"The Last Don" (1997) TV mini-series

Director:

Graeme Clifford

Writers (WGA):

Mario Puzo (novel)
Joyce Eliason (teleplay)

Release Date:

11 May 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Power Isn't Everything... It's The Only Thing.

Plot:

Sprawling Mario Puzo novel about an Italian family of gangsters draws the inevitable comparison to "The Godfather"...

Plot Keywords:

Daughter | Grandson | Rival | Gangster | Family Relationships

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 nominations

Cast

  (Series Cast overview, first billed only)

Danny Aiello	...	Don Domenico Clericuzio
Joe Mantegna	...	Pippi De Lena
Daryl Hannah	...	Athena Aquitane
Jason Gedrick	...	Cross De Lena
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Nalene De Lena
Rory Cochrane	...	Dante Clericuzio
Robert Wuhl	...	Bobby Bantz
k.d. lang	...	Dita Tommey
Kirstie Alley	...	Rose Marie Clericuzio
David Marciano	...	Giorgio Clericuzio
Christopher Meloni	...	Boz Skannet
Seymour Cassel	...	Alfred Gronevelt
Burt Young	...	Virginio Ballazzo
Cliff De Young	...	Senator
Dennis Boutsikaris

Also Known As:

Mario Puzo's The Last Don

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

258 min | Brazil:138 min (compact video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (original rating) | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Netherlands:16 | USA:R (longer video version) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Konigsberg/Sanitsky Company

Trivia:

The score was recorded at Paramount Studios with a 75-piece orchestra. A smaller orchestra of about 40 recorded additional music at Capitol Studios, Hollywood. The score was orchestrated conducted by Roger Bellon.

Goofs:

Continuity: There is a scene which has Dante relaxing in a bathtub with his head propped against a pillow. However, Dante's head only rests against the pillow during the close ups, anytime the camera pulls away for a wide shot the pillow is resting behind Dante's head on the edge of the bathtub.

Movie Connections:

References Mad Max 2 (1981)

As a mini-series, transcends the genre...

As a mini-series, this production is *far* better than average. Presented as a movie it is only average. To be fair I rated "The Last Don" 6/10, but it should be noted that there are so many high quality gangster movies (Goodfellas, Scarface, Casino, The Godfather, to name a few) that "The Last Don" has some truly formidable competition.

Anyway, I was entertained, and watching the excellent cast at work was very enjoyable. Sure, we've seen it all before, but if that was the criteria to judge a film by I'd have to become a serious pessimist. This was a very fine production.