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The Brotherhood

  • 1968
  • PG-13
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
The Brotherhood (1968)
CrimeDrama

The son of a powerful Mafia don comes home from his army service in Vietnam and wants to lead his own life, but family tradition, intrigues and powerplays involving his older brother dictate... Read allThe son of a powerful Mafia don comes home from his army service in Vietnam and wants to lead his own life, but family tradition, intrigues and powerplays involving his older brother dictate otherwise, and he finds himself being slowly drawn back into that world.The son of a powerful Mafia don comes home from his army service in Vietnam and wants to lead his own life, but family tradition, intrigues and powerplays involving his older brother dictate otherwise, and he finds himself being slowly drawn back into that world.

  • Director
    • Martin Ritt
  • Writer
    • Lewis John Carlino
  • Stars
    • Kirk Douglas
    • Alex Cord
    • Irene Papas
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    1.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Martin Ritt
    • Writer
      • Lewis John Carlino
    • Stars
      • Kirk Douglas
      • Alex Cord
      • Irene Papas
    • 18User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos23

    Kirk Douglas and Alex Cord in The Brotherhood (1968)
    Kirk Douglas and Alex Cord in The Brotherhood (1968)
    The Brotherhood (1968)
    Kirk Douglas and Alex Cord in The Brotherhood (1968)
    Kirk Douglas, Alex Cord, and Connie Scott in The Brotherhood (1968)
    Kirk Douglas and Luther Adler in The Brotherhood (1968)
    Kirk Douglas in The Brotherhood (1968)
    Kirk Douglas and Luther Adler in The Brotherhood (1968)
    Kirk Douglas, Susan Strasberg, Alex Cord, and Irene Papas in The Brotherhood (1968)
    Kirk Douglas and Irene Papas in The Brotherhood (1968)
    Alex Cord in The Brotherhood (1968)
    Kirk Douglas in The Brotherhood (1968)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kirk Douglas
    Kirk Douglas
    • Frank Ginetta
    Alex Cord
    Alex Cord
    • Vince Ginetta
    Irene Papas
    Irene Papas
    • Ida Ginetta
    Luther Adler
    Luther Adler
    • Dominick Bertolo
    Susan Strasberg
    Susan Strasberg
    • Emma Ginetta
    Murray Hamilton
    Murray Hamilton
    • Jim Egan
    Eduardo Ciannelli
    Eduardo Ciannelli
    • Don Peppino
    Joe De Santis
    Joe De Santis
    • Pietro Rizzi
    • (as Joe DeSantis)
    Connie Scott
    Connie Scott
    • Carmela Ginetta
    Val Avery
    Val Avery
    • Jake Rotherman
    Val Bisoglio
    Val Bisoglio
    • Cheech
    Alan Hewitt
    Alan Hewitt
    • Sol Levin
    Barry Primus
    Barry Primus
    • Vido
    Michele Cimarosa
    • Toto
    Louis Badolati
    • Don Turridu
    Hal Holbrook
    Hal Holbrook
    • Man at table
    • (uncredited)
    Anthony Marciona
    Anthony Marciona
    • Antonio
    • (uncredited)
    Gloria Matthews
    • Wedding Guest
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Martin Ritt
    • Writer
      • Lewis John Carlino
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When this film came out, it did not do very well at the box office. As a result, studios were reluctant to do more organized crime stories. The failure of this film almost convinced Paramount not to make The Godfather (1972).
    • Connections
      Edited into Lo schermo a tre punte (1995)

    User reviews18

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Starts Slow But Really Builds Up to a Strong Punch
    Brotherhood, The (1968)

    *** (out of 4)

    Calm but effective tale of Mafia boss Frank Ginetta (Kirk Douglas) who welcomes his younger brother Vince (Alex Cord) into the "family" but soon the two are at odds. Frank, being of an old school, wants to keep old traditions while Vince wants to move ahead and try new things. Soon Frank starts to battle the heads of the other families trying to get his way. THE BROTHERHOOD was apparently a disaster when it was first released and legend has it that this is the film that made Paramount nervous about giving money for THE GODFATHER. Whether or not that legend is true is beyond me but I think it's fair to say that had THE GODFATHER not been a hit and become known as one of the greatest films ever made then perhaps this 1968 movie might have gained a cult following over time. As it is, THE BROTHERHOOD has pretty much been forgotten over time and that's a shame because it's actually a pretty good movie. I think the film's weakest parts are the opening thirty-minutes or so as we get a few flashbacks and at times they don't make too much since. I think director Martin Ritt loses the story at times and a lot of this is due to some rather silly moments where we're being introduced to the mob and the lifestyle. These early scenes really don't add up to much and I think the screenplay also suffers at building up Frank's character. It's never quite clear what type of leader he is and it's never made clear whether we're supposed to be with him or against him. This changes once the real story kicks into place and that's pretty much your typical brother vs. brother thing that we've seen countless times in the past. This aspect of the story is probably the most unoriginal but it's where all the drama comes from and at times this drama is very high. I thought the second half of the film is where Douglas really came to life as well. Once he character starts to crack under all the pressure is when things really started to heat up and this includes Douglas who finally becomes very menacing. I really loved the way Douglas played the old tradition while being at odds with the new stuff in the family. Cord is also very good in his supporting role as is Murray Hamilton, Susan Strasberg, Luther Adler and Irene Papas. While watching the film you can't help but see a minor influence on the Coppola film but also there are a few bits and pieces in Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS. There are a couple extremely memorable moments including a "joke" that Douglas tells before carrying out a hit. Then, when we see this hit, it's quite disturbing to watch and even more shocking is that it's done without gore, blood or even much violence. The ending, which you'll see coming, is also done in a very nice way as there's an added twist that is very effective. THE BROTHERHOOD has many flaws but it's still worth viewing and even if you find it starting pretty slow, just stick in there and you'll be rewarded.
    helpful•9
    1
    • Michael_Elliott
    • Nov 4, 2011

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 31, 1969 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • The Hoods
    • Filming locations
      • Filmways Studios - 246 East 127th Street, East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Brotherhood Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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