He was born in Sicily like Masseria and he speaks a Sicilian dialect that's different from regular Italian which made him perfect for the role. He also has a commanding presence that's reinforced by the expressions he makes, the way he dresses, and the way he speaks. In that meeting in the beginning of the 4th season with Nucky, Rothstein, Masseria, Luciano, Lansky, Eli, and Tonino, he definitely seemed like the most powerful man in the room.
@@Michelle-ju6vs my favorite is in the gang meeting and everyone’s talking at once and he bangs the seat and mumbles a sound, everyone goes silent. So powerful
Luciano's choice to change his first name to "Charles" or "Charlie", allowing the misspelling of his surname Lucania to Luciano because people in America find it easier to pronounce, his preference to speak English rather than Italian/Sicilian, and his willingness to work with people of other ethnics and cultures, are the reasons he succeeded when Masseria didn't. Masseria was so focused on the past, and only working with certain people, that he was never going to be able to adapt to a new world, a changing world. He was stubborn, and that not only held him back from any kind of success it held everyone else back, too.
If I was a mob boss? I would maybe work with other ethnicities too, but they would always be outsiders who I didn't trust, they would never be considered equal to my own countrymen, they'd just be business related, let's not pretend that racism doesn't exist out there, so we would need to adapt to deal with the racist foreigner
I like how Meyer knows how to speak and understand Italian but acts like he can’t understand what Joe is saying to give him the illusion that his conversation with Charlie is private
The show showed he had at least some basic understanding of Italian but there's not enough evidence to assume he fluently spoke and understood everything in Italian. Same as Lucky knowing a bit of Yiddish.
@@themaddogofcrenshaw7367 well they did know each other since they were like 15 so I would assume someone like Myers that grew up in neighborhood that had alot of Jewish and Italians would probably learn Italian especially after teaming with Lucky to not feel out of the conversation.
kacchan k He speaks it in season 2 when Jimmy meets them in New York. I don't think that means he speaks it fluently though. Luciano speaks a little bit of Yiddish to Siegel in season 5 too.
@@GABRIELA-ACEVEDO. I love Buscemi as Nucky Thompson. He plays the role perfectly and he always has the best one-liners. I wish it would've taken a different direction in Seasons 4 & 5, but it's definitely one of my favorite series.
Danny Reyna uh.. that’s a whole different fucking show dummy n we could have had that show in between got seasons.. also last two seasons were a waste anyway
@@TheSands83 - It wrapped the story up beautifully. At first, I didn't think we had time to go backwards and learn MORE about Nucky but Season Five was beautiful! It just should have been Season Eight. We deserved at least 2 more seasons.
A lot of the scenes in this show were simply a joy to watch. Not only was there great acting by superb actors but everything else from the production design, to the costumes is amazing. Even going as far as having the characters doing simple things like playing bocce makes it more authentic. What a way to really put you in those times.
Really, a show about Rothstein, Lansky and Luciano probably would have been just as good or better than the one we got. They're all compelling and very well acted.
It was good how they did it. Though I admit Nucky got less interesting as the show commenced. It could have been better and deserved more grit and darker shades
The whole Nucky/Margarette thing appealed to the other 50% of the audience. The females. My sister couldn’t stand Lucky/Meyer/Al’s story. But it would’ve been better without Nucky. A little less fluff with the writing and scene transition, but that’s nitpicking. Not dark enough given the subject
Tribalism is a negative, restrictive social force; it ultimately only holds us back from achieving greater things when we cross those boundaries and work together. Lucky Luciano understood this. It's too bad he only put this wisdom to use in organized crime.
I want to see humanity unite and conquer the stars, but I can't help believe that tribalism is a necessary evolved defense mechanism that will always be needed. Europeans and European descendants in the west have all but turned their backs on tribalism, we welcome other races and cultures with open arms. But what happens isn't integration and progress like in our utopian dreams. What happens is self-segregation. Generally, non-Europeans create culturally isolated communities and work towards the interests of their own group. We are told that Europeans and European descendants having a cultural identity is an impediment to progress, while the reinforcement of non-European cultural identity in European countries is declared progress.
Fred Fredson Throughout recorded history, all advancement of human civilization has been directly associated with a diminishing degree of tribalism. Either we get rid of it for good at some point, or civilization -- and our species along with it -- will cease evolving in a constructive direction. Tribalism is a survival mechanism for primitive life. We can either remain hairless apes with delusions of grandeur, or aspire to be something greater.
