Film Analysis Paper: The Godfather

Synopsis

The Poster of The Godfather. (Image: IMDB)

The Godfather (Coppola) is the epic story about Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) and his family’s role in the Italian-American community in New York City. It is a story of family, love, tradition, loyalty, betrayal, revenge and power. Family is a significant throughout the film with hot-headed Santino “Sonny” Corleone (James Caan) being Vito’s heir apparent early in the film. When the Don is shot, it is Michael (Al Pacino) who steps forward to avenge this injustice to the family by volunteering to kill both Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) and the dirty cop McCluskey (Sterling Hayden). Michael “goes away” for this safety, only to return after Sonny’s brutal death. Michael then avenges all of those who conspired against the Corleone’s as he becomes Godfather to Connie (Talia Shire) and Carlos’ (Gianni Russo) son Michael. After all of those family debts are avenged, Carlos is killed by Clemenza (Richard S. Castellano) as he leaves for Las Vegas. Michael ascension to “Godfather” is revealed as Clemenza kisses Michael’s ring and addresses him as “Don Corleone” before Michael’s body guard Neri (Richard Bright) closes his study door.

Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone (Image: IMDB)

Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-scene is used quite vividly throughout The Godfather. The set decorations of The Godfather were done by Philip Smith. In the opening scene the audience is shown a shot of Vito Corleone’s office. In this shot all of the other actors are looking towards Vito showing that Vito is someone who is important and powerful. This is further reinforced since Vito is the only person in the scene whose face is lit up by light. This makes Vito the center of attention for the audience. With Vito being in the center of the scene, the audience’s attention is naturally brought to him. Also, in this scene, everyone is wearing suits which were associated with the mobster genre and in line with this scene taking place during Connie’s extravagant wedding.

 

Don Vito Corleone’s Office. (Image: Street Hunters)

Another use of mise-en-scene in The Godfather was when Michael said that he was going to kill Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey. In this scene, social blocking is used as Sonny is standing above Michael, showing that Sonny has both more authority than Michael in the family business. As Sonny looks down on Michael, it shows him talking down to his younger brother and reflecting that Sonny does not see Michael as in an equal in the family business.

Sonny talking down to Michael. (Image: Quotes Gram)

Narrative Structure Analysis

The Godfather uses the traditional three act structure for its narrative. In Act 1, the film introduces Vito Corleone as Don Corleone and the members of his family and gives glimpses of each person and their mannerisms. As Act 1 is winding down, it maintains the audience’s attention with Tom Hagen’s trip to California to keep Vito’s promise to Johnny Fontane. It ends with a shock to the audience when Jack Woltz will not sign Johnny Fontane and awakens to find his champion horse’s head in his bed. This shock to the audience shows the power and the measures the Corleone family will take to get what they want. The Act ends with the first plot point of the film which is the failed assassination of Vito Corleone by Sollozzo and the Tattaglia family.

The measures the Corleone family takes has no limit (Image: IMDB)

In the second act of the film, the stakes get higher with the killing of Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey by Michael Corleone. The film shifts to Corleone, Italy and Michael’s storyline there since he had to leave New York for his safety. The plot thickens when Apollonia is mistakenly killed instead of Michael. The plot point of the second act is the ambush and assassination of Sonny Corleone. This prompts the meeting of the five families so Vito can get an assurance of Michael’s safety as he returns from Italy and becomes involved in the family business.

The death of Sonny Corleone. (Image: IMDB)

The final act of the film sets up the dramatic ending. When Vito suddenly dies in the garden while playing with Michael and Kay’s son, the power and focus shifts. Michael welcomes Tom Hagen back to his role and the plot to avenge the family wrongs is put into play. As Michael and Kay participate in the christening of Connie’s and Carlos’ son Michael, all of the family injustices are settled in New York and Las Vegas. The act winds down with the confrontation of Carlos and his admitting his role in Sonny’s death. As Carlo leaves for Las Vegas, Clemenza kills him in typical mob style by strangulation. The final act closes with Clemenza paying tribute to his new boss, “Don Corleone” and kissing his ring. The scene and act closes with Neri closing the door to Michael’s study and closing all those not in the study out of Michael’s world as the family moves from its roots in New York to Lake Tahoe.

Additionally, The Godfather uses the narrative technique of character development. The exact character development technique used was progressive development. Michael Corleone starts the film as an army hero who was madly in love with Kay Adams. He was not part of the family business and was seen to be a politician unlike his brother Sonny. After the attempted assassination of his father and standing his ground against Captain McCluskey, Michael became more involved with the family business. Then after he killed Sollozzo and McCluskey he was fully engaged in the family business. The final step was when he avenges the family business in New York. Michael has two sides, the “Don” and the man who deeply cares for Kay and his children.

Cinematography

The cinematography of The Godfather was done by Gordon Willis. Without Willis, The Godfather would not have the signature look and feel that is has. In The Godfather, lighting plays a significant role in the film’s cinematography. Lighting is used to set the mood of numerous scenes and is used to depict some characters in a certain way. One of most prominent examples of lighting being used in the film is when Vito Corleone is conducting business. When Vito is conducting family business, shadows are cast upon his eyes, making it so the audience cannot see his eyes. This makes Vito Corleone look much more sinister and powerful when he is conducting business. It shows a different side when he visits Bonasera after the death of Sonny.

