‘The Godfather’
Opening
Opens with the strings of a puppet holding the title of the film. Could
suggest control and/or lack of it.
Fades in to extreme close up. Voice only first, with an Italian accent. ‘I
believe in America’. Coppola saw the film as a metaphor for the America
that existed in the 1970’s. The American Dream that people had believed
in up to this point, he believed was bankrupt. The idea that a man may be
born in the gutter but can make it to be president with hard work and
adherence to the morals and ethics enshrined in the constitution had
been hugely eroded by the Vietnam War and Watergate. Coppola asked
his audiences to consider their belief in justice and the forces of law and
order. If the politicians are not moral and upright, if the only way to get
justice is to go to a Mafia hood, then society is clearly not functioning
properly.
Like the Corleones the country is based on greed and self interest, yet
hidden behind a mask of morality and a pretence that the family is of
ultimate importance and should be defended.
Coppola immediately sets up the blurring between good and evil. Bonasera
went to the police when his daughter was assaulted ‘Like a good American’
but the justice system failed him. It appears unfair. In contrast Don
Corleone seems very fair. He appears shocked that he has been asked to
murder and points out that that would be unfair as Bonasera’s daughter is
still alive. However, he is prepared to give him ‘justice’. Who is evil here?
We hear Don Corleone’s voice only, to begin with, creating a sense of
suspense/tension. What will he look like?
Mise-en-scene
Low key lighting makes it difficult to see everything clearly. Dark
furniture and clothing add to this. The workings of the family are
cloaked in darkness and secrecy. We don’t see everything. There is also
a suggestion of evil in this inner sanctum where deals are made and fates
decided. The design principle was that the film should be ‘brown and
black in feeling’ . This was achieved by careful use of lights, colour and
exposure. The technique combined the dark colours of the mise en scene
of the study – rich and heavy: a large oak desk with leather trim, large
brown wooden doors – with that of under exposing the negative.
All the scenes of the Don doing ‘business’ occur in this office. No women
or children are allowed in. When Luca Brassi is talking to the Don two
children run in bringing a feeling of life and happiness, however they are
instantly hushed and removed by Tom. This suggests this is a place where
only men are allowed. Where serious decisions are made and as this is an
Italian patriarchal society, women are excluded from these decisions.
The wedding, in contrast, is full of soft colours: whites, oranges and
peaches. We get the feeling of old fashioned footage because of the use
of Eastmancolor negative. The outside world is feminine in its
atmosphere, the study masculine. There is also the change from darkness
to light, from evil to good. The wedding is the true family of the Don
where there appears to be love and loyalty, the positive face of the
‘Family’. The abrupt shift in sound also jolts the audience and makes clear
the change. We are taken from the silence of the office to the loud
festive music at the wedding.
The Don
The Don is powerful but seems caring. He gives Bonasera a drink and is
stroking a cat during their conversation. We are invited to like him even
though he is to be feared. His power is emphasised when he stands and
Tom and Sonny do so also, Bonasera seems frightened.
Coppola shows us the reasonable, fair way the Don seems to deal with
things. He is shocked when Bonasera asks him to murder the boys who
assaulted his daughter. He complains that Bonasera has used the Sicilian
custom, that a Don must grant requests on his daughter’s wedding day, to
ask for his help. We are made aware that Bonasera has shunned the Don
in the past. The Don’s wife is godmother to Bonasera’s daughter but
Bonasera has never visited the house or even invited the Don for coffee.
Bonasera explains that he didn’t want to get into any trouble. The Don
however is willing to help despite this. Coppola makes him seem fair and
understanding.
When the Don orders the attack on the two men who assaulted
Bonasera’s daughter it seems reasonable and we like him for it. In this
way Coppola blurs our views, on one hand we have the powerful, dangerous
man who can take the law into his own hands, but on the other we have a
caring, understanding man who believes in fairness and justice.
The Don appears like a king in his throne room. Bonasera bows to him and
kisses his hand, calling him ‘Godfather’. This title suggests he has
guardianship over Bonasera. A true godfather is expected to protect his
charge and lead him in the moral, righteous way. This Godfather is a
corruption of that. This is an idea that is continued in the baptism
sequence near the end of the film.
The Don’s sense of right and wrong is based on a weakness in his
character; he makes judgements of people according to their loyalty to
him. This is highlighted when he sees Johnny Fontaine. When he arrives
at the wedding the Don is obviously pleased and sees this as a sign of
Johnny’s loyalty and respect. Tom Hagan’s cynical comment, that he must
be in trouble, contrasts with this. Either the hypocrisy is not seen by the
Don, or it is not important to him so long as the façade of respect is
maintained.
When the Don first sees Michael the use of lighting is important in
highlighting Michael’s distance from the ‘Family’. The Don is still in the
dark study, looking out at the wedding and Michael bathed in sunlight.
This highlights both Michael’s rejection of his father’s business and the
Don’s immersion in it. The Don is part of the dark interior where evil
takes place, Michael is part of the outside world, the establishment,
where morality reigns.
Coppola makes this even more apparent when the Don uses the exact
