Mafia - The History of the Mob in America

This documentary brings the history of the mob up to the assassination of JFK. Even though we see a glimpse of John Gotti in the opening film clips, more recent history is not discussed. That being said, the presentation was very interesting. It gives, I think, a very thorough overview of Mafia history from it's very beginnings in America and explains the nature of it's roots. Sure much of the material is well-known, but it was sensational at the time and could hardly be ignored. The documentary is built on great archival film and photographs interspersed with many interesting and more recent interviews with those who had first-hand experience with mob activities, The odd combination of lawless brutality with personal principle in the lives of well-known Mafia personalities is also highlighted. Many had a sort of Robin Hood mystique about them. Most people probably have no idea of the extent of the Mafia's reach economically and politically. Unless you've read so many books on the subject you've become jaded, I can't imagine anyone interested in the history of the Mafia wouldn't find this documentary fascinating.

Nothing better than to know that a criminal can do, what the mafia did, how they did it, is amazing, not the right way, but it was worth knowing.

I buy a lot of Books and DVDs about Organized Crime, the Mafia, La Cosa Nostra. For me it's a passion, more than just entertainment. Since last year, I bought over 10 documentaries about the Mafia. I recently bought this one, "Mafia - The History of the Mob in America", and I wasn't disappointed by it. Starting with the Prohibition years, this groundbreaking investigation traces the origins of the ethnic gangs that dominated criminal activities by turning them into family enterprises. Leading historians recall how they changed the face of crime in America. Meet legendary figures and trace their exploits through rare photos, footage and period accounts. Get the real story behind the Kennedy connection, and see how the Mob helped to win WWII and piled up huge profits at the same time. On this DVD set you'll find 5 episodes, each episode is 45 minutes long. The episodes are hosted by Bill Kurtis. As always he's doing a great job. DISC 1 - The Prohibition Years/Birth of the American Mafia: The program covers Prohibition and its profitability in America's big cities, and the arrival of the mob's first families from Sicily. Vintage newsreels and Hollywood re-enactments of mob life tell the story. In addition, a series of flamboyant Mafia historians and enthusiasts give interviews, first-hand accounts, and analyses that fill in the gaps. This collection provides a broad overview of one of the most popular facets of criminology. - The Kennedys and the Mob: The relationship between the Mafia and the Kennedy family is explored; Joseph Kennedy's past, the possibility that John F. Kennedy might have won the elections because of the mob, and more. Only a few minutes are dedicated to the Kennedy Assassination, so if you're interested in this subject buy another DVD. This show is not about Conspiracy theories around the assassination, it's nothing more than a biography of the Kennedy family. Disappointing episode, I was expecting more. DISC 2 - Unions and the Mob: The program explores how organized crime attempted to wrestle control of the unions from the Communists. Political connections and mass penetration into the work force are explored. This is by far the most interesting episode of this set. A must see. - Empire of Crime: This episode shows how organized crime first came to the United States and how it changed and evolved over time. The program covers the beginning of World War II when the mob was in a gold mine of money-making and power-charged opportunities. Overall this is a solid set. This is not the best documentary series about organized crime available on dvd (CRIME INC is much better), but overall this set will be a good addition to your collection. :)

How could you give a bad review!!

Interesting and informative. I've always been interested in the workings of the mob and this documentary explains the history in a very easy to understand way.

A superb product that I used to effectively teach an undergraduate course. This video offered an interesting historical perspective on organized crime.

Great Value! It was a really great and awesome movie and I couldn't find it any cheaper any where else.

Had this documentary been called "The Birth of Organized Crime in America," I would have given it 5 stars because that's all it does (and very well, I might add). I suspect the title "Mafia" was used to appeal to the rookie drug dealer who wants to learn how to improve his business but is too stupid to read a book and as such looks for DVDs with the word "Mafia" in it. But seriously folks, this DVD tells a good story about the birth of OC in the US of A, but even then does not talk about Murder Inc. (the crew from Brooklyn that traveled around the country assassinating people for the Mafia - 2000 in all), the Gangs of New York (not the cheesy Leonardio De-Faggio version), and the gangster underworld (featuring people like Kid Twist and Mose) that came immediately before the birth of the 5 families. Bada Beep, Bada Boop, I guess this as much as we can expect from some dudes in the suburbs of LA.

Love this dvd set. Great for any crime history buff.

Typical history channel-type piece. Not particularly engaging or revealing. But it does contain some interesting facts and not normally seen facets of the American mob. The "mob expert" is a bit of a character to put it very mildly. I think he might suffer from some delusions about being a real WISEGUY!!! There is also a lot of stuff about the mob and Kennedy which although interesting and possibly correct, is very circumstantial. If you want to see a really, really good mafia documentary check out an old one called Crime Inc from Thames Television. There's also quite a decent one just out from Channel4 in the UK just called Mafia.

Good video

Good reading.