THE IRON HAND OF THE MAFIA
MAFIA: A LEAGUE WHICH DOES NOT FORGIVE
Working title: MAFIA
Original release title: THE LAST SAIL OF AUTUMN
This film was never released under the title LAST SAIL OF AUTUMN, even though there were many ads in trade papers suggesting that it was. (I have added one to the gallery). From the ad, it looks like this was screened at the MIFED in Milan to attract buyers, which it apparently didn't. I do wonder if it may have been a re-edited (possibly with some new scenes shot?) to emphasize the sentimental plot points with the sick child, or if it was simply a repackaging of the film under a new title to take advantage at the current trend (back then), to make Mafia type movies. This has happened often with Italian movies.
MIFED was short for 'Mercato internazionale del film e del documentario', meaning International market for film and documentary. It was an international film market located in Milan, for companies and professionals that were buying or selling rights for cinema and television. It was formed in 1960 and closed sometime in the 2000s. Many Italian movies were screened at MIFED in the hope of attracting a distributor.
However, in the ad for LAST SAIL OF AUTUMN you can clearly see a mid-sized sailboat and in the movie, THE IRON HAND OF THE MAFIA, there are many scenes, in the second half, which take place on such a ship. This movie went through a transition and was finally released on DVD in English as IRON HAND OF THE MAFIA.
Larry Anderson.
