Mobsters

INT:
BELOW DECK ON A OCEAN GOING SHIP - NIGHT

Fifty immigrants are packed onto benches along the walls of

the small dark room. Some eat or talk, but most stare vacantly

into space. Others sleep curled up among their baggage on

the floor. A lamp swinging from the ceiling provides the

only light.

SALVATORE LUCIANO

Eleven years old, and bored as hell after thirty days in

this pit, leans against his sleeping mother, ROSALIE, who

clutches her seven year old son, BARTOLO, in her arms.

ANOTHER FAMILY:

Huddles together, eating bread and sausage. The Father looks

up and sees Salvatore staring. He cuts a piece of sausage

and tosses it to the boy.

SAUSAGE MAN:

(IN ITALIAN)

Your last taste of Sicily.

A MIDDLE-AGED MAN OF SEVERE BEARING

looms in the doorway. He shouts.

ANTONIO LUCIANO:

NO!

Rosalie Luciano stirs out of her stupor, as Antonio grabs

the piece of sausage from his son's hand.

ANTONIO LUCIANO:

(IN ITALIAN)

We are not beggars.

With a half-bow, Antonio returns the small chunk of meat.

The Sausage Man shrugs and takes it. Salvatore glares at his

father. Craving revenge, but helpless to get it. Rosalie

squeezes her son's hand to calm him.

A MAN STICKS HIS HEAD THROUGH THE DOOR AND SHOUTS

EXCITED MAN:

(IN ITALIAN)

NEW YORK! You can see the lights

from the deck!

Antonio's face lights up, as the passengers roar their

approval and rush for the door.

CLOSE - ON THE KEROSINE LAMP

as it lists from side to side with the movement of the boat.

WE PAN DOWN to the nearly empty compartment. Watching the

door, Salvatore paws some baggage, finds the sausage, and

cuts himself a healthy piece. He gobbles it down greedily,

wiping his hands on his shirt as he runs for the door.

CUT TO:

INT:
CLASSROOM AT P.S. #34 - DAY

A raucous band of second-graders settle in as the bell rings.

Salvatore appears at the door, bewildered. He towers over

kids five years his junior. The male teacher calls him over.

TEACHER:

Come on. Come on.

As the classroom buzzes, Sal moves uncertainly toward the

front. Something must be wrong. They can't be putting him in

with these babies. The Teacher takes his papers.

TEACHER:

Sit in the back.

Salvatore looks around, not understanding.

SALVATORE:

(IN ITALIAN)

There is some mistake.

TEACHER:

(mocking)

Back. You know "back"?

Sal's face reddens as the Teacher slaps him too heartily on

the back. A little girl giggles. The Teacher thumps Sal's

chest, then his back again.

TEACHER:

Front. Back.

The students squeal their approval of the comic performance.

Sal doesn't know what the hell is going on here, except that

he wants to slug this jerk. The Teacher shoves Sal down the

aisle.

TEACHER:

Sit in the back.

Sal spins around and smacks the Teacher full across the face,

then bolts for the door.

CUT TO:

EXT:
MULBERRY STREET - DAY

Looking over his shoulder as he runs down the street, Sal

slows as he realizes he's not been pursued. The vendors on

the sidewalk bargain vigorously in Yiddish, Italian, and

English. Sal stops as an ITALIAN LABORER, standing in front

of a roulette wheel, shouts in triumph. The slick-haired

OPERATOR bows to the winner, handing him a dime. With a

flourish, the Laborer pulls a crumpled dollar from his pocket

and unfolds it. The crowd gathered around buzzes. Sal notices

the Operator suppress a smile as the man places his dollar

on the black.

ITALIAN LABORER:

Nero.

Before the Operator can spin the wheel, Sal waves a nickel.

SALVATORE:

Rosso!

As Sal slaps his nickel onto the red marker, the Operator

shoots him a dirty look and spins the wheel. As it comes to

rest on red, the Operator scoops up the crest-fallen Laborer's

dollar, and grudgingly flips a dime to Salvatore.

OPERATOR:

(IN ITALIAN)

A lucky boy. You're playing again?

