American Mafia vs. Italian Mafia in Cinema Essay

Absolute power is the goal for the Corleone family, the demeanor and confidence of Don, Michael and Sonny demanded respect of all who approached them for favors. The lighting exposed the own dominant masculinity of Don and Michael Corleone, as they threatened or murdered a rival gang member. Henceforth, they expelled absolute power. The Godfather; Sicilian Don Corleone is the head of the number one crime family using elimination to protect his business of Drugs, Casinos, loan sharking and small businesses. As a result of Sonny’s assassination, one primary focus is to locate the crew that carried out the hit. Certainly, the background and props, at times with the antique look, showcased Don Corleone and Michael to look as if they owned the world. Ultimately, the overhead lighting when Michael retrieved the gun from the

One of the greatest films and novels of all time, The Godfather by Mario Puzo is the book that I chose to write my report about. This book falls under the drama and crime fiction genres, due to its dramatic story of people being shot and murdered. The Godfather takes place in New York during the years 1945-1955, right after World War II. Most of the story is written from a narrator 's perspective, save for two points in the book in which the story becomes a first person point of view. One of the themes portrayed in the novel is that family always comes first, even if it isn’t a blood-related family, but a crime family. The novel’s theme is primarily that of loyalty, which is a crucial plot device because some of the Corleone family

The American films The Godfather I and II directed by Francis Ford Coppola, included mise-en-scene to emphasize certain characteristics and themes during both films. In this essay I will discuss how mise-en-scene was used to portray the lives of the Mafia families in the 1940s and 50s.

Unlike Goodfellas, the violence in The Godfather occurs mysteriously and almost magically. The organized crimes and murders simply occur without any mistake in this film. One of the bloody scenes that portray this is the one where Woltz’ bed is covered in blood. This scene was very slick the way Tom Hagen slipped away without being noticed by anyone. Hagen’s visit was to intimidate Woltz by proving that if he had to kill him, he would be able to. Another very violent act was Sonny’s death. This plan was organized carefully by Don Emilio Varzini with the help of Carlo Rizzi, his brother-in-law. Earlier in the film Sonny had beaten Carlo after he heard Carlo was abusing his sister Connie. To get back at him, Carlo viciously beats Connie using his belt. When Sonny hears of this he speeds to Connie’s apartment. As he approaches, Barzini’s men surround Sonny and viciously shoot him to death. This act was also thought out very cautiously by masterminds. Towards the end of the movie, the planned killing of the five other mob leaders is revealed. Michael orders all of the head of the families to be killed so he can be the top Don. Although this scene is violent, it is masked by the ceremony of Michael becoming Connie’s son’s godfather. The mass murder was perfectly planned to

Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster movie “ The Godfather” examines two views of the condemnation American dream and America through the eyes of father and son through many specific aspects of drugs, conflicting views, and balance.

The codes can be shown by how one can be as frail as old Carlo Gambino-the last real Godfather, Boss of Bosses-before he died in 1976, but if by a simple yes or no, a nod or shake of the head, or a waggle of a finger one has the power of death over anyone in his organizatoin. The Mafia is made up of thieves, and murderers who are all greedy for money. On the flip side, the Mafia is based on respect. Each member must respect and follow all orders give by a higher ranking member. Although the make up of the Mob is based on respect, members usually kill their way to the top. A Mafia family is headed by a boss who is in charge of everything, he is the one who controls all of the power because in the Mafia the rule of law is the rule of the despot. Each family has an underboss who mediates disputes and advises the boss, as well as a number of captains. Under each captain are soldiers, the lowest official Mafia member. The Italian Mafia is not the only organized crime group around, there are many other ethnic groups the Mafia has to coexist with. Not only is the mob facing new competition from Chinese gangs and Russian immigrants, but it must also contend with the hungrier drug syndicates from Latin America and the Caribbean, whose staggering wealth and firepower make the mob look quaint. Although

Carlo Gambino, the man who is the family namesake, never served a day of jailtime in his life. He liked to keep low key, but many things are attributed to this family. Murder Inc., an infamous group of talented, for-hire hitmen, was started by Albert Anastasia, member of the Gambino family. While this was well publicized and talked about, perhaps the most publicized and talked about Mafia happening recently was the John Gotti case. John Gotti, Don of the Gambino family, was “ratted out” but one of his underlings, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano. Sammy, in return for this favor to the police, served only five years in jail for twenty murders. However, this offense, breaking the “Omerta” is one of the worst possible things any member of the Mafia could ever do. As Michael Corleone says to his wife Kay, “Don’t ask me about my business, Kay.” (Godfather) Everyone in the Mafia must learn many, many rules and live by all of them. Of most importance is Omerta, as stated before, but many guidelines are set for way of life as well. Members cannot show signs of weaknesses. Crying and wearing glasses are two such things. Also, women are looked upon as inferior and a couple that is unable to produce sons is frowned upon. Since power is very influential in how this business is run, members must know their place because “someone always wants more, that’s how wars start.” (Anonymous) Making reference to the movie “The Godfather” is

There is a case to be stated that the first two Godfathers films form the “Great American Movie” of the twentieth century. Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is among one of the best films ever produced. In this short essay I will be concentrating on the Godfather part one and its relationship with Chapter 7 of the book. This film was released in 1972 and was consistently ranked as one of the top three films by the American film institute.

