The Movie ' The Godfather '

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

His role in The Godfather is that of the Don, or a commanding officer. He climbs the social ladder in the Corleone family, starting as a member and gains a higher reputation by killing the man believed to have orchestrated the attacks against his father, Virgil Sollozzo, and a corrupt police captain paid by Sollozzo. Michael then travels to Sicily and doesn’t move up in the family for a while. Two years later, his brother Sonny Corleone, who was the acting head of the family after their father was injured, was shot in a phone booth. Michael then returns to America to help out with the family: he assumes Sonny’s role as his father’s heir apparent, a Vice President who steps in when the Don is injured or killed. Once the Don retires, he becomes the new Don and takes over as the head of the crime family.

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.

The mise-en-scene in The Godfather I, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, plays a huge role in how the film is perceived by viewers. Mise-En-Scene is characterized as, “The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, and costume” (elementsofcinema.com). The Godfather utilizes mise-en-scene perfectly. Coppola combined all the right components of a typical mafia film and made something extraordinary. From the clothing, to the homes, to the cars, and lighting; The Godfather was executed wonderfully. Lighting plays a huge part in The Godfather. The first scene opens with only one man talking, in low light. The relaxed lighting makes the scene intense and leaving the audience with a sense of fear. With the light just appearing on the man's face, the foundation is totally dark, highlighting the threatening tone of the scene. This scene uses the same lighting elements as chiaroscuro paintings would have. If you were to pause the scene at certain points you would be able to see the rembrandt light and the strong tonal contrasts between light and dark. Different props are also used throughout the film. When you think about the Mafia, you think Italian men

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

The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features a great deal 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 Golden Globes and Academy Awards 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, strong editing made efficient use of multiple jump cuts, which add to the sensation that we are undergoing the same experiences as the characters on screen. 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.

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

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 is a mob film focuses on the Corleone Family, with its head Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) trying to find a suitable heir to his empire, while war is breathing down the neck of other crime families. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) then steps in to organize the family back to shape. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based from the novel of the same name written by Mario Puzo. It received critical acclaim by critics and was cited as an influence by real life mobsters due to its rather realistic portrayal of gangster life and Cosa Nostra.

THE GODFATHER, made in 1974, details the Corleone crime family in Manhattan during the mid 1930s. The Don, Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, leads his organization against a relentless narcotics push by a rival family, the Sollozzos. Vito Caleone does not want anything to do with drugs because he believes they will be the downfall of the Mafia. The story, covering a ten year time period, offers a rich tapestry of Mafia life from the inside, drawing the audience into witnessing the transfer of power within a close-knit family

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

photography of The Godfather as an entire film is very planned and used specifically to

Mario Puzo’s "The Godfather" was the first and most influential gangster movie that paved the way for gangster movies of the future. The movie was directed by Frances Ford Copolla, who made many different ingenious ways to portray this gangster classic. The movie was a very subversive movie, and one of the first of all time.The Godfather has a many different uses of light settings through the whole movie, in which the movie can be interpreted on.

Michael Corleone, the youngest son of Vito Corleone, initially doesn’t want to have anything to do with his family. He is apparently a law-abiding citizen and is evidently a war veteran. He seems to be a good-natured and tries to avoid identifying with Corleone activites, yet is fiercely loyal to his family, especially to his father. He is called by his peers as a civilian and refuses to acknowledge him as a criminal. Wnating to live an ordinary life was his choice, until an incident where he botched an assassination attempt on their patriarch; Vito Corleone, led to Michael trying to return the favor to Sollozo and McClusckey. This will eventually lead him entangled with the family affairs. With the family trying to prevent a war between other families, Michael starts to become more and more involved. His vengeful nature, coupled with his ruthless intellect earned the respect of his followers. He ordered the hit

According to Thomas Schatz, in most gangster films, the genre dictates that the gangster always gets killed or goes to jail. There is nothing different that will, or should happen, and Scarface closely follows Schatz’s model of Hollywood’s genres. Schatz’s model is concerned with the movie’s alignment with classical Hollywood setting and narrative.