The Valachi Papers (1972)

The Valachi Papers (1972) (DVD) (*)

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Language Selections:
Danish ( Subtitles )
Dutch ( Subtitles )
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
English ( Subtitles )
Finnish ( Subtitles )
Norwegian ( Subtitles )
Portuguese ( Subtitles )
Spanish ( Subtitles )
Swedish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Denmark ( PAL/Region 2&4 )

Running Time:
120 min

Aspect Ratio:
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Cast/Crew Interview(s)
Filmographies
Interactive Menu
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 1972 and produced in:
France ( France, Benelux )
Italy ( Italy, Greece )

Directed By:
Terence Young

Written By:
Stephen Geller
Peter Maas

Actors:
Charles Bronson ..... Joe Valachi
Lino Ventura ..... Vito Genovese
Jill Ireland ..... Maria Reina Valachi
Walter Chiari ..... Gap
Joseph Wiseman ..... Salvatore Maranzano
Gerald S. O'Loughlin ..... Ryan
Amedeo Nazzari ..... Gaetano Reina
Fausto Tozzi ..... Albert Anastasia
Pupella Maggio ..... Letizia Reina
Angelo Infanti ..... Lucky Luciano
Guido Leontini ..... Tony Bender
María Baxa ..... Donna
Mario Pilar ..... Salierno
Franco Borelli ..... Buster
Alessandro Sperli ..... Giuseppe 'Joe the Boss' Masseria

Synopsis:

This crime action movie is based on Peter Maas' best-selling book The Valachi Papers. That book, in turn, is based on prison conversations and the actual U.S. Senate testimony of Joseph Valachi, a high-ranking figure in the Mafia. The book, which tells precisely who did what to whom, when and why, electrified the nation. This film had to be made in Italy, because attempts to shoot in the U.S. were stymied by mob-arranged "accidents" and protests. The story is told in flashback as Valachi (Charles Bronson) tells a Federal agent about his activities from 1929 to 1961, when he worked for the Capo of Capos, Vito Genovese (Lino Ventura). Though his tale necessarily takes place in a number of episodes, it never fails to have lots of drama and action.

It's 1962. Fifty-nine year old Joe Valachi is convicted for drug trafficking and imprisoned. Inside, someone is out to kill him. He learns that it is his mob boss, Don Vito Genovese, who is in the same penitentiary as him, since Genovese mistakenly believes he was the snitch who put him behind bars. Because of the bounty on his head from his own, a federal agent named Ryan convinces Valachi really to be a mob informant in return for safety inside. Valachi tells a story that starts in 1929, when he was first imprisoned in Sing Sing and met Tony Bender, who introduced him into the life of the mob. Through internal struggles for control of the mob, Valachi remained faithful to the mob family, including through Genovese's reign starting in the late 1930s. As Valachi nears the end of his story, he learns that what has happened in the time leading up to and during his latest incarceration was by no accident, which is all the more troubling to him if only for the safety of his family including his wife Maria, the daughter of a mobster, who he was only able to marry through assistance by Genovese.

When Joe Valachi (Charles Bronson) has a price put on his head by Don Vito Genovese (Lino Ventura), he must take desperate steps to protect himself while in prison. An unsuccessful attempt to slit his throat puts him over the edge to break the sacred code of silence.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 02 July, 2019.