Feature Film Analysis of The Godfather
There is no doubt that the Godfather film released in 1972 is one of the most exceptional classic American films in the 20th-century records. It also attests to being influential in creating ‘organized crimes’ genres in cinema, usually called mafia/gangster genres. The film has its directing claims on the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, adapted from a bestselling 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. Moreover, the film received positive feedback therein, becoming a trilogy with the second and third parts seeing to a release after the first part. However, my analysis will be on the first chapter of the feature film. The depiction of the mafia in the trio of the crime dramas follows a general symbolic corruption in America, but my analysis intends to focus beyond that. In my opinion, not only does the film entertain in its gangster saga, but it also focuses on a storyline of power, family, and capitalism, therein offering essential life lessons to the viewers.
There is an almost similar depiction of the feature film to the ‘Five Families’ from New York, drawing parallels to the dominance of the Italian mafia in the 20tyh century. There is a consequent hierarchical power in highlight as the (Pardew, 2018) Corleone Family led by Don Vito Corleone faces challenges from other crime families.
The film starts in a significant dark and shattered room, being the wedding day of Vito Corleone’s daughter, where a man, Bonasera, comes to claim justice for his daughter. She had received a beating from attackers, wherein Bonasera believing in the American judicial system arrayed them in court. However, her daughter’s attackers go free after the corrupt judges give them a suspended sentence, releasing them without providing justice. From the scene, there is no doubt that the film depicts the fraudulent nature of the judicial system, not only of American but also of the global network. There is a decline in the social services offered, both due to corruption and insufficient funding from taxes. In the decline of justice, society attests to individuals seeking private sectors to provide the denied justice, however, at a price.
Similar to the expectations in the real world, Bonasera seeks justice from Vito Corleone. Vito expects a favor in return one day, therein going ahead and bringing justice by sending henchmen to beat up the perpetrators. However, Bonasera expected Vito to kill the attacker, and a request declined since his daughter lived and did not die from the attack. The capitalistic nature of Vito emerges in his sparing of their lives by just ordering the attackers beat-up. The aspect of integrity also becomes evident, confirming that besides being criminals, the Corleone family is not bloodthirsty. Integrity is vital in running the society’s businesses, evidently similar to the businesses in The Godfather.
Moreover, the events that lead to the beating of the criminals escalate from Bonasera attempting to pay Vito for the services. However, Vito declines claiming that Bonasera should instead seek his friendship. The friendship that leads to the family’s move to beat up the criminals is clear evidence of hypocrisy in the Corleone family, trying to pass the aspect of decency.
Had there not been a price to pay from the friendship built, Vito would not have expected a favor in return. In the society in the real world, individuals also tend to bring about the aspect of decency and friendship, while awaiting a favor in return in the aftermath. The feature film thus portrays the discrepancies and hypocrisy in the society hidden behind friendship terms.
In the juxtaposition of Bonasera, failing to protect his daughter also falls on Vito in failing his daughter Connie besides having the role of protecting her. In most parts of the scene, Vito promises her daughter to grant requests that, in the real sense, are bound to fail. It becomes evident when he fails to honor his grants and daughter’s demands, leaving before the wedding ends. Moreover, Connie’s husband abuses her after the wedding in beating her, wherein Vito does nothing but claim that Connie should submit to his authority.
In neglecting her and failing to confront her husband, the aspect of making promises hard to keep arises. The society sees to promises that fail to have an implementation, therein bringing frustration. Vito and his wife justify their action by claiming that they should not interfere in her and Carlo, her husband’s private business. In their defense, they depict that it is important not to involve oneself in other people’s lives, especially a married couple’s affairs. The case also applies in the setting outside the cinematic world where other people’s private lives should remain personal, individual, and respected.
The aspect of competing capitalists emerges in Don Corleone wanting nothing to do with the heroin business that Sollozzo intends to bring in New York. Other families, such as the Tattaglia and Barzini family want Corleone to share political and police protection, to join the heroin business. In an analytical view, the move represents expansion and a consequent accumulation of capital in the growing context of evil. Similar to the society during the creation of the film, Corleone and the opposing families have a representation of inherent contradictions in capitalism. Their war has a symbolic mark on escalating disagreements in the global economic crisis. The violence from the conflicts of the families also has a representation in the society as the suffering caused by the instability in capitalism. Capitalists have a denial of malicious intent, as do the gangsters in The Godfather. There is a repetition of the mantra ‘it’s nothing personal, just business’ in the movie, as well as Sollozzo’s statement saying ‘I don’t like violence, tom. I’m a businessman. Blood is a big expense.‘
Moreover, they claim that there is nothing personal when, in the real sense, they have personal vendettas on their victims. Besides, Barzini, at some point, reminds the viewers that the mafia ‘are not communists.’ Instead, they are full-fledged capitalists evident in the feature film.
Michael joining the ‘family business’ when he was meant to be a respectable individual such as a senator in the community, portrays the effects of capitalism further developing (Pardew, 2018). In his bid to hide in Sicily and understand his family’s roots, the film exposes the beautiful countryside and the simple town life. The city also has a depiction of how the environment was before capitalism transformed it into the capitalistic monster.
Later in the film, Sonny learns of Carlo’s beating his sister Connie, therein beating him up despite the warnings of not to have any involvement in the affair from his mother. His enraged emotions have him beat up Carlo and threaten to kill him if he ever hits Connie again. In response, Carlo plans a gun down of Sonnie with Barzini and beats up Connie to lure him to his assassination. When Sonnie comes to confront him, he gets murdered.
In this context, the aspect of violence begetting more violence arises, doubling up to society. The element of acting on emotions also emerges, possibly ending tragically. The organization sees to individuals working on emotions rather than taking time to analyze their options first, therefore always ending up in complications.
