Appreciating The Godfather: A Reflection on Finally Giving the Film the Attention It Deserves
My recent viewing of The Godfather (IMDB) was the third time that I’ve watched this amazing film. The first time I have no recollection of but the most recent time prior, I was not in my right mind and couldn’t fully appreciate the movie. Many distractions were about so, the dialog and story blurred. One can consume many Natural Lights and lose focus over a 3-hour movie. In the quiet and cool of the night, I watched this film and gave it my full attention this time, and I cannot begin to say how great of a movie The Godfather is. Don’t get me wrong, everybody already knows this. I’m just excited that I have finally given it my full attention and can appreciate it with other fans. I couldn’t watch weekly YouTube motivation or preaching, no – I had to finish this 3-hour work of art!
Critiquing Sonny's Portrayal: Exploring a Character's Bad Temper and Predictability
The internet is full of blogs, articles, discussions, analyses, etc. about Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. This blog will just be another drop in the bucket of praise around this cinematic achievement. I feel that I must contribute though. Anything this well done deserves to be talked about and presented from many angles. As usual, I intend to discuss much outside of just how good the movie is. When you discuss a movie of this caliber, you must provide an opinion. Of course, there are only two opinions of The Godfather. You either love it and think it’s one of the greatest movies ever made or you’re wrong. With the options on the table, I’m not wrong. I will go on to say that I only had one problem with The Godfather and we’ll get that out of the way first so that the remaining words can be praise.
I didn’t like how they did Sonny. Let’s frame this up. I read a story (read it yourself here) once about Mike Tyson catching Brad Pitt with his wife. So, you’re a guy who pretends to fight, and you get caught with the wife of a man who really fights. Further, he may be the best boxer in the history of the sport. This same HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP OF THE WORLD has been to prison. Ok, once you wrap your dome around that, now imagine that you marry a beautiful Italian girl, and you know her family is connected. Of all the things for you to do, you decide to beat her. Her older brother, a real deal mobster, pays you a visit and tunes you up in public while his boys keep the crowd back. What do you do? Beat her again with a belt while she’s pregnant. Great idea!
Fans know that this hit was planned. Sonny’s temper was what got him killed but, I wish that they would have allowed Sonny to get his brother-in-law for tune-up number two before he got killed. Why couldn’t they have done this? This could have easily been written in. Maybe Sonny took a bat to his knees or whipped him with a belt into a hospital bed – anything. Fans of gangster movies watch them for gangster moves and Sonny was going to pull one for sure. Then Sonny could have been shot to death with Tommy guns at a toll booth. Sonny didn’t seem Italian to me either. The actor who played him, James Caan, isn’t Italian I don’t believe. Not that this matters, I just think it would have helped. Now that the two things I didn’t like are out of the way, let the praises begin.
Unveiling References: The Godfather's Influence on Popular Culture
Two things jumped out of this film at me – things that I’ve seen and heard elsewhere and didn’t fully understand. First, let’s talk about Season 2 Episode 11, ‘Sanford and Son and Sister Makes Three’ of Sanford and Son. I’ve watched this episode a million times and love it. If you recall or choose to watch it, Lamont tells Fred that hit got hit with “The Thunderbolt” which is a reference to The Godfather. When Michael Corleone, played by Al Pachino (IMDB), first sees his wife-to-be Appallonia Vitelli-Corleone, played by Simonetta Stefanelli (IMDB), he is hit by “the thunderbolt.” You know that gaze that grips you when you see a girl that is bad enough to stop a train and your eyes and energy lock. Anyway, Fred tells Lamont that only Italians get hit with the “Thunderbolt.” Check out the episode for yourself here.
The second and probably most iconic line from The Godfather is “Make him an offer he can’t refuse.” I’ve heard TV shows use this and even people in everyday talk. Having been able to pay attention to the dialog this time, I learned exactly what Don Corleone meant when he said this. I mean, I always understood but, Michael Corleone gave an example with details of such an offer. A man was told that he could release someone from a contract for 10K, and the manager refused. The following day, Don Corlone’s offer came in. For 1K they would buy the contract out. Now, with a pistol to the manager’s head, it was explained that either his brains or signature were going on the contract. That folks is an offer you can’t refuse.
Timeless Appeal: A Visual Journey Through its Scenery and Setting
Not only is The Godfather fantastic for the story, but also the scenery. The story was set in the 1940s so, everything in it is period. Some of the cars were 50s models but, most people would never notice this. It may be that the story expands into the 50s so, the newer cars could make sense. Anyway, you can find a full list of all the antique automobiles here. We’ve traveled back in time roughly 80 years at this point so, the billboards are retro and beautiful works of art themselves. Some of the most eye-catching things for me were the signs in Las Vegas. They had all that iconic vintage American appeal. The Godfather was filmed in Italy and the US – read more about this here so you see retro Italy too. Viewers get a deep dive into Italian culture in The Godfather.
Art Speaks: Exploring Fan Art Ideas from The Godfather
My mind was overflowing with ideas for fan art as I watched The Godfather. I spent a lot of time pausing the movie, taking notes, and visualizing fan art pieces inspired by this wonderous cinematic creation. The city lights and dark evenings were something I rarely see – I enjoy life opposite that. Portraits – yes, so many iconic characters who need to be painted and so many scenes with death stares and other powerful expressions. It was the wedding ceremony that inspired me though. I felt like I was in a Renoir painting and there will be art – I can’t wait to get some paint on something. In the final scenes, when Michael Corleone is moving out, I hit the pause button. The green walls against his wife’s yellow ochre-ish dress was a painting waiting for me to see. There’s so much, there’s so much – it’s overwhelming!
