The kiss of death (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Il bacio della morte'') is the sign given by a mafioso

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...

or ''

caporegime A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a '' made member'' of an Italian crime family who he ...

'' that signifies that a member of the crime family has been marked for death, usually as a result of some perceived betrayal. It is unclear how much is based on fact and how much on the imagination of authors, but it remains a cultural meme and appears in literature and films. Illustrative is the scene in the film '' The Valachi Papers'' when

Vito Genovese Vito Genovese (; November 21, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was an Italian-born American mobster who mainly operated in the United States. Genovese rose to power during Prohibition as an enforcer in the American Mafia. A long-time associate and chi ...

( Lino Ventura) gives the kiss of death to

Joe Valachi Joseph Michael Valachi (September 22, 1904 – April 3, 1971) was an American mobster in the Genovese crime family who is notable as the first member of the Italian-American Mafia to acknowledge its existence publicly in 1963. He is credited wit ...

( Charles Bronson) to inform him that his betrayal of "the family" is known, and that he will be executed. The "kiss" has also been used as a terror tactic to aid in extortion or debt collection by reducing ''victims'' to a state of panic where they will commit to anything to save their lives.

Origin

The exact origin is unknown, but an Italian source identifies the ''bacio della morte'' as the kiss given to the assassin delegated to "execute" a death sentence, as if to seal the solemn judgment and to wish success on the assignment. Some believe it refers to the

kiss of Judas The kiss of Judas, also known as the Betrayal of Christ, is the act with which Judas identified Jesus to the multitude with swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests and elders of the people to arrest him, according to the Synoptic ...

which was given to Jesus to betray him to the soldiers seeking him out. Its use goes back to at least the early 19th century in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

In life

* While in prison,

gave

a kiss on the cheek, which, Valachi later testified, he believed was the "kiss of death".

In literature

* ''The Valachi Papers'' by

Peter Maas Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

In film

* 1947 ''Kiss of Death'' directed by

Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway (March 13, 1898 – February 11, 1985) was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven films. Backgrou ...

, original story by

Eleazar Lipsky Eleazar Lipsky (September 6, 1911 – February 14, 1993) was a prosecutor, lawyer, novelist and playwright born in the Bronx, New York, United States. He wrote the novels that formed the basis of two very successful films, ''Kiss of Death'' (b ...

* 1972 '' The Valachi Papers'' a.k.a. ''Cosa Nostra'' directed by Terence Young * 1974 ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...

'' produced, directed, and co-written (with

Mario Puzo Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably '' The Godfather'' (1969), whi ...

) by Francis Ford Coppola,

Michael Corleone Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. In the three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portrayed by Al Pacino, for which he was twice-nominate ...

gives his brother

Fredo Corleone Frederico "Fredo" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. Fredo is portrayed by American actor John Cazale in the Francis Ford Coppola 1972 film adaptation and in the 1974 sequel, ''The Godfather Part II ...

the kiss of death after he discovers Fredo's betrayal. * 1986 '' Il camorrista'' directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, Raffaele Cutolo plants one on Alfredo Canale for his apparent betrayal in telling the police where they could arrest him. * 1995 ''Kiss of Death'' directed by Barbet Schroeder, screenplay by Ben Hecht,

Charles Lederer Charles Davies Lederer (December 31, 1910 – March 5, 1976) was an American screenwriter and film director. He was born into a theatrical family in New York, and after his parents divorced, was raised in California by his aunt, Marion Davies, ...

, and

Richard Price Richard Price (23 February 1723 – 19 April 1791) was a British moral philosopher, Nonconformist minister and mathematician. He was also a political reformer, pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the French ...

On television

* In "

The Scarface Mob ''The Scarface Mob'' is an American feature film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Robert Stack. It consists of the pilot episodes for the TV series ''The Untouchables'' (1959) that originally screened as a two-part installment of ''Westingho ...

", the pilot episode of ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'', Al Capone and his senior lieutenants give the "kiss of death" to Jimmy Napoli, the man chosen to assassinate Federal Agent

Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent known for his efforts to bring down Al Capone and enforce Prohibition in Chicago. He was the leader of a team of law enforcement agents, nicknamed The Untouchables. ...

. * In "

Bart the Murderer "Bart the Murderer" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 10, 1991. In the episode, Bart stumbles upon a Mafia ...

", an episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'', the Big Cheese gives Fat Tony the "kiss of death" after being served poorly-made

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

s. Tony responds by saying, "The kiss of death, that's all I need!". * In a later ''Simpsons'' episode, "

Mayored to the Mob "Mayored to the Mob" is the ninth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 20, 1998. After Homer prevents Mayor Quimby and Mar ...

", Fat Tony asks Homer Simpson to give

Mayor Quimby Mayor Joseph Fitzgerald O'Malley Fitzpatrick O'Donnell The Edge "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed Diamond Joe, is a recurring character from the animated sitcom television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in ...

a gift for him, being that Homer recently became the Mayor's bodyguard. The gift is a kiss; Homer believes it is a gesture of goodwill, but Mayor Quimby, upon receiving it, recognizes it as the Mob's infamous kiss of death. * In the '' Futurama'' episode " Hell Is Other Robots,"

Philip J. Fry Philip J. Fry, commonly known by his surname, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated series '' Futurama''. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25. He is a slacker delivery ...

receives the kiss of death from Big Vinny while delivering a package of

subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...

orders on the Mob Planet. Fry expresses his naive belief that Big Vinny was actually homosexual. * In the '' Sons of Anarchy'' episode "A Mother's Work,"

Jax Teller Jackson Nathaniel Jax Teller is a fictional character and the protagonist of the FX television series ''Sons of Anarchy'', portrayed by Charlie Hunnam. A member of the titular outlaw motorcycle club, he spends the series as the Vice President and ...

embraces Juice (before he turns himself into the police) and kisses him on the cheek and whispers "you betrayed me." *In the '' Succession'' episode " This Is Not for Tears," Kendall gives Logan a kiss as he leaves before then betraying him.

Origin

In life

In literature

In film

On television

Notes

Further reading