This two disc set from A&E Television compiles material originally designed for the A&E Biography series and material created for the History Channel and packages it all up nicely on DVD for your home viewing pleasure. Five complete programs are contained on the set, giving the viewer and true crime buff a great overview of the history of the mafia and those who played major roles in that history both in Italy and of course, in America as well.

The Godfathers (100 Minutes)

This thorough and comprehensive documentary takes a look at the overall history of the Mafia, from it's small beginnings in Sicily to the eventual immigration across the ocean to the United States and abroad.

Plenty of exclusive archive footage and fascinating interviews with Italian journalists and law enforcement officials give the film an authentic feeling lacking in many television documentaries. A lot of research went into this one and it shows as it not only documents the history and evolution of the Mafia and its key player, but also some of the psychological and social issues brought up when considering the lifestyle of those involved in 'La Cosa Nostra.' The most interesting segments are the ones that interview people who were actually involved in some level with the Mafia, and listening to them give their take on how it all works from an insiders standpoint is both fascinating, and honestly, a little bit spooky as well.

The film begins by examining the Sicilian origins of the secret criminal organization that arose out of the political chaos that was erupting on the island during its inception, follows it through the massive influx of immigration into the United States, through to the great stock market crash and depression of the 1930s and up to the present. It gives a solid primer and crash course history lesson so that you know enough about the organization and what it entails politically, socially and legally to be up to speed enough to delve into the individual biographies of the specific players on the second disc.

Lucky Luciano – Chairman Of The Mob (50 Minutes)

This episode of Biography, narrated by Jack Perkins, follows the fascinating history of Charles 'Lucky' Luciano. He earned the nickname after surviving a Mafia sponsored attempt on his life, something that didn't happen all too often.

Luciano came to prominence when he developed and maintained a massive racketeering ring that made him a wealthy and powerful underworld figurehead. Even when he was sent to prison, he was still able to run the show from behind bars – a testament to his organizational skills and intelligence.

He immigrated to the United States at a young age in 1907, and worked menial jobs after dropping out of school at the age of 14. It was here that he began shacking down other immigrants for their money, a trait that he'd lend easily to his racketeering career down the road. He also became involved in selling drugs and running guns and prostitution and began to realize the importance of political ties.

His Sicilian ancestry made him an appealing figurehead to other mobsters and his American lifestyle and political aspirations kept him on his toes and with his finger on the pulse of the city. These two traits made a rise to power almost too easy for him, eventually resulting in a gang war with an opposing Mafia boss.

Eventually, in 1946, he was kicked out of the United States and sent to serve ten years in prison in Italy, but was still able to control his operation from overseas until his eventual demise.

Meyer Lansky – Mob Tycoon (50 Minutes)

A lesser known Mafia boss, Meyer Lanskey immigrated from Eastern Europe to eventually rise to infamy as a Vegas boss who made his career based on the trust of a handshake and ultimately became a 'casino king' who did business his own way and claimed to have never killed anyone along the way. Lanskey had a good head for numbers and it was this gift that he used to take wealthy gamblers for their fortunes.

He grew up as a Russian Jew but his family immigrated when he was young because of anti-Semitic problems in his native country in 1911. He grew up on the streets and eventually became affiliated with Lucky Luciano and Bugsy Siegel after some minor criminal activity that brought him to their attention. Together with Siegel he formed a gang of his own and it was here that he got his first taste of running a gambling operation.

Prohibition lead to a profitable bootlegging operation but when it ended, so did his cash flow and crackdowns on Luciano and others, lead to Lanskey heading south to set up some gambling operations in Miami. After the Second World War, he headed to Vegas to check up on Siegel and eventually setup operations there once Siegel went out of control.

Eventually he fled to Israel and applied to citizenship where he was summoned back to the U.S. for trial. When his past caught up to him in Israel, a media frenzy ensued but he claimed to have been a victim of lies. His citizenship application was reviewed by the Israeli government and eventually turned down because of his ties to the Mafia. He appealed their decision but the U.S. Government handed over their files on him and he was ordered to leave. In 1972 he fled to South America but the FBI caught up to him in Paraguay and he was taken into U.S. custody.

Genovese: Portrait Of A Crime Family (50 Minutes)

The Genovese family was referred to as the 'Rolls Royce of organized crime.' Long a powerful presence in the Mafia underworld (almost a century of involvement!), the Genovese crime family was eventually broken up by Federal Agents in 2001, but their power and influence is still felt today.

Labor corruption, extortion, and drug sales were all big business for the family whose roots are traced back to the 1890s when three Italian immigrants met on the streets of New York City. Charles Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, and Vito Genovese made a massive impact on the underworld and came to be one of the most powerful Mafia families in world history.

Prohibition became a huge moneymaker for them when they learned how to pay off politicians, police and district attorneys so that they could run a hassle free bootlegging operation. What they had to deal with though were the old Sicilian bosses who declared a street war over controlling aspects of the illegal liquor distribution rackets.

A commission was formed of all of the gang bosses so that things could be run more professionally and to reduce the amount of infighting and warring between operations, and the Genovese family played a big part in the construction of the commission when Luciano, who was a key player, brought in Costello and Genovese to help him take the bull by the horns.

Genovese developed an obvious violent streak, and after being accused of murder, fled to Italy. With Genovese in exile and Luciano taken out, Costello was left in charge by default for over a decade. When Genovese returned, things heated up between he and Costello, and things turned ugly. Genovese eventually did some time here and there but all the while became more power hungry and put a hit on Costello. It didn't work out, but Costello retired and Genovese was finally in charge.

With Genovese running the entire show now, he took things to the next level and ran his business with an iron fist and his criminal empire sprawled all across New York City, even playing a part in the city's garbage collection.

Bugsy Siegel: Gambling On The Mob (50 Minutes)

One of the most famous mobsters of all time, Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel got a kick out of killing people and made no qualms about this. He was a handsome man and had a way with the ladies, but his real passion was building the Vegas casinos for which he remains known today.

Growing up the child of an immigrant family in squalid conditions in New York City, he developed a nasty disposition in his youth, becoming a problem child in the true sense and not fitting in well at all in his school life.

At a young age he became a New York City hitman, and as he rose up the ranks, eventually he managed to get the Flamingo Casino built in Vegas when he was sent to Nevada by his employers in New York. He used his money and his charm to gain control in Vegas and is ultimately the man responsible, through getting the Flamingo up and running, for the creation of the now world famous Las Vegas strip.

Things went wrong for him quickly though as the bosses found that he was a much better hitman than he was casino boss, and eventually he made enemies out of the wrong people.

Video:

Each presentation is presented fullframe, which makes perfect sense considering it was initially composed for television. The newer footage shot for these presentations looks quite good, but the stock footage used to flesh out the documentaries, most of which was compiled from newsreels and television broadcasts, looks a little worse for wear. The older the stock footage, the worse it looks, but you can't really fault the transfer based on the condition of the original elements. Overall, everything is quite watchable, there aren't any instances where you'll be cringing because of defects, but it's not exactly a perfect presentation either – it's merely acceptable.