The Godfather

Released: 1972

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan

Alex is on a gangster film kick, and since I took him to see Les Miserables, I was going to watch The Godfather. I really really enjoyed this movie.

There are a lot of story lines moving, but they are all attached to the main story line. This makes the movie much easier to follow! The first 30 minutes of the movie takes place at Vito Corleone's, Marlon Brando) daughter's wedding. The movie is slow, but doesn't drag. 

First you have Vito Corleone, the Godfather, the Don. At his daughter's wedding he's asked for favors and waht not, including Johnny Fontane, a singer who begs for a movie part. Vito tells him to man up, think about life for a month and you'll get that part. (He does, but we'll get to how later). At the wedding, you meet all of Vito's kids:

Connie (Talia Shire) - The only girl, and clearly the bride in the opening wedding. You may recognize her as Adrian! (that was said in my best Sylvester Stallone voice). I'll go off on her a bit later. 

Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo) - Connie's husband. Vito decides to keep Carlo out of the family business. He's pretty much a piece of crap.

Sonny (James Caan)  - The eldest son and thus heir to the throne

Fredo - Vito's second son. He's the one who goes off to Vegas

Michael (Al Pacino) - Michael is the younger son, who was in WWII. At the wedding he shows up with Kay (Diane Keaton). He's explaining things & people to her and wasn't a groomsmen, so you assume he wants no part of this life.

Around Christmas time, Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) is a drug barron who asks for Vito's protection & investment. Sollozzo says he's backed by another family, the Tattaglia family. Vito says get lost, he doesn't deal with drug dealers. They send Luca Brasi to spy on Sollozo. Sollozzo attempts to assassignate Vito. Apparently multiple gunshot wounds to the back are no match for Vito, who recocovers. Sollozzo eventually kills Brasi as well sending them a dead fish wrapped in Brasi's vest - this is the "sleeps with the fishes" part.

While Vito is recovering, Sonny takes the helm. Sonny is super hot tempered. He's a shoot first, ask questions later kind of man. He has a couple of kids and was cheating on his wife with a bridesmaid at his sister's wedding. He's a classy individual. As vengeance for his father, he has his father's driver Paulie killed (apparently Paulie was a spy...who knew)

Sollozzo kidnaps the family's attorney, Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), better known as the consigliere.  Oh a little about Tom...he got Johnny the part in the movie, because he severed the head of the studio head's force, Jack Woltz, and put it in his bed...Wotlz woke up to being covered in horse blood and a dead horse's head at the foot of the bed. 

So Michael sees a newspaper clipping (actually it 's Kay who first sees it) seeing that his dad has been shot. He comes home and that's where it starts rolling! He goes to see his dad in the hospital & stops another assassination attempt (the lack of guards, etc. threw him off so he was able to save his dad. He did get a broken jaw out of it...stupid corrupt police). 

Sonny decides to kill the Tattagalia family's son, again asserting his "act first think later" personality. Michael agrees to meet with the Sollozzo and the corrupt police officer who broke his jaw. The restaurant they meet at has a place where Michael can hide a gun in advance - thwarting the pat downs. I think they were going to thwart another setup when Michael asks if they are going to Jersey, but doesn't seem worried at all. They do a quick 180 and go to the actual restaurant. This allows Micheal to get the gun & kill both of the men. Michael has to leave for a year (he knew this in advance...didn't tell Kay, but Sonny said he'd get a message to her when it was safe). Michael goes to Sicily to hide for a while. He meets Apollonia Vitelli, smooth talks her father, and they get married (I can't image Kay is going to be happy).

When they tell Vito what happened, he's so less than thrilled that Michael is in the business, because he wanted better for Michael (slap in the face to Sonny huh!). Michael is living all hunkydory with the new wife, teaching her to drive, when a car bomb goes off killing Apollonia. This, understandably, pisses Michael off so he goes back. 

In between all of this there are several montages of both families killing each other or their peons. This is where Sonny redeems himself. So we find out that Carlo has been abusing Connie. It's hinted at, then Sonny sees her with a fat lip & black eye. She says she deserved it. Sonny beat up Carlo in the street & warned him to stay away from his sister (almost makes up for his other issues). Then later Connie finds out that Carlo is cheating on her. Apparently abuse is okay, but cheating is not. Connie starts throwing plates and screaming. Carlo calls her a spoiled brat. Then he beats the crap out of her with a belt...I mean REALLY...they don't even show it on screen...it's bad. She calls her parents, and Sonny drove out to go kill Carlo (good for him). Carlo apparently tipped off a highway toll man, because Sonny is gunned down with a machine gun.

Vito, health still not in great shape & upset about the loss of his son meets with the heads of the Five Families. He says the Tattaglia's and he has lost a son, he won't seek revenge, he's not into the whole Heroin thing still, but withdrew his opposition. Michael is able to then return home. Kay isn't too pleased with him up & leaving, but they make up & she gets married to him. He promises that the business will be legitimate in 5 years. 

