfather
8. The Jewish Mafia - The Purple Gang
9. The Godfathers - Honor Thy Father"

A unique and remarkable documentary series about Hollywood

Pork Chop | Lisbon, Portugal | 03/15/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hollywood VS the Mob (2008) from Mill Creek Entertainment, is a
unique and remarkable documentary series, made up of 9 DVD's, each
lasting 90 minutes or longer.

Each episode relies on a stunningly crystal clear footage and
flawless editing, coupled with a well researched, agreeable and
intelligent narrative.

The merit of this series, is that is never loses sight of reality,
and with entertainment as well, at one point labeling the
Abrahamic mobs in America the Kosher Nostra (as compared to the
Cosa Nostra.)

Fleeing a continent where the quality of life of individuals was
pigeon-holed by social class, and agricultural jobs, America was a
unique opportunity for precisely the opposite.

For example, an episode analyzes the accuracy of the movie 'The
Purple Gang' (1959), with actors Barry Sullivan and Robert Blake.
That movie is hard-hitting even 50 years later, in 2010, showing a
victim having cement boots added, payoffs suggested to
detectives, and "Rat Pack" scare tactics.

The gang comprised 3 brothers, led be Abe Bernstein, who ran the
clique for 5 years during the 13 years of Prohibition - before
rivals from St Louis took over. The existence of this gang isn't
altogether surprising, as 250,000 Abrahamic immigrants arrived to
America by 1880, and 2.5 million more from 1880 to 1924, among a
total of 20 million arrivals of all backgrounds during that span.

It is said that movies at the time, portrayed underworld members
as cold-hearted, spontaneous, irrational killers, some film scenes
showing people pushed in front of trains, down flights of stairs
or being strangled. They also sanitized the ethnicity of members,
through the use of Anglo-Saxon names in place of actual ones. For
example, the financier Arnold Rothstein trained, mentored and
funded underworld operations, later to a lesser degree by Meyer
Lansky. Those movies that the time, suggested society had
delinquent elements, in some cases with low IQ's, with behavioral
and mental issues, examples being WILD ONE, or REBEL WITHOUT A
CAUSE, EASY RIDER.

Othter mobsters were shown to be clever, relying on double-book
accounting, pristine offices, intelligence business models and
legitimate business fronts for their underlying, underworld
operations.

As with narcotics, the Purples "cut" the Canadian liquor with much
cheaper, easier to manufacture and lower-grade content before
retail. Between them, the Purples were responsible for 500
gangland rubouts in Detroit.

The various aspects of the underworld are discussed, from the
"muscle" to commodity transportation lines (Windsor to Detroit),
payoffs, meat packing and truck union rackets, factory shakedowns
(odor attacks, fire, disruption of supplies), casinos, numbers
rackets ("bolita") vehicle theft, narcotics, kidnappings, pension
fund-raiding etc.

Other Abrahamic mobsters included Bugsy Siegel, Mickey Cohen in
California, Dutch Schulz in NYC, Lefty Rosenthal. No mention is
made of Lepke Buchalter, or Mendy Weiss, Al Tannenbaum or Hymie
Weiss, in Murder inc.

The morale of movies called out to the public to resist apathy,
instilling honor, a civic duty, patriotism and a desire to take
the witness stand and speak up when called upon or identify
suspects in lineups.

The focus of the series is on those suppliers of slot machines,
casino games, narcotics, escort services and not on the
consumers. There is also a lack of discussion of the political
machinery behind important public figures, that often are in
close contacts with the underworld."