The Godfather
Spoken Essay Notes
By referring closely to one film, select and analyse a sequence which you feel is
technically effective, explaining how it contributes to your understanding of the
film’s deeper theme(s). (You may wish to refer in your answer to mise-en-scene,
montage and soundtrack).
Baptism scene
Themes – Family, Power Struggle, Contradiction/hypocritical
Michael – Becoming godfather of Connie’s baby and the Godfather of organized crime.
Technically effective –
Building up to the first shooting, baby is crying, music grows louder and more dramatic
as the scene progresses.
Music stops suddenly as Michael renounces Satan and shooting begins.
Scene cuts from Baptism to shooting - parallel editing.
Juxtaposition of beginning and ending of life with Michael in the middle of it.
Framing. Michael is on his own and central in shot.
Mise-en-scene. Priest. Baby. Family.
When baby is being prepared so is the gun.
Scene Overview
The Corleone family business is the mafia i.e. organised crime. Don Vito Corleone, who
was head of one of the five mafia families sadly passed away and so his place has been
taken by one of his sons, Michael. Don Vito would have been upset by this as he had
political aspirations for Michael and therefore wanted him to keep ‘clean’ and away from
the families illegal operations.
In the Christening scene, Michael is with his family in the church – whilst he has
arranged murders in other places with the family business. As it is made clear, the family
business and most of the family itself are very different things.
From the beginning of the scene, mise-en-scene is used to let you know they are in the
church with the family, but also used to show you the assassins getting ready on Michaels
command. The priest is preparing the baby and speaking Latin out loud to the family and
congregation and the organ is playing slow, peaceful music. Every time the scene cuts to
a link with the family business, the organ holds its chord, which gives the effect of
suspense. You see the assassins nervously getting ready, even though they have
assassinated people before, they have been ordered to kill the heads of the five families;
this is like touching the untouchables. Extra nerves could be added because these murders
are not justified like Don Vito would have done. Michael is a vast contrast to Don Vito,
as what he does is not justified in what he is doing and instead is power hungry. The
music changes when the business begins and Michael, unlike before, is now centre shot
in the scene. The priest then starts to speak English, which relates to the American
business, not the Sicilian way of family life. Every time a murder takes place the music
stops. And when the camera shows Michael again he is slightly closer up each time. This
is to symbolise that he is now the Godfather of the family business (this scene portrays
Michael differently to his father. Don Vito was very much a family man in the things he
did and the things he said. This is a contradiction to Michael who is not justified in what
he does and shows the image of power being more important.)
Violence and Power Struggle
Scene 14 is the culmination of the power struggle between the 5 Mafia families – the
Corleone family and the other 4 families fighting for power in Don Vito’s wake. The
mass murder is the final act by Michael before he finally takes up his role as the
Godfather, though possibly seen as his first act as Godfather. Organ music is used in the
scene - reminding us that a religious ceremony is acting as a backdrop to an organised
execution. The organ music rises in volume and becomes more dramatic. The sudden
increase in volume is almost aggressive and violent in its increase, signifying the idea
there is a big climax building.
The executions happen as Michael promises to renounce all evil, Satan and all his works;
parallel editing is used to show these things happening simultaneously. Organ music is
heard continually. Parallel editing is used to fade the executions on to the baptism and
Michael is shown on the edge of the frame instead of the centre, as he was previously, a
sign that Michael hasn’t yet achieved the respect and status that he is entitled to as head
of the family. Shown in frame centre at the end of the scene, after the last murder – an
indication that his struggle for power is over and he now has control of his family, the
business and the area that came under his family rule. Scene closes with a close-up of
Michael’s face - he is now the Godfather.
The baptism scene uses technical efficiency to illustrate, not only themes in this scene,
but also recurring themes that run throughout the film. The use of mise-en-scene
highlights the importance of family and family traditions. The effective and dramatic use
of soundtrack establishes the mood of the scene and also highlights the theme of
contradiction and juxtaposition of the beginning and ending of life, and of Michael’s role
in this. The framing of Michael further illustrates his struggle for power and respect from
members of organised crime and his family alike. By parallel editing we are able to get a
sense of these themes and the characters contribution to them.
Conclusion
It can be seen that while the focus of this sequence is the baptism of Connie’s baby, it is
very much Michael that we focus upon. His role in violence is highlighted by the
director’s use of parallel editing. By use of framing, a close up of both the baby and
Michael shows, along with the parallel editing, his struggle for power and the
juxtaposition of eternal life and the ending of life. Sympathy for Michael evoked in the
film previously is lost as the loss of his father destroys completely his sense of justice. He
becomes not only a godfather of a child but of a world of crime, unjustified or otherwise.