Oh so I forgot, but they sent Fredo to Vegas. Michael decides to move to Vegas. Michael lets Tom Hagan go, which puts Vito in a  not so good place to calm him down. Michael tried to buy out stake in casinos that were owned by the Greene's. Greene says Nope, and Michael is pretty pissed off that Fredo has loyalties with the Greene's and not the Corleones. 

Vito accepts his son's leadership and tells him how people will try and murder him. This proves to be incredibly helpful. 10 years after the wedding (maybe 11?), Vito collapses and dies. He's in a garden while Anthony, Micheal's son, is spraying fertilizer or pesticide on plants...I can't help but imagine that had something to do with it. At Vito's funeral, Michael is approached about a meeting with Don Barzini. Vito's foreshadowing helped Michael with the heads up.

Connie & Carlo are christening their son, of whom they asked Michael to be his godfather. Michael set up a meeting with Don Barzini on the same day. During the christening, Michael orders his assassigns to murder the New York family heads and Greene. Michael confronts Carlo afterwards if he set up Sonny to be murdered. So Michael has Carlo killed...again...pretty just...Carlo killed Michael's brother & cheated & beat the crap out of his sister. 

At the very end, Connie comes running in screaming at Michael for murdering her abusive, cheating husband on the day that he agreed to be his son's godfather. He said he didn't kill him. Kay stays and asks, a defining moment that their relationship has changed, for the truth. Michael gets pretty upset & slams his hand on the desk saying don't ask him about family business. He says this once she can ask, so she asks if it is true. Michael lies and says no. Kay accepts it. Michael becomes the powerful new Don Corleone. 

Other Thoughts:

As I said, a lot going on. It's really kind of a coming of age story about Michael. In the beginning he's very open with Kay about things. They have a very open relationship and he wants really nothing to do with his family business. His father is more than okay with that, as he thinks Michael should have better. As the movie progresses, he becomes more and more ingrained and more and more stoic. The opening & closing scenes are perfectly juxtaposed showing Micheal's transformation. 

I get the battered housewife mentality, or I should say, I understand wehre it comes from. However, Adrian Connie...let it go. He did you a favor. Carlo was a jerk. Don't ask about the family business, Carlo. 

Marlon Brando's voice is awesome.

I loved Enzo the Baker! Mainly because, of Enzo or "The Meow Meow" on Big Brother a few seasons ago! 

It was a mob movie without all of the blood/gore. I attribute that to the time period. The character development is just fantastic. Micheal's transformation, Vito's decay, it's powerful. The family dynamic and keeping family within the family is almost comforting. As long as I don't betray the family, the family won't betray me. 

The music almost sounded Russian, reminded me of Dr. Zhivago. Although, I'm not really sure what traditional Sicilian music sounds like.

Was it Paulie that was making meatballs? I'm going to try his recipe for cooking for 14 people. 

Oh the Oranges. Alex pointed this out, so I won't claim to be extremely astute. When Vito was shot, he was picking up oranges. When he died at the end, he was eating an orange. 

Upon looking at sites like these, there are several other oranges. While I like oranges, I'm a Georgia girl so I'm okay hating orange!

Al Pacino looks like Matthew Broderick in many of these scenes.

Quotes I enjoyed

Don Corleone: I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them, as you can see.

Don Corleone: Never tell anyone outside the Family what you are thinking again.

Michael: You're not a wartime Consigliari, Tom

Clemenza: Mikey, why don't you tell that nice girl you love her? I love you with all-a my heart, if I don't see-a you again soon, I'm-a gonna die. 

Michael: My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator. 

Jack Woltz: Now you listen to me, you smooth-talking son-of-a-bitch, let me lay it on the line for you and your boss, whoever he is! Johnny Fontane will never get that movie! I don't care how many dago guinea wop greaseball goombahs come out of the woodwork! 

Tom Hagen: I'm German-Irish

Michael: My father made him an offer he couldn't refuse. 

Kay: What was that?

Michael: Luca Brasi held a gun to his head, and my father assured him that either his brains or his signature would be on the contract.

Michael: Where does it say that you can't kill a cop?

Sonny: What the hell is this?

Clemenza: It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes

Michael: Only don't tell me you're innocent. Because it insults my intelligence and makes me very angry. 

Johnny Fontane: A month ago he bought the rights to this book, a best seller. The main character is a guy just like me. I wouldn't even have to act, just be myself. Oh, Godfather, I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do... 

Don Corleone: You can act like a man! What's the matter with you? Is this what you've become, a Hollywood finocchio who cries like a woman? "Oh, what do I do? What do I do?" What is that nonsense? Ridiculous!  Tell me, do you spend time with your family?

Johnny Fontane: Sure I do.

Don Corleone: Good. Because a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be
a real man.

Michael: Some people will pay a lot of money for that information; but then your daughter would lose a father, instead of gaining a husband. 

Connie: Papa never talked about business in front of the kids.

Carlo: Shut up, Connie.

Sonny: Hey, don't EVER tell her to shut up, you got that?

Mama Corleone: Santino, don't interfere.

Carlo: Sonny, Tom, I'd like to talk to you after dinner. I think I can do a lot more for this family... 

Sonny: We don't discuss business at the table