SALVATORE:

(IN ITALIAN)

Only when there's another fool with

a dollar to bet against.

CUT TO:

INT:
BEDROOM OF LUCIANO FAMILY APARTMENT - EVENING

Sal lays across a pallet on the floor of the dark, tiny room.

Bartolo lays next to him, asleep. In the next room, Rosalie

Luciano cooks in a primitive kitchen. Sal pulls a set of

post cards from his pocket, and flips through the photos of

beauties posed provocatively in their scanties. At the sound

of his father's voice raised in anger, he hides the cards.

JUST INSIDE THE FRONT DOOR STANDS A MAN IN UNIFORM

As Antonio drags Sal out from the bedroom.

SALVATORE:

(IN ITALIAN)

The Teacher hit me first!

Antonio hits Sal hard, upside the head.

ANTONIO LUCIANO:

(IN ITALIAN)

You have a smart teacher.

Rosalie runs over from the kitchen, waving a ladle.

ROSALIE LUCIANO:

(IN ITALIAN)

He's only a baby!

SALVATORE:

(IN ITALIAN)

Mama, I'm not a baby!

Antonio smacks Sal again, as his mother tries to pull him

away.

ANTONIO LUCIANO:

(IN ITALIAN)

Don't talk back to your mother.

At the door, the Truant Officer rolls his eyes. Antonio shoves

Salvatore toward him.

ANTONIO LUCIANO:

(IN ITALIAN)

Take him. I can do nothing.

CUT TO:

INT:
TRUANT SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY

Bars on the windows. The uniformed students sit rigidly

upright. They follow along in their books while the Teacher

reads aloud as he walks between the rows of desks.

SALVATORE STARES BLANKLY AT A BOOK HE CAN'T READ

As the Teacher passes, he raps Sal across the knuckles with

a ruler, then turns Sal's book to the correct page.

CUT TO:

INT:
A MASSIVE DORMITORY - DAY

Deserted, except for Sal and another boy his age, who are on

their hands and knees scrubbing the floor.

FRANKIE COSTELLO

(IN ITALIAN)

Where were you before?

SALVATORE:

Scuola Trenta-Quarto.

FRANKIE COSTELLO

(IN ENGLISH)

School Thirty-Four? Hey, me too.

(IN ITALIAN)

I live on Thirteenth Street.

He extends a soapy hand to Sal and they shake.

SALVATORE:

(IN ENGLISH)

Hey, me too.

Frank laughs at Sal's attempt at English

FRANKIE COSTELLO

(IN ITALIAN)

I'm Frankie Costello.

SALVATORE:

Salvatore Luciano.

FRANKIE COSTELLO

(IN ITALIAN)

Sal-va-tore. Back home that's a

beautiful name. But here Sallie's a

girl's name. Some these bums might

get the wrong idea. Capice?

Salvatore nods.

SALVATORE:

(IN ITALIAN)

I want an American name.

Frank regards Sal critically for a moment.

FRANK:

Charlie.

SALVATORE:

Cha-lee?

FRANK:

Char-lie.

CHARLIE:

Char-lie.

FRANK:

F*** you, Charlie.

Frank gestures with his middle finger. Charlie returns it.

CHARLIE:

Fucka you, Frankie!

Frank dips into his bucket, and flings water at Charlie.

Charlie snaps his wet rag at Frank, catching him on the arm.

FRANK:

Son of a b*tch!

CHARLIE:

Somma b*tch!

Angry now, Frank grabs his crotch and hisses.

FRANK:

Suck my dick, motherf***er.

Charlie jumps up and dramatically grabs his crotch.

CHARLIE:

Muddafucka somma b*tch. Sucka my

fucka you.

Beaming with pride, Charlie looks up into the stone face of

their Teacher, who looms behind Frank. Charlie drops to his

knees and resumes scrubbing the floor.

INT:
HALLWAY - DAY

The Teacher hauls the boys down the hallway by their ears.

CUT TO:

EXT:
LOWER EAST SIDE RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY SUPER: 1916

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