Ironically, Ivo Nandi who played Masseria was born in Menfi, Sicily as the real Joe Masseria was. Ivo was the perfect actor to play him in Boardwalk. Of course the real Masseria was much heavier in stature, but Ivo nailed it with the facial expressions, body language, tone of his voice and knowing how to speak Sicilian.
If you read the statement carefully I said it was ironic that the actor who played Masseria was born in the same Sicilian town as the real life Masseria. Pay attention.
The way Meyer says " MR Rothstien" is gold. Regardless of the riff that's grown between them, he constantly shows AR respect even correcting others when they talk ill of him
I like how Joe the Boss didn't move at all when his turn was done playing Bocce, forcing the other guy to play at a weird angle. Shows how he just doesn't consider other people. I bet people let him win all the time.
The individuals who are playing part in Boardwalk Empire - they are remarkable characters. That itself could be good enough to watch these clips over and over. I feel great just to be with them!
God, I LOVE this series! The suits, the accents, the writing, the acting, it's all just perfect! I love The Sopranos! I love Sons Of Anarchy! But if there was ever a PERFECT series, this is it! If only it lasted longer!
Asmah Noordin Finally someone mentions Carlo! I wish he would’ve made a scene because he was in New York at the time as well and as ruthless as Charlie and had the brains like Meyer or even Albert Anastasia would’ve made a good character. Their are so many great people (in the mobster sense) in that world they could’ve worked with but sadly they never made any spin offs
The progression of the 20's young elite vs the old guard. Lucky understanding business comes first (American way) and the old Sicilian way of doing things is just exhausting to them. Was inevitable that Joe the Boss would go. Amazing series, wish the whole series was based around Lucky, Meyer, Lucchese and Albert Anastasia.
@@Kruppt808 The Boardwalk Empire book was primarily about Atlantic City in the 20s so they had to of course feature Nucky's storyline in the HBO Series...many are crying about how Adonis, Anastasia, and Lucchese were excluded from the show but what about giving guys already included in the show like Remus, Frankie Yale, and Obanion more air time for the fascinating lives they lead?
This is more than just about new guard vs old guard...but moreso about Boardwalk Empire emphasizing the empowerment of it's main characters (real life or fictitious) in their ambitious pursuit of "self-actualization" with regards to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs...even if it meant risking their lives. Luciano and Lansky were not just guys looking to "make it to the top" but true innovators with a real entrepreneurial mindset. Coming from a guy who felt that Buscemi was great as Nucky though Gandolfi was absolutely revolutionary on the Sopranos, there is really nothing fascinating about Tony as a character. He was mainly a benefactor of the established bureaucratic hierarchy who wanted to retain his power & viewed "the mafia family" as an end. What about Phil Leotardo? A guy who just wanted vengeance & power? On the other hand, the primary mobsters (real life or fictitious) on Boardwalk usually viewed power as a means to continually achieving different types of ends. This makes Boardwalk the perfect successor to the Sopranos & that much more fascinating at least for myself. Terrence Winter is an absolute genius understanding human tendencies to the core as it definitely shows in his adapted screenplay work in Boardwalk & Wolf of Wall Street.
Lucky was the Star of the Mafia Meyer was the Brains , very important figure of the Mob Bugsy liked to brawl so he was the Muscle and had women calling his name Franky liked to worry so he bribed cops
I can't tell if that shot at 0:40 is funnier if Lansky can or can't understand them. On the one hand if he can't understand then he's stood there awkwardly hoping it's going well. On the other hand, if he can understand then he's having to try to keep a straight face while Lucky brags about his prowess in bed.
he can understand; earlier in the series, it is implied luciano taught italian to meyer and meyer taught yiddish to lucky, in a scene where they both meet with jimmy darmondy
No, Masseria's problem was that he wanted ALL the power and refused to be progressive. Luciano was a visionary and Masseria was a Moustache Pete with none, but wanting all allegiance and respect without giving ground. THAT is why he was knocked off. Luciano was too ambitious to tolerate it.
@@guibox3 not fair, Masseria wasn't even the only italian boss in NY at that time, he had a territory. It was luciano that united everyone and wanted all the power, under a facade of "everybody needs to get along"...