The film follows the story of Michael Corleone, as he becomes further and further involved in a life of crime. While the film does depict Corleone’s rise to power, the gangster’s downfall is not portrayed in the same manner as other films of years prior. The Godfather begins with Corleone as an outsider to the criminal lifestyle, but as it continues, the character takes a turn towards the nefarious, at one point even stating, “Where does it say you can’t kill a cop?” (The Godfather). Though the character’s actions are initially motivated by the desire to protect his family, the end of the film indicates that Corleone has placed his life of crime above the sacred element of family he initially set out to protect.

Imagine living in a world where crime ruled. A world where gangsters were more powerful than politicians, owned the police, and ran the city in whatever way they felt. They robbed whom they wanted and killed when they didn't get their way. Now stop imagining and realize that this happened here in the United States of America in the 1920's. It was run by an organization made up mainly of Italians called the Mafia.

The Godfather is heralded as one of the greatest films of all time. Produced in 1972 by Albert S. Ruddy based off the novel written by Mario Puzo in 1969. The Godfather is a mob based drama about a very powerful Italian-American crime family headed by Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). The movie is sent in New York City during the early 1940s to mid 1950s and, while the main plot is about the conflict between the five leading mob families; it also details the relationships between the men and women who comprise them . There are a lot of parallels between the typical Italian-american families of that ear and the powerful families that are detailed in the film.

The year is 1945; with the war just ending, many celebrations are taking place. One being Don Vito Corleone’s daughter’s wedding. Vito Corleone is the head one of the Mafia families in New York, and is known to his associates as “the godfather”. During his daughter Connie’s wedding, guests show their loyalty and respect to him by giving him the biggest gift--which means the most money. Guests also ask for favors, because according to Sicilian traditions, “the godfather” cannot refuse.

Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini composed two of the most influential Italian films of all time. Their productions of such captivating and eloquent pieces, during critical moments in Italy’s history, have shed light upon ethics and political quarrel present after the world wars. The wars left Italy in a devastating state, the economy ruptured, and the film industry dismantled by this detrimental catastrophe. With the introduction of neorealist films Bicycle Thieves and Rome Open City, society becomes acquainted with the richness of everyday life in Italy. De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves demonstrates a pure vision of neorealism, making each event as objective as possible, reinforcing the meaningfulness of reality, and reproducing it at exceptional degrees. On the other hand, Rossellini’s Rome Open City offers a diverse approach to neorealism, straying away from the conventional rules, depicting Italy in light of Fascist regimes, and focusing its attention on the attitudes of individuals in political crisis. De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, and Rosselini’s Rome Open City, are films that differ in the representation of societal values and political attitudes.

The Godfather presents Vito as the paradigmatic Mafia don. He is wise and intelligent, an excellent reader of others’ intentions, and a smooth, subtle talker, able to convince with words, not only bullets. Though a ruthless, violent criminal, Vito is also a warm, loving father and husband. In his later years, Vito comes across as relaxed and playful, even mellow. He has lived a rich, full life and earned a quiet retirement. Vito is both the perfect father and the perfect Godfather, making him a difficult model for all of his children, especially Michael, to imitate

Color being one element, was really used in the film helped and played a major role to help the viewer see the obscurity and wickedness that lied within all of the characters. The colors were used to also manipulate the way your mood fluctuated throughout the movie. Another strong element used was the set design. The set was used to show what time period the movie was set in, but also where the Mafia was mainly located throughout the movie. The dialogue furthermore showed and helped the viewer really get the feel of where the characters are from, and their culture. The costumes additionally played a major role in showing where the characters were from in the movie. The costumes helped audiences get the full ambiance of the time period and moods of the characters. Also, there are many scenes in the movie that make you anxious and on the edge of your seat. A specific example would be the scene of the shooting of Sollozo and Mcclusky. This scene makes you question many things and you do not know what is happening when Sollozo is speaking in Italian, which just adds suspense to the viewer’s emotions. The camera pans out of Michael’s face and then, BOOM! Sollozo and Mcclusky are dead. This is just one of the scenes that kept you in the verge of your seat and through all of these elements, there was a permutation that worked in harmony to make