phrase that Michael uses to sum up his father. He tells Tom Hagan to
‘Make him an offer he can’t refuse.’, suggesting he force the film director
he is going to see to give in to the Don’s demands even if that involves
threatening his life. This is the family that Michael rejects and by
association he rejects his father.
However the scene ends with the Don dancing with his daughter who hugs
him. We see a man who is involved in his family and obviously loved by his
children. Interestingly it is this same love for family that causes
Michael’s descent into evil, it is his hamartia.
Camera work
The first extreme close up is the only shot in the film to use
computerised zoom. As the camera pulls back we see Bonasera from the
point of view of the real subject of the scene. The camera angle appears
to rise slightly giving the effect of making the Don increase in size and
Bonasera reduce. We see Bonasera as the Don does, as a small man who
has come begging for help. This use of angle highlights the power of the
Don over those who come to him.
Coppola uses a startling contrast between the office and the wedding
outside using a crane shot. We go from close intimate camera work to a
huge set encompassing hundreds of people and a huge area. This abrupt
shift to the wedding jolts the audience. The cut from one scene to
another emphasises the difference between the two places. One serious
and dangerous, the other happy and fun. It suggests the two sides to
‘the Family’. On one hand they are a close knit, loving, supportive family,
on the other they are a group of evil murderers and criminals.
Michael
The wedding scene sees the introduction of Michael. His importance to
the Don is apparent even before he arrives as the Don refuses to allow a
family picture to be taken without him, dismissing all the others who have
gathered.
When he arrives he is dressed in uniform. He enters as the decorated
war hero and an obvious part of ‘the establishment’. His father watches
him from within the darkness of his study as Michael is surrounded by
family in the happy setting of the wedding. This suggests the separation
of Michael from the evil dealings of the Don. Don Corleone is in the study
in the dark and Michael is outside in the light.
Michael’s girlfriend Kaye continues this idea of separation from the
‘Family’. She is blonde, unlike the other women who all have Italian looks.
Michael has chosen someone blonde and very American, rejecting his
Italian heritage.
The couple choose to sit apart from the others at the wedding and
Michael’s family have to come to them to greet them. This is yet another
indication of his isolation but it is clear this is something Michael has
chosen.
This rejection of his family and background become very obvious when he
tells Kaye the story of his father and Johnny Fontaine. Kaye struggles to
understand what Michael means by ‘My father made him an offer he
couldn’t refuse.’, so Michael explains. He finishes by assuring Kaye this is
not something he is involved in ‘That’s my family Kaye. Not me.’ He is
rejecting both his family and its actions.
So we see that in this scene Coppola sets up Michael as a moral man with
little connection to his family or its ‘business’ He has chosen a different
path. The rest of the film allows us to see this moral man destroyed and
replaced with the immoral head of a mafia family.
Sonny
We are also introduced to the Don’s oldest son, Sonny. This is the man
who is to be the next head of the family. He is at the centre of all of the
Don’s dealings and is within the dark inner sanctum. This suggests he is
part of what happens. In the opening scene he is on the periphery of the
action, standing to the side as the Don conducts his business. However in
the wedding party he takes control as it becomes clear there are police
photographers at the gates. His anger is obvious, as is his lack of control
as he smashes the camera. However he also shows an understanding of
the law as he throws money to the photographer to pay for it.
Coppola sets Sonny up as the hot head who lacks control and this is
ultimately what leads to his downfall.
This lack of control is continued when we see him involved in a sexual
encounter with one of the bridesmaids. His wife’s face when she realises
he is missing suggests she knows. This idea of women as sexual objects
and unquestioning wives is continued throughout the film. The Don
emphasises the importance of loyalty and family but turns a blind eye to
Sonny’s infidelity.
Scene ending
The Italian wedding full of Italian people and music fades out to black
and is replaced by a fade in of a plane landing. The music is very
American in contrast to the Italian folk music we have left. This
suggests we are now outwith the confines of the Don’s world.
Themes
The most obvious theme in this opening section is one that is continued
throughout the film; we are asked to consider good and evil and the
blurring that exists between the two. This theme is obvious in the
character of the Don in the first scene and is apparent in the character
of Michael as we continue through the film. It is essential that we have
some sympathy with Michael and the Don’s situation. We are encouraged
to rationalise Michael’s murderous deeds and see the fairness in the Don’s
decisions.
The character of the Don highlights this theme. We are presented with
a man who heads a brutal, murderous group yet tells his Godson Johnny
that a real man must spend time with his family. He sees no contradiction
in his role as head of his own family with all the responsibilities he has as
a role model, and his position at the head of the ‘Family’. We as an
audience can have nothing but respect for his determination to protect
those around him and in some way this negates many of the violent, brutal
actions he sets in motion.
To Conclude
By the end of this sequence the following aspects of the narrative have
been established:

