What if the officer at Ellis Island paid attention and named Vito by his right name, Andolini, would Don Francesco Ciccio have found him in America?

If he was still Vito Andolini? Well.. it would depend on how much influence Don Ciccio had in America. If could get influence in America through a more powerful, allied Don (remember, Don Ciccio is supposed to be a "local mafia chieftain", not a major player) then yes, he probably would have found Vito and had him killed somehow.

Thanks for the correcting my spelling

By the way I agree with your post...

I doubt that Don Ciccio would have bothered. He looked like a wuss. After his men failed to find young Vito, he probably would have (self-servingly) concluded that young Vito was "stupid" (as his mother said) and would be of no bother. Besides, it'd cost him good money to pursue young Vito in America.

I agree that he probibly would have let up if he didnt' find him, however, there is a counterpoint to that point with Fabrizio and the Car bomb (that scene was since left out). Michael spent years trying to track him and didn't give up. Where it can be argued that he wouldnt' give up is that Don Ciccio's mercilous nature is more comparitive to Michael's.

Although it can be argued his power wasn't as grand as Michael's, it is conceivable that if Vito Andolini was discover to be living in Little Italy, (not too far away from Sicily when you think about it, especially at that time with the amount of immigrants going from Italy to the US), he would have probibly killed him. Automatically also a mature, rational adult would have cahnged his name, but a child would have lacked that wisdom or knowledge so I think that was a touch MP added to allow for young Vito to have survived.

I don't think Ciccio would have follwed him there. But then again, would he even know where he went. All he knows is that he ran away-he could have moved over to the next town, to Rome, or to London, England. Ciccio was not going to have every Andolini in New York City killed because of a hunch.
But then again, do you think that Vito would have ever been able to set up a meeting with Ciccio to take his revenge if his name was Andolini?

A few other things can be taken into consideration when comparing Michael to Ciccio.

In 1901 Italy there would be far fewer resources for tracking someone down overseas than in Michael's time, some 50 years later.

Also, let's remember young Vito was smuggled right under the noses of Ciccio's men on that donkey by some very brave friends...they probably never dreamed in their wildest imaginations that the boy would somehow end up on a ship headed for America.

I would think that after a while they gave up looking for him, but I'd also guess that Ciccio grew to be a haunted old man, knowing deep down that his prediction of the young, 'dumb-witted' boy grown into a strong man would one day come back and seek revenge for his slain family.

Heeheehee...

Apple

Madone! I love that scene!

It looks like Ciccio knows whats going to happen as soon as they say that they are from America. And he does nothing, he accepts his fate...

That boy deserves his revenge. And we deserve to die.

LOL.

I don't know if it's as much about a concious acceptance of his fate or old age, lack of hearing, wits and senility on the part of Ciccio.

Personally I think it would be a remote possibility that he would be found. But you did have immigration and people did travel from America to Italy at that time as well. So there is a possibilty that one of his associate who knew of the boy could have discovered him living in New York and reported via telegraph back to Italy and to Ciccio.

AHHHHH The "What If's" are taking over! Is there no end?!

Although Ciccio was a local guy, I'm sure he had connections. I think he would have used them because, as long as Andolini was alive, Ciccio was in danger.

You have GOT to be kidding!!!

No way Ciccio realizes who the young man from America is...that is until his belly is being sliced open!!

Apple

I think there is a reason this touch was added by MP. In America a huge number of Italians settled in NY, New York still has the largest Italian organized crime contingent.

Although Ciccio was a local Don, he still presumibly would have known a few people in NYC, being connected and influential. Although a contact maybe weeks away from Sicily in NYC, a contact still could know about Vito Andolini and still get in contact with Ciccio via telegraph or letter. I think if Vito hadn't had his name changed he would have still been hunted and tracked down.

Ciccio was so paranoid about retaliation from Vito, he was going to have him kill, presumibly because of his brother's actions. If he is that paranoid, he would exhaust some energy tracking him down.

Well, as AppleOnYa says, we are talking about 1901; Ciccio couldn't do a Google Web search or send out an APB for a small, thin, Italian-looking kid...

Although, just thinking about it, maybe that was a reasoning behind the plot device of having Vito in quarantine at Ellis Island for TB; maybe Ciccio believed he died there?? Hmmm. Think about this, I will...

True, regarding the Google search. But Barzini tracked Michael down in the 1940s without any such technology.

I imagine that if Ciccio wanted to, he could have found Vito regardless of what his name was. But Vito disappeared. I'm sure he never throught twice about him (listen to us, extrapolating on a piece of fiction!).

Well, things were a hell of a lot different in the 1940s than they were in 1901.

In 1901, you couldn't get from Italy to New York in less than about a week. In the 1940s, you could do it in one day. In the 1940s you have telephones and can actually talk to people right this minute; in the 1900s you have to send telegrams or write letters which take weeks to get there.

It depends to a pretty large extent, I would say, as to exactly how big a boss Ciccio really was. If he was one of the majordomos of all of Italy, then yeah, he could have pulled a lot of strings and tried to snatch Vito.

But if he was just a provincial bush-league neighborhood gangster, well, people in your village dive for cover every time you walk down the street, sure, but people halfway around the world don't give a damn.

Did Barzini really have to track down Mike? Weren't that both in New York at the same time?

I think he's referring to Fabrizio and the car bomb

Even without the wonders we are used to today...there was plenty more 'technology' available in 1940's America than in 1901 Sicily.

Including that of the human kind...informants. Obviously Barzini had the right network going in order to not only track Michael but get Fabrizio to turn.

And again, I doubt Ciccio ever dreamed that little boy would make on to an American bound via a donkey trotting past his men.

Apple

Actually, I think he was referring to Barzini locating Michael in Italy. Don't you recall Don Tomasino's warning they had to move Michael right away ("This place has become too dangerous for you - I don't think you're safe here. I want you to move to a villa near Siracusa, right now...)?

This and Fabrizio's planting of the car bomb proved that Barzini was successful in finding Michael.

Apple

Where did they originally find Fabrizio in America? Was it Albany or Syracuse? Wouldn't it be ironic if it were Syracuse (I can't remember) since Siracusa is the place that Michael went after it became to dangerous in Palermo?

That would have been ironic, but Fabrizzio was found in Buffalo.