**Orange Juice**
Contrast and Irony…
Gentle moments in the story keep it realistic while the larger plot progresses and sucks us in. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction- The Godfather will make sure. Not a killer by his definition, The Godfather does not mix family and business matters, yet family and crime abound. And justice prevails however it may.
Transitions in the montage after Michael killed two of his first marks in the restaurant explain exactly how the “family” works. One scene shows a family member playing the piano, then cuts artfully to another of a dead body. The piano player still playing directly above the body. A spectacular illustration of how the family mastered the art of playing others.
The opening line: “I believe in America” (spoken by the undertaker, no less)-contrasted later in the film by another scene in which one of the family appears to be peeing on the Statue of Liberty, seen in the distance. So much for believing in America after all.
The feel of viewing the world through dark sunglasses on an already cloudy day versus the bright, relaxed feeling of the Sicilian scenes creates even more contrast and confusion. The characters hidden from the viewer’s eye in the United States, while Michael hides in Sicily. Images of these scenes prevail in viewers minds, taking us to a happier time and place while we wonder what the Corleone family has up their sleeves in America.
The Godfather grants favors- as a self-benefit of course- because the favors control those whom that they are meant for. Corleone has granted favors, but those who have received them will be in his debt and one day, they're afraid, they will be called upon to make-good the favor of the Godfather.
Crime merely illustrates the degree of power this family holds. Don Corleone can make it happen- with “offers that can not be refused”. People are killed just to show who is boss. Even the raspy voice in which the Godfather grants the favors lends to a colossal sense of power, as does his sharply shaped, well-manicured mustache. Michael’s injury transitions his speech and he begins to speak like his father- his power becomes obvious.
At the baptism of Connie and Carlo’s son, the film cuts to show the murders Michael has ordered. The patriarchs of the “five families”. The final montage artfully suggests that the murders and baptism occur simultaneously.
The parents’ dilemma, the visuals of their anxiety and fears were captured very clearly in this clip. The stills of Michael connected to the breathing tubes, having his head prepped for surgery etc., visually evoked the magnitude of what the parents and the Michael had to go through. However, the recovery and progress was an awesome success story filled with all the elements of an inspirational narrative that not only inspired but educated as
As Micheal stares aimlessly into the sunset with the camera strapped around his neck. after a few minutes, he decided to go back to his old run down apartment Michael's apartment was an old wooden piece of work and was full of rubbish from his reckless lifestyle. The phone rang it was his boss John
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.
Everyone knows the famous quotation from the movie ' The Godfather', in a scene where Marlin Brando's character is considering how to make a wealthy man to do what he wants him to do, he says simply, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” The Godfather of Mario Puzo fame is nor mirely fictional. He was his archetype because there were Mafia bosses very much like him, who would sit almost like kings in their armchairs and their suits, welcoming visitors and offering friendship. Everyone needs friends, especially a friend who can help to solve any problems that you cannot solve yourself. Throughout the film, the phrase is used many times and is to show how powerful and influential is Italian mafia, The Cosa Nostra. The Cosa Nostra became successful in the early 1900s because it combined shrewd business, intimidation, and a strict code of loyalty.
There are frequently tales of heroic outlaws who perform deeds for the weak and battle with the corrupt and against injustice in human history. One of these heroic outlaws is Vito Corleone from The Godfather. Similar to Robin Hood and his stories of “taking from the rich and giving to the poor” which made Robin into a hero to many readers, Vito did the same in the book by Mario Puzo albeit by more force. Vito Corleone was ruthless but he did it for family. A family is a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, and is considered a group, whether they reside together or not. (Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.) At its core, The Godfather is a study of how the ebbs and flow of power change Vito’s family and how he struggles to maintain power to maintain family. The Corleone family lives in the midst of the crime and violence. Some of the family members take the law into their own hands, by protecting the weak by avenging crime while others may use it to their advantage to position themselves higher within the family for more wealth and power. The Godfather gives help to all those who have proven their loyalties as a “Robin Hood” of the Sicilian people. He is more than willing to lend a helping hand to those who need it as long as they call them his friend; he has the confidence that “Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than government. It is almost the equal of family” (Puzo 38)
Loyalty, the root of any mob family, something that Francis Coppola’s, The Godfather so strongly believes in, whereas Martin Scorsese’s, Goodfellas is more of a fend for yourself type of atmosphere. The Corleone family sets up loyalty as if it was a commandment. Whether it is staying loyal to one’s
Imagine it being Saint Valentine’s Day, you would think all people wanted was a great love to share it with. However, what about sharing it with your rival? The one you hate the absolute most? Ask Al Capone - the most popular and powerful gangster of them all. Capone thrives to kill George “Bugs” Moran. Capone and Moran constantly fight for the title of being the best gangster. Both of them are completely obsessed with and drawn to money, power, and popularity.
