Pizza Connection

PIZZA CONNECTION (aka THE SICILIAN CONNECTION) is a dramatic movie directed in 1985 by Damiano Damiani and starring Michele Placido, Mark Chase, Simona Cavallari, Ida Di Benedetto, Massimo De Francovich, Renato Mori. Manager of a pizzeria in New York , Mario (Placido), an immigrant from Palermo who had proved himself to Mafia’s plans, was commissioned to return to Sicily, where he must kill a senior magistrate. Back to his home town, Mario finds his family and his brother Michael (Chase), strongly related by a deep affection. Michael, a great honest guy, is just the opposite of Mario. When his older brother offered him to work for himself, though little confused he percepted Mario's implications. Michael is fired on the spot from his modest job because he testified in court against the mafia. Meanwhile between he and Cecilia (Cavallari), fifteen, forced by her mother into prostitution to support the family, a tender love blooms. To free her from such bondage, Michael turns to Mario, asking to borrow twenty million needed by the family of Cecilia. The killer, who already had worked before to get out of jail Michael (denounced the attempted abduction of the girl) agrees, but imposes his brother to work for him, and with the acceptance of the latter, he begins to train him with the weapons. However, Michele fails his first attempt to kill, and only the quick intervention of Mario, not far away, will bring to conclusion the killing. While Mario, with the help of the local mafia, is studying complex plan of an attack, his brother reports to the police without naming the killer. But the Mafia spies and accomplices even within the judicial offices. The attack was successful and it was a massacre. The system of wiretapping against the mafia had, however, recorded the voice of Michael, who meanwhile refuses twenty million from his brother, and takes away Cecilia with him, challenging the honored society (mafia). He is saved by Mario who, after offering him money in addition to the dangerous recorded tape, kills all his accomplices. But the Mafia has long tentacles and is also patient: Mario eventually is shot to death by two killers in his own pizzeria and while he is on the phone with Michele, his brother. This CD lasts 40:09, digitally restored and remastered, it was possible thanks to the stereo master tapes of the original recording session which for many years were considered totally lost, but fortunately saved by the Savina Estate. Carlo Savina composed an orchestral score that shows a dramatic main theme, with blues colours, alternated with an elegiac piece for flute and orchestra of religious flavor for the young lovers, and suspense music, a recurring motif of the two brothers.