Comparing Gangster Epics: The Godfather Amongst Cinema's Finest
As far as gangster movies go, my favorites in order from first to last are Scarface, The Godfather, and Goodfellas. As of yet, I have not blogged on Scarface, but I have on Goodfellas and you can read it here. Scarface seemed to take a good snapshot of the ’80s cocaine problem, which I find interesting. Comparing these two films, the early mafia didn’t want to be involved with drugs. This idea is something that is touched on in The Godfather and discussed openly now on many YouTube podcasts. “Drugs are a dirty business” is something you commonly hear. Goodfellas, like The Godfather, seems to be an accurate representation of Cosa Nostra. Of course, Goodfellas doesn’t avoid the drug game, and with it comes the nastiness of the business.
Lessons from Don Corleone: Exploring Themes of Responsibility
A scene that stood out to me was when Vito Corleone was having a discussion with Michael Corleone in the garden as he was nearing the end of his life. He told Michael that he had spent his life “…not being careless” and that it was ok for the women and children to be careless, but not him. You see him live like this in the movie too which shows his honesty. This trait is pointed out in the meeting of the 5 families. Vito also says that a man who doesn’t spend time with his family isn’t a man. In his final scene, he is playing with his grandson. Otherwise, the Don is always about his business while his family enjoys the fruits of his trade in the safety of his protection. What I liked about this is his idea of a man’s responsibility.
Maybe this notion is cultural, maybe it was relevant to the time in history, and maybe it was just an opinion of the character but, I think there is a lot of truth in what he said. This is my opinion – a man is responsible for his people. With this responsibility, you can’t afford to be careless with your time, your love, your attention, your money, etc. You must remember your obligation – to care for those that you have been given responsibility over. If your kids and wife don’t have food, you should fix that. If your home is not safe for your wife, you should fix that. A man should be sure his family is safe, isn’t hungry, and has what they need to live the best life they can. There are a lot of rabbit holes to go down right here so, I’ll move on. Well said Don Corleone.
Emotional Impact: Masterful Acting and Pacing
If you have been reading my blogs, you will remember one on a movie titled Blue Velvet. You can find it here if you have not read it but, The Godfather had some similarities to this film too. Not surface value similarities but similarities in how well the acting pulled the viewer into the screen. I’m watching The Godfather and Michael Corleone has just sat down at the restaurant with the crooked police chief and the drug pusher. We know what he intends to do. As I’m watching, I notice that my heart is racing and I’m getting anxious. I had to consciously remind myself that this was just a movie – that’s how real this scene was. But really, the entire movie is this well done. That’s the level of acting, writing, and directing The Godfather maintains for the entire 3 hours – it’s an intense, wonderful 3 hours.
The Godfather is another movie that was paced very well. It ebbs and flows but not drastically. Its flow of calm and action is sewn together perfectly. You never become bored but, you also don’t feel like you’re having a heart attack for 3 hours straight either. The Godfather wasn’t the experience I called White Zombie’s La Sexorcisto (read this blog here) or Blue Velvet, but it was an experience of its own. The last 20-30 minutes of the movie are probably the best but, you are well-prepared when you get there. For those that have seen this, I wish they would have added in a trip back to Italy for Michael to find the fellow that killed Apollonia too. That’s another fate I wish The Godfather would have documented. The final half-hour also shows another trait or skill that I liked about Vito.
What trait do I mean? Reading people. For some, it is developed and to others it is gifted. Situational awareness, body language, intuition – all these things go into reading people but, Don Vito Corleone’s ability was crazy. I, again, realize this is a movie but, there are people like this in the world. From my professional career, I’ve known many police officers and some undercover SLED agents, and this is a skill you must hone. From what podcasts I’ve watched with CIA operatives, they too stress the importance of this. Criminals do it to victims. In the world of the Cosa Nostra, I imagine that being able to see completely through the crap to the core of a person would be a gift that could make all the difference in your success and survival. Vito’s uncanny ability to do this is revealed in these final minutes of The Godfather.
Fact vs Fiction: Unveiling the Real-Life Inspirations Behind The Godfather's Characters
A fan of The Godfather could research the characters for fun. From what I’ve read, several of these characters were based on real mobsters. For instance, Luca Brasi was based on a fellow named Willie Moretti who was an enforcer for Frank Costello. You can read more about this on a fandom page here. Don Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone are also two characters with roots in the real Cosa Nostra. You can read more about this here. So, when you watch The Godfather, you are seeing a fictional story but, you are seeing a lot of reality too. At its height, the mafia was a very powerful organization. This may be a tinfoil hat thing but, there are rumors that “Lucky” Luciano assisted the US government during WWII. These fellows made things happen and the only rules they had to follow was their own code.
An Amazing Film Worth Rediscovering Again and Again
I could write on and on about The Godfather. Buy why? Here’s the point if you haven’t seen it then watch it because you are missing out. Movie fans of all types will enjoy this one. If you have seen it, watch it again and enjoy it again. While you’re watching things, subscribe to my YouTube channel here because fan art is coming! You can find all my social media and buy my art here. You can read more of my blogs here. In closing, this was adapted from a book written in 1969 by Mario Puzo I understand. Is the book better than the movie in this case? Let me know in the comments. Peace.