The Godfather Film Analysis Essay

1627 Words4 Pages

The Godfather is most notably one of the most prolific films of its time. This "gangster" film displayed many transformations of permeating color to give the viewer observable cues in its mise en scene that drew one right into the movie. The dramatic acting set the tone of the film with a score that lifted the viewer right out of their seat in many scenes. The directing and cinematography made The Godfather ahead of its time. The nostalgic feel of family importance and the danger of revenge lets us into the life of the Mafia. Even though no other techniques would have given the viewer a feeling of inside the mob like the mise en scene of the power the godfather held, the characters are reinforced literally and figuratively because the story views the Mafia from the inside out, and the cinematography of the film gives it a dangerous and nostalgic feel. Color and lighting in a film …show more content…

The beginning scene was actively engrossed with low-key lighting or "dark look" that gave off an overcast to understand the power Don Corleone possessed over the individuals he was speaking with. According to David Konow (2014) "As Willis recalled in the book Masters of Light,That technique or that approach to the movie visually just came out of a thought process. And the process, in my mind, was based on evil; it was based on the soul of the picture. The wedding outside had a very sunny, almost Kodachromey, 1942 kind of feel to it. Then when we cut inside the house with Brando, it was very down and very ominous…so it was a very simple philosophy. However, the overall look of The Godfather was a kind of forties New York grit." The lighting used in The Godfather helped to implore the nostalgic feel of the movie. Although it was made in the 80 's Willis ' use of his new techniques changed the lighting in movies to come and placed the viewer in the midst of the 1940 's mafia

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