The Godfather also attests to racial discrepancies emerging from the meeting that the families had to solve the differences. In the meeting, Don Stracchi says his men quit the drug business for ‘the dark people, the coloreds. They are animals, anyway, so let them lose their souls‘. The other members present agree to the arrangement, expressing their resentment towards the people of different races. The statement and agreement reflect the treatment that the people of other races experienced during the time, also evident years later in our contemporary society. The people of color were lowly thought of therein having no concern ion whether the drugs ruin their lives.
When Michael returns from hiding, he reunites with his lover, asking for a hand in marriage.
He promises her legitimacy in the ‘family business’ someday, claiming that politicians also kill men similar to the mafia. His stipulations attest to the politicians’ act at the moment, eliminating their competitors and individuals, not on their side. In Michael’s killing all the other family heads to being the sole mafia head, one would suppose that he would have changed and better off the streets having eliminated the competition.
Instead, he still embraces the way of the mafia, running the streets by himself. The act is a reflection of the capitalist culture, which in the elimination of competition ends up in monopoly capitalism, an action it has claims of eradicating. The first film in the trilogy comes to an end with Michael getting rid of Carlo in a grizzly garroting by one of his henchmen.
Despite Connie’s suffering under her husband’s abuse, she got furious with Michael and broke in tears for her husband’s murder. She informs Michael’s wife of the deaths committed, which Michael denied having a connection to. An outtake has Kay, Michael’s wife lighting candles and praying for him in church, therein completing the first section. The aspect of prayer reflects religion, with Kay praying for the sins committed by her husband. It is imperative to ask for forgiveness of sins therein Kay taking the initiative since Michael would not.
There is no doubt that in the making of The Godfather, Francis Coppola, the director incorporated exemplary filmic structure and production design with aesthetic and thematic tools to create the masterpiece. For instance, he brings about the aspect of power in different dimensions, as seen in Vito Corleone. While in power, he used to wear sharp suits and wear his hair neatly.
At the beginning of the film, Vito’s words carry weight, contrary to the scene with his grandson with casual clothes, unruly hair with a powerless stance. He is not able to gain the attention of his grandson, therein representing a shift in power. Moreover, his death in the garden is also thematic, where he lies dead in a tomato garden. The ripe tomatoes seem to be lying on the ground while the fresh ones are on trees.
The scene of his death resonates with his role in creating the foundation of his family. After his name’s achievements, he had to fall like the ripe tomatoes and create room for a new Don, Michael.
Consequently, the heir of the Corleone family sees an introduction at the beginning of the scene; however, well dramatized with the wedding photoshoot (Proferes & Medina, 2017). In the stage, all the family members are ready for the shot except Michael.
In response, Vito stops the shoot, insisting that all members must be present. Besides, it also portrays the players of the Corleone family and their attributes, having Michael turn out as the golden boy of the three brothers.
Consequently, Coppola exhibits Michael’s character in a firm, authoritative sense even before became Don. He expresses him through the cigarette that Michael occasionally smokes, being more of an expression of an idea than a prop, as seen in other individuals. He purposefully smokes to show the image of power and authority in him, unconsciously controlling the flames and smoke.
For relevance, the director fits the smoking scenes in strategic points where Michael portrays authority. He is seen smoking when he comes home after Vito gets shot, followed by when he stands to watch outside the hospital and finally, the scene of his naming as Don. Therefore, it serves as an accessory of dominance, control, and authority.
Coppola uses distinct colors to lull the viewers in the feature film, having comfortable warmth to bring dreamy states in the execution.
The visual scenes from the colors convey a hint of the world of Don Corleone with his business. The first introduction of the film from Vito’s picture in a dark tuxedo and a dark room gets a compliment with a bright red rose spotted as well.
The splash of color markets the film in posters. Besides being a gangster film, the rose and deep color represent love and affection.
Coppola’s depiction of cruel punishment in the film is evident in the murder of Sonnie.
However, the scenes differ the following gender, having male deaths and punishments more vivid than that of women. He lets most of the women’s punishment be off-screen, such as Connie’s case, only evident after Carlo beats her. The sentence in the film also occurs in different manners and forms rather than the classic physical punishment. Coppola rejects the tradition of American sadistic punishment, depicting it in his liking.
For instance, Connie destroys the sitting room and kitchen breaking plates and utensils and gets beaten in the bedroom. Her destruction only sees a limit to her gender roles. The aspect of her bedroom color with the bedsheets and curtains matching her nightgown in the pink shade represents her youthful feminity and innocence, depicting her as fragile. Her room explains her feminity, further associating the color with submissiveness, intended to please her husband.
In conclusion, as a feature film in its context, The Godfather brings about the aspects of power dominant from the start, accompanied by the loyalty that ranges from family to business loyalty. The analysis of the first part of the three sections of the trilogy also brings about aspects of the film that has significance in not only the society that the movie was created in but the contemporary world as well. Some of the elements and life lessons focused on are in the context of family loyalty, acting on emotions, and the capitalistic influence in society. Moreover, the director also uses creative cinematography in the up bring of his ideas. He structures the pictures from the start and designs it to capture the watcher’s attention from the marketing to the end, preparing one to watch the next chapter of the movie. In my opinion, the feature film is not only a mafia film but an excerpt on the running of the society, talking about complicated family, human nature, thirst for power, and respect. I am sure that a recommendation to watch the feature film is a recommendation that you cannot refuse.
References
Pardew, J. W. (2018). The godfather. Peacemakers. https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9780813174358.003.0006
Proferes, N. T., & Medina, L. J. (2017). Film directing fundamentals. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315167480