The house on Hazelhurst was blocked off with crime-scene tape when Michael returned home. Despite the oppressive heat that August afternoon, many of his neighbors were standing outside in their yards; they stopped talking when they saw him pull up. Michael sprinted across the lawn and tried to push his way inside, past the sheriff’s deputies and technicians from the DPS crime lab who were already on the scene, but several officers converged on him. “He’s the husband,” Boutwell called out, once Michael had identified himself.
While Vito and Pino couldn’t be more different, it doesn’t change the fact that in the end, the blacks in the neighborhood still end up destroying the men’s pizza place. There are many other powerful and important characters that help shape the theme of “Do the Right Thing”, but all in all, this is a movie about racial tension and a very, very hot summer day.
A few days later, Boutwell met with Michael, Marylee, and Christine’s parents, Jack and Rita Kirkpatrick, to update them on the progress of the investigation. Michael had always enjoyed a cordial relationship with his wife’s family, but the sheriff’s comments that day quickly erased whatever goodwill existed between them. As Boutwell comforted the Kirkpatricks with the assurance that he would find Christine’s killer, he made it clear that Michael had not yet been ruled out as a suspect. “I’d like to show you some photos and update you on the progress of the investigation,” Boutwell said. “But I can’t show you anything if he’s”—the sheriff nodded at Michael—“in the room.” By the time Christine’s funeral was held later that week, in Houston,
In conclusion, we have talked about Capone’s upbringing and his rise to infamy had been caused by prohibition and led to him being a crucial part in the black market developing in America. The actions he had took had caused pain and loss, but had also brought relief and showed what legislation can and cannot do or force the american people to
The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, tells the tragic story and transformation of Michael Corleone within the mobster underworld of New York City. There are five main crime families that control New York City with the Corleone family being the most powerful of them. When a drug baron known as Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo asks Don Vito to invest in the trade and Vito refuses, it sets the film in motion. An attempt is later made on Don Vito’s life and this in turn shows the true personalities of the Corleone family. Sonny, the eldest son, takes over, but everyone knows that he is too much of a hothead to effectively lead and deal with the situation. He always gets emotional, a trait which his father never possessed. On the other hand, Fredo, the 2nd eldest son, is characterized as being the weakest and least intelligent if the three brothers. Michael, the youngest son, who initially wanted no part in the family business, find himself becoming more and more involved with the affairs of the family. In essence, Michael Corleone’s loyalty to the family transforms him from an innocent bystander to a ruthless and methodical crime kingpin.
It is the Godfather that demands the family stick with family and never side with any one out side of the family no matter the situation. Vito the Godfather would remind them family is family and no one will miss treat or use any member of the family. He proves this point when his godson comes to him about a problem with a director name Jack Woltz. Because Jonny Fontane is the godson the Godfather Corleone will send his step son who is consigliere to the family to California to advise the director to hand the part over to Fontane.
Power is implied in the very essence of Machiavelli’s writing. It is tied in with the greed,
The film begins with a wedding, and this setting sets the stage for the basic theme of the movie, which is family. ?The Godfather?, isn?t necessarily about organized crime. Crime is merely the family business, and crime is the way in which the author of the novel in which this film is based on used to set up the interactions and conflicts between the members of the Corleone family. In fact, this film could probably work even without the Mafia themes. At heart it is just a movie about the structure of a family from generation to generation.