The sub plot concerning Johnny Fontane and the film producer
Woltz.

The sub plot concerning Sollozo.

The reason for the next sequence – Tom is going to L.A. to see
Woltz.

The distance between Don Corleone and the other dons.

That Bonasera owes the Don a favour.

That Sonny is adulterous, a potential weakness.

That Luca Brasi is a loyal strong-arm of the Don.
Notes for Higher English
The Turning Point
Michael
After his father’s attempted assassination we begin to see the change in
Michael’s personality. This change starts when Michael visits his father
in hospital. Coppolla makes sure that in the scene preceding this we see
Michael still sidelined and not involved in ‘The Family’. He sits outside the
house on his own in the cold. When he is called inside we see a scene
from which he is excluded. The men of ‘The Family’ sit round the kitchen
table eating and drinking. Michael is invited to help cook. This very
feminine task highlighting his uselessness to ‘The Family’ in this time of
upset. When he says he is going in to the city Sonny insists someone
accompany him. Coppolla wants us to see that Michael is still the fine
upstanding American he was at the start so that when his descent into
immorality begins it is all the more shocking.
The Hospital Scene
Michael arrives at the hospital alone. The lighting is extremely dark, it is
night and the only light seems to come from festive Christmas lights hung
round the door way.
Inside the hospital the corridors seem to stretch out in front of us and
as Michael makes his way, in ever increasing panic, towards his father’s
room his footsteps echo, highlighting his vulnerability. Coppolla helps us
to understand Michael’s panic through the use of camera shots where
Michael either runs towards or away from us with his coat flapping behind
him.
The music is hugely important in this scene with a constant thudding beat
almost like a heart beating as Michael runs to his father. This then
changes into a funereal rendition of Michael’s theme with the same
thudding drum beat and long plaintive brass notes surely mirroring
Michael’s fears that his father might already be dead.
When Michael reaches his father’s side he seems almost paternal as he
looks down on him. His love for his father is obvious, a love that is to lead
him away from the moral character we see in this scene. He kisses his
father’s hand in close up and says “I’m with you now” foreshadowing his
entry into “The Family”.
He also contrasts with his brother Freddo in the way he reacts to this
crisis. Freddo was unable to function; a sobbing wreck, Michael on the
other hand stays calm and in control. Sonny says “Don’t panic” but
Michael is obviously more than capable of dealing with the situation and,
unlike Sonny, stays calm as he makes the decisions that will save his
father’s life.
Michael becomes aware of the change in himself when he lights Enzo’s
cigarette. Coppolla chooses a close up shot on Michael’s hands,
highlighting the steadiness, cutting to a close up of Michael’s face as we
see his own reaction to how calm he is. He stays abnormally calm in an
extremely stressful situation when Enzo, the average man, is shaken to
his very core, unable to light his own cigarette.
The scene in the office
Whilst his reaction signifies a change in his personality we can still
understand why the moral, upstanding Michael of the first scene would
want to protect his father so we are as shocked as those around him
when Michael suggests killing both Solozzo and McLuskey.
The mis en scene is important here as we see Michael dressed in brown
cord, seated in the centre of the room whilst Sonny, Tom and the others
discuss their reaction to yet another attempt on the Don’s life around
him. He is silent throughout most of the discussion until Sonny accepts
they must wait for their revenge. As Michael outlines his plan to gun
down Solozzo and McLuskey the camera zooms in till he is in close up
finishing with the words “I’ll kill’m both.” Both the audience and Sonny
are shocked by this bald statement and there is a stunned silence.
The scene ends with the words “It isn’t personal Tom, strictly business.”
We see the beginning of Michael’s descent into evil as he involves himself
in the ‘Family’ business.
Interestingly this is the last time we see Michael wearing brown or beige,
a colour he has worn in most of the previous scenes. As his descent into
evil begins Coppolla has him wear black suits just like the others in ‘The
Family’.
Theme – Good and Evil
Coppola continues to explore the blurring of good and evil in these two
scenes. When McLuskey arrives at the hospital there is a clap of thunder