Vito Corleone conducting family business. (Image: IMDB)

Vito Corleone conducting business after Sonny’s death (Image: IMDB)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another use of cinematography would be the lighting of the opening scene of The Godfather. This opening scene consists of two different shots. The office and Connie’s wedding. The office is dark and has little light, while the wedding is bright and cheerful. This was done to show the divide of the Corleone family. The dark office represents the criminal underworld, while the wedding represents how Connie is not involved with the family business. Showing the stark difference of life for those in the family business and those who are not.

Don Vito Corleone’s Office. (Image: Street Hunters)

Connie’s Wedding. (Image: IMDB)

Editing

Editing helps a film have cohesion and is used to create the intended story for the audience. The editing of The Godfather was done by William Reynolds and Peter Zinner. In The Godfather one of the montage techniques that were used in the film was tonal editing.

Tonal Editing was used at the end of the film as it reached its climax during Connie’s son baptism. Throughout this scene, the film cuts back and forth between the baptism and members of the Corleone killing the heads of the five families and others. This montage of switching between these different scenes vividly shows Michael’s rise to being the Godfather. This montage shows this in its truest sense to Connie’s son and in the familiar sense to the Corleone family business.

Michael being the godfather. (Image: IMDB)

The heads of the families getting killed. (Image: IMDB)

 

Diegetic and Non-Diegetic sound

The film score for a movie helps sets the mood of the movie for audiences and is an integral part of a film. The Godfather was composed by Nito Rota. While the soundtrack is a huge part of a film so is sound, like diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. An example of diegetic sound would be when Michael Corleone goes to the hospital to visit his father. At the hospital, the word “Tonight” is being played repeatedly off a broken record. The point of the record being stuck on “Tonight” was to foreshadow that something was going to happen that night at the hospital while Michael was there.

Michael at the hospital. (Image: Pinterest)

Another use of diegetic sound was during the scene where Mike is about to kill Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey. The diegetic sound of this scene is the sound of a train passing by, which is heard several times. The first time was when they were entering Louis’ Italian-American Restaurant. This first train represents that there is no going back now for Michael. When the train is heard again, Mike heads to the restroom signifying Michael has to continue on his journey. The last time the train is heard, it is heard braking signifying the end of Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey and the end of Michael’s civilian life. Each time the train is heard, it gets louder and louder signifies the increasing pressure on Michael to kill Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey.

Louis Restaurant. (Image: The Godfather Wiki)

The use of non-diegetic sound in The Godfather is used throughout the film through the music of the Godfather Waltz. The trumpets to the waltz are heard at different points throughout the film and usually at key moments. In the beginning of the film, the trumpets are heard as the movie opens to the scene with Bonasera seeking a favor of Vito Corleone because of his daughter’s assault. Another key time the trumpets are heard and the pitch is louder than others is after Vito is shot and is falling onto the car and to the ground. It carries the scene and the movie plot line from Vito eventually to Michael. And most dramatically, the Waltz is heard in the closing of the movie as Clemenza kisses Michael’s ring and Neri closes the door to the outside world.

Genre Analysis

The Godfather at its core is the quiescent mobster movie and the standard by which all others will forever be judged. Francis Ford Coppola created a masterpiece which transcends film making in this genre. Anna Hill Johnstone, the film’s costume director was masterful in the clothing worn by the characters. From the scenes at Connie’s Wedding to the meetings in his office, the costumes depicted the “look” of the mobster movie. It sets a precedence for “murderers in suits” with a machine gun or a garrote. Language was another common trait. The Godfather’s use of Italian when a private conversation was necessary has been replicated in other mobster genre films. Finally, the violence in the film when it was released in 1972 had never been seen so graphically in a film. The use of violence has become an expectation in films of this genre.

The typical mobster holding a machine gun. (Image: IMDB)

Michael fulfilling the role of a “murderer in a suit”. (Image: IMDB)

 

 

Coppola’s The Godfather set the stage for an entire genre of filmmaking. He took a brilliantly written novel and brought it to life. The story-telling used in the film attracts the audience to the characters and makes the Corleone family very likable, while doing the opposite with their rivals. The blending of the traditions of the Italian American world (food and family) has become a staple in most films of this genre. Coppola created a movie whose core has be duplicated by many, but has not been replicated.

Sources:

The Godfather. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Performances by Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Cann, Richard S. Castellano, and Robert Duvall. Paramount Pictures, 1972

The Poster of The Godfather. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm746868224

Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm1686645248?ft0=name&fv0=nm0000008&ft1=image_type&fv1=still_frame

Don Vito Corleone’s Office. Street Hunters, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.streethunters.net/blog/2015/05/14/talking-movies-the-godfather/scene-1-3/

Sonny talking down to Michael. Quotes Gram, 6, Nov. 2018, https://quotesgram.com/img/sonny-godfather-quotes/4424212/

The measures the Corleone family takes has no limit. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm4042526208

The death of Sonny Corleone. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm3664877568

Vito Corleone conducting family business. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm1880308224

Vito Corleone conducting business after Sonny’s death. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm1884629504

Connie’s Wedding. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm1129523712

Michael becoming the godfather. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm1429538560

The heads of the families getting killed. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm284495360

Michael at the hospital. Pinterest, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/334251603569812947/

Louis Restaurant. The Godfather Wiki, 6, Nov. 2018, http://godfather.wikia.com/wiki/Louis_Restaurant?file=Vlcsnap-2010-02-28-19h44m15s62.png

The typical mobster holding a machine gun. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm3748763648

Michael fulfilling the role of a “murderer in a suit”. IMDB, 6, Nov. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/mediaviewer/rm2430621184