After much searching, I found my tape of Mafioso and looked at the scenes in question.

Of course, you were right.

As a matter of fact, before the barbershop scene there is a quick shot of a street-sweeping truck and on its side the words "North Bergen" are clearly visible. It was obvious from the storyline that the characters were not in NYC anymore, but I cannot figure out why my brain blanked on that point. (Unless I was too busy reading the subtitles.)

Interesting trivia: All the Italian scenes were letterboxed, but the American segment was not - it was full-screen (at least, that's the way it appeared on my TV).

Actually, there are two possible explanations for my North Bergen brain-freeze:

1. Before the barbershop scene, there is a nice shot of an old, classic diner. For me, this would have been an instant distraction. (I wonder if it still exists, and if it does, what it looks like today?)

2. On one streetcorner, there is a place called Jay's Bar. At that point, I doubt I would have noticed anything else.

Signor V.

"For me, there's only my wife..."

"Sure I cook with wine - sometimes I even add it to the food!"

"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?"

"It was a grass harp... And we listened."

"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"

"No. Saints and poets, maybe... they do some."