Alex Yates At the end joe was always loyal to other Italians and he especially liked Charlie . This is proven many times because instead of having him whacked he kept letting him off. Even gyp warned him about Charlie’s plan “ they are building something Joe and it doesn’t involve me or you he’s not like us he works with Jews” and even then joe didn’t wanna hear that.
There were bocce greens here and there around where I live, always wanted to play. I'll fucking buy a summer suit with ya dude, we'll eat fresh fruit, drink wine, and play bocce.
@@leroyhovatter7051 I like him too (as a character) but you got to admit that a guy who was both large and in charge and ran New York through brutal means was scary enough, let alone that he seems to make threats in every scene he was in.
People learn a few gutter words and everyone says "HE WAS FLUENT!" Have you actually ever LEARNED another language? It's REALLY HARD. I learned college level Spanish. Went to Spain. Did great, understood every word. Married a Mexican. Couldn't understand A WORD they said. They talk 100 miles an hour. Every fifth word is "f*ck," their accent is incomprehensible, and none of their sayings and idioms and slang make any sense. EXAMPLE: A jet you fly on in Spain is "Avion a Chorro." In Mexico, you say that, everyone looks at you funny. "Chorro," in Mexican Spanish it means explosive diarrhea. In Spain, Ramon is a man's name. In Mexico, it's skid marks on your underwear. In Spain, panocha means rice pudding. In Mexico, it means a woman's private parts. In Spain, camote means sweet potatoes. In Mexico, it means a woman's breasts. In Mexico, the way to say "it went well for me," is how you say in Spain, "I fell down." And so forth.
My great grandfather actually worked with Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. I wish I could go back in time and ask him what it was like working with those two men.
The best thing about the Vincent Piazza, the actor that plays Lucky Luciano, is he actually played “Hernan” A.J.’s wastoid friend on the Sopranos. They look and sound nothing alike you’d have no idea it was the same person, this guy is a great actor ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sG9NZliCNaU.html
There's a lot of people on Boardwalk Empire that were also on The Sopranos that people might not recognize right away. Some are more obvious than others because they have bigger parts but some I wouldn't have recognized right away. Nucky, Bader, Luciano, Hymie Weiss, Torrio, Chalky, Angela Darmody, Leo and Ignacious D'Alessio, Ehtan Thompson, Halloran, Knox (Toliver), Leander, Agent Sebso, Supervisor Elliott, and Tonino who Buscemi killed twice lol.
lifelessdead89 Bocce....it’s a very ancient game and dates back to the Middle ages, it was popular untill the ‘80s...in France it’s still very popular and calle Petànques.
it got my attention that like in this scene, sometimes lucinao got to talk to joe the boss like an equal. luciano wouldn't talk to rothstein like that, and no one else could talk to masseria like that either. was there something significant about luciano and masseria's relationship?
Joe looked at him as sort of a protege. He really did like Lucky besides the amount of money that was brought in for him. Lucky thought Maranzano would be different than Joe, so he secretly switched allegiances. Joe found out and ordered him killed, but the guys botched it by leaving him alive after a brutal beating and stabbing. It is said on the day Masseria was killed, Luciano was there playing it off like he thought Maranzano was behind it.
Robert Lacey presented more credible view of a small time crook with a big ego who loved the public attention bloated tales of his exploits brought. Far from being some great financial wizard, Lansky’s talents never got beyond arranging the skim from casinos and having some associates cart it in suitcases to Switzerland where most was lost in a bank crash.
People learn a few gutter words and everyone says "HE WAS FLUENT!" Have you actually ever LEARNED another language? It's REALLY HARD. I learned college level Spanish. Went to Spain. Did great, understood every word. Married a Mexican. Couldn't understand A WORD they said. They talk 100 miles an hour. Every fifth word is "f*ck," their accent is incomprehensible, and none of their sayings and idioms and slang make any sense. EXAMPLE: A jet you fly on in Spain is "Avion a Chorro." In Mexico, you say that, everyone looks at you funny. "Chorro," in Mexican Spanish it means explosive diarrhea. In Spain, Ramon is a man's name. In Mexico, it's skid marks on your underwear. In Spain, panocha means rice pudding. In Mexico, it means a woman's private parts. In Spain, camote means sweet potatoes. In Mexico, it means a woman's breasts. In Mexico, the way to say "it went well for me," is how you say in Spain, "I fell down." And so forth.
