Throughout the film with being the Godfather, Vito is continually asked by relatives and close friends to complete favors for them in effort to solve their problems. This factor implies that during this time the Mafia was an influential organization that operated behind the scenes. In the film, John Fontane is having trouble with receiving a movie role that he has desired. As a result, Vito has a member confront the director Jack Woltz to make a very desirable deal. This does not end up well do to the director’s non-attractiveness to John Fontane. I felt this was an important scene within the film The Godfather because it was one of the first instances where it made the viewer scared to disagree with Vito Corleone. It represented his unwillingness to settle for anything less then he believed and the unpleasant truth of dealing with a criminal organization. The significance of killing Jack Woltz’s most prized possession horse, resembles that the Godfather does not care who you are or how close you may be. With Jack waking up in a pool of blood from his dead horse that was placed in the bed, illustrates to the audience his poor decision. The use of editing within the scene played an important role, with slowly giving the audience a view of what happening to Jack Waltz. At first you see Jack Waltz with what he appears to be bleeding, but as the camera pans across the bed, the audience soon realizes it is the blood of the horse’s head that was left in the bed. Due the way that
The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features an incredible amount of talent. Household names such as: Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters are feeling at a specific moment. Through the use of freeze frames, we learn of significant moments that shape Henry into the man that he is. By means of first-person narration we are able to know exactly what is going through a particular character’s mind. Finally, wonderful editing made great use of point of view and multiple jump cuts, which added to the sensation that we are undergoing the same experiences as the characters on screen. I will go into further detail and specify scenes that convey these elements as the essay progresses. Altogether, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas effectively depicts paramount scenes and allows the audience to empathize with the characters by virtue of stylistic editing and cinematography.
Edmonson, J. (2009). Let's be clear: How to manage communication styles. T & D, 63(9), 30-31.
There are quite a lot of widespread stereotypes of Italian Americans in “The Godfather” movies which involve characters, Italian foods, family, and violence. Food plays a huge role in The Godfather movies. Characters in the movies are always seen eating Italian food such as pasta. If the directors were not referring to any specific ethnic group than why were all the movies showing characters with Italian names eating foods that were known to be “Italian” foods. Also, violence is a major key in the movie which is also stereotyped to Italian Americans by them being associated with crime and the mafia. “ Thus, rather than helping to overcome the negative image of Italian-Americans fostered by entertainment programming, the media reinforces
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
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
In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, it is evident that non-diegetic sound has impact on numerous scenes throughout the film For example, music by Swedish folk/rock band Junip and David Bowie affected the impact of their respective scenes in that they brought a sense of bravery, excitement, and happiness to them, adding to the movie’s message and plot. Director and star Ben Stiller additionally uses numerous camera techniques to add to these scenes and uses them to portray specific feelings and emotion throughout the film. The focus will be on three scenes and the use of camera movement and techniques in each of them.
Thinking back to the first time watching The Godfather, the plot repeatedly wraps around the idea of family and business. Yet the two do not reflect the central theme of the film. “Death and betrayal are foreshadowed in the cryptic dialogue, the baroque, pathos-laced scenery, and in the very nature of the incestuous institution of family in La Mafia” (Russo p 37). Constantly seen is death being a symbol and a theme within the film itself. The brutal violence, settled vendettas, and acts of murder are either demonstrated, talked about, or become the reason or many focus in almost every scene. One symbol of death in the film is the oranges, which appear in many scenes. Initially, it is hard to catch the first time viewing the
8 When you refer to the narrative of the story, use the present tense, as in the following: “Sammy decides that he can no longer continue to work at the store.” Don’t write: “Sammy decided that he could no longer
I am writing about the use of lighting in the opening scene of The Godfather, (1). The
Let’s start with the story of “The Godfather Part II”. The movie’s story is a continuation of where the first movie left off, which is with Michael Corleone as the new don, or head of the family. However, this film is quite different from the first, or any other movie as it shows two different stories at once. One story is of Michael Corleone’s fall and the numerous legal battles he goes through as he tries to legitimize his family business, and the other is the story of Michael’s father, Vito, and his rise to power from young adult to mafia leader. The story of Vito Corleone is shown through flashbacks that happen too often for my liking, and are not as entertaining as the
The Gangster film ‘Scarface’ (DePalma) is about the rise and eventual fall of Cuban immigrant, Tony Montana. Throughout the film the viewer witnesses how Tony Montana goes from a criminal in Cuba to a drug overlord in America. The average viewer cannot connect to the arc of Tony Montana. But, the average viewer can connect to what Tony Montana is working for, the American dream. Brain DePalma chooses purposefully to have a hyper-masculine, narcissistic, megalomaniac immigrant as the main character of a story of American dream. In ‘Scarface’, DePalma show the universality of the American dream. By utilizing various filming techniques, DePalma shows how the American dream is available for everyone.
The Godfather is the story of a Mafia family. It follows the rise of Michael Corleone within the family. Michael was once a war hero and did not want to be involved in the family business. When his father is shot though, Michael takes revenge on the people who did it and becomes a part of the Mafia lifestyle. When his older brother is murdered, Michael ascends to become the boss of the family, and proves to be more ruthless than his father and brother combined. The scene that I am analyzing is one where Michael is becoming his nephew’s godfather at his baptism.
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
Francis Ford Coppola directed the gangster crime drama film, The Godfather (1972), inspired by the novel of the same name, written by Author Mario Puzo. The film plays out in the beginning how Don Corleone declined to join the narcotics business with notorious drug lord Sollozzo. With this in mind, one of the greatest gangster films created by a man who decided to lead, and not follows. Moreover, explaining the formalist approach for this film which covers an array of elements that include plot structure, camera techniques, editing, mise en scene, and sound. The following film critique will analyze “The Godfather,” beginning by utilizing the formalist approach theory, camera technique and sound gradually introducing additional theories
Special effects play a huge roll in modern day films; they are mainly used to grab the attention of the audience. In the making of THE GODFATHER, very few special effects were used. The director, Francis Ford Coppola was able to capture the audience’s attention with a terrific cast, and a captivating story line. The movie explores many aspects of real life such as family responsibility, a father's legacy, the need to earn respect and the corrupting influence of power. These are some of the ingredients combined in Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece. The movie ran close to three hours and every scene was better then the last; not boring the viewer throughout the entire performance.