The Godfather by Coppola

The Godfather is another Italian-American based film, but what really separates this film from the others that we have watched is that the story is very plot driven. While we do have complex and changing characters like The Don and Michael, we see that their personal internal changes are due to the plot or the "action" of the movie, while many of the other films we viewed character driven. The action of The Godfather was the changing force of the characters in the movie; the environment/plot acted upon them instead of them acting upon the plot.

While the set-up of the movie may be something new in comparison to the other films, many of the same Italian-American themes that we saw in the films of Scorsese are still present, most notably the idea of family loyalty and the Church. The family is the central theme of this film, for if it wasn't for the family, there would be no story. 

Protecting one's own becomes a central theme in The Godfather although many times it leads to violence, but surprisingly this film makes the viewer feel sympathy for the Corleone family, and because of this the violence almost seems justified. When I was watching the film I thought about it like this: everyone is bad, but who is the least bad. Coppola creates a Corleone family quite different from the book in fact, and these changes he made act in favor for the like-ability of the Corleone family. Coppola knew that he couldn't create a movie where his viewers hated the main characters. This dichotomy between loving and hating the Corleone's is what renders the film so intriguing. While the family at the beginning of the film is strong and loyal, the film perpetuates itself on the downfall of the Corleone family. The Don is shot, Michael takes over and at the end kills his sisters husband, and by the end the Don is dead and Michaels attempt to keep his family together is really just tearing them apart.  

The Church is also a main institution in the film. Here, the Church seems to support the violence that happens in the film in the sense that the characters go out and kill, yet repent in the Church therefore "justifying" there actions and being forgiven for them. The Church once again plays a confusing role in the characters' lives as it represents Old World Values that the characters are trying to apply to a new life in America. The hypocrisy this creates is evident, and one of the most volatile and cinematographically beautiful scenes is the scene of the baptism where Michael is literally and symbolically becoming the "Godfather." It is his baptism into his new role as the Don. Yet as Michael swears to denounce the devil and to believe in God, we see his men out shooting down their enemies. The hypocrisy is blatantly obvious. 

Overall I really liked this film for it's entertainment value, but what made me enjoy it even more is that it's cinematography, character development, and soundtrack all worked harmoniously together to create the world that is The Godfather. It dealt with many different aspects of the Italian-American experience and how the Italian Old World Values mix with the the new American values creating a cultural dichotomy for the people living in this world. The character's feel attached to both cultures and can't seem to find their identity.