suggesting some kind of impending doom. He gets out of his car and is in
almost total darkness. This man should be the one we turn to for help
when we are in need. He is part of the establishment, an upholder of law
and order, yet he does the bidding of an evil gang protecting a drug
dealer and Coppola highlights his evil nature with the darkness that
surrounds him.
Michael on the other hand only wants to protect his father, and his
decision to commit cold blooded murder is almost acceptable to the
audience. He may be the most evil in the eyes of the law but to us he is a
loving son pushed into doing things he would never before have
considered.
The Basement Scene
When Clemenza shows Michael the gun he is to use and explains how to go
about shooting the two men the scene takes place in what appears to be a
cellar. The mis en scene is clearly designed to suggest something hidden
from the world. There are no windows and the room is filled with piping
like the basement of a building. The paint flakes from the walls and
there are empty bottles and other rubbish lying about. We find Michael in
the middle of this learning how to become a murderer.
The scene opens with an extreme close up of Clemenza’s hand holding the
gun as he talks to Michael. This camera shot is held as Michael takes the
gun. Clearly Coppolla wants us to see Michael’s willingness to accept it.
The killing of Solozzo and McLuskey
This is the turning point in the film, the point where Michael takes the
final step from which he cannot return.
When Michael is picked up in front of the diner he sits in the front with
McLuskey and Solozzo behind him. They are hidden in the darkness and
their faces appear from it, obviously suggesting their connection to evil.
When they arrive at the restaurant the colour is equally important, whilst
the interior is well lit there is a predominance of red lighting in the
windows connoting hell and the devil.
Sound is also important with train noises obvious as Michael enters the
restaurant. This is diegetic sound but could suggest the anxiety in
Michael’s thoughts.
The interior of the restaurant is very quiet and there is an echo. Michael
seems very alone and vulnerable and the echo harks back to the scene in
the hospital where the echoing corridors suggested the same things.
Solozzo and Michael sit opposite each other with close up shots cut from
one to the other. This creates a tension and allows us to see each of
their reactions. The dialogue is in Italian but Coppolla chose to avoid
subtitles here. This suggests that the content of the conversation is
irrelevant, both Michael and Sollozzo know that this meeting is a
formality and that there will be no deal struck here.
In frustration Michael breaks into English, the language in which he is
most comfortable. Coppolla wants us to remember that Michael is a
second generation American Italian as were many of the American
population. This idea was begun when Michael spoke to Apollonia’s father
in Sicily. For important things he wants to speak in English. In this
situation the important thing is the safety of his father.
Sollozzo refuses to give this safeguard and Michael asks to go to the
toilet. We know that he is satisfied there is no other way to save his
father but to kill both Sollozzo and McLuskey. Again we have some
sympathy with what he is about to do, he loves his father and these two
evil men intend to kill him. Despite his intentions we still see Michael as a
decent and honourable man.
The diegetic sound of the train rises as Michael walks from the table,
again highlighting his rising anxiety. This idea is continued as he holds his
head on the way out after retrieving the gun. It suggests the weight of
the moment, his need to control his thoughts and emotions.
When he takes his seat again, Michael is placed in tight close up as
Sollozo agains peaks to him in Italian. Michael is about to cross the line
into his father’s world.
As the moment approaches another train passes by and the sound grows
until it almost completely drowns our Sollozzo. It is no longer diegetic
sound, it now reinforces what is going on in Michael’s head. It suggests
his growing tension which climaxes in gunshots and murder.
Michael rises to shoot the two men, we don’t. The camera angle is
pointing up almost as if we are in the position of the diners. Michael
seems powerful and dangerous as he points the gun. The two killings are
carried out almost without emotion and Michael turns and leaves the
restaurant dropping the gun as he was told.
On the exit from the restaurant we hear the stinger, a note we connect
with typical gangster movies of the 50’s. Inside the restaurant there is
silence.