The Godfather is a story of the divide between business and
real life, dark and light, and high and low. Through out the great film, The
Godfather, Coppola does a brilliant job at revealing and defining this divide.
This divide is revealed mainly between Vito (dark) and Michael (light), but
there are also a couple minor characters that support this. Just as Coppola makes
known the divide, what is even more brilliant is how he shows the connection between
the two and how they can come together. There are two major scenes during the movie
that show this: the wedding scene, and the very last scene of the entire film.
These three critical scenes define the movie and show Coppola’s inventiveness
as they are not fully revealed, but are implied throughout the entire movie
using different characters and different viewpoints.
The opening wedding scene shows many examples of the
difference between real life and business. One example is the scene of the
Corleone family picture. The first time they try to take this photo it is
stopped because Michael is not present. This brief moment shows the divide and
difference between Michael and the rest of the family, mainly his father, Vito.
Michael even states how far he is from the rest of the family as he tells Kay
about how Vito helped Johnny Fontane’s career and then Kay keeps questioning
how. After Michael sees Kay’s reaction to the outcome of the story, he tells
her, “That’s my family, Kay. That’s not me.” Just as the scene is coming to a
close, the Corleone family gets together for a second try at the family picture
and this time Michael is in it and then drags Kay into the photo. This simple
scene is foreshadowing to the ending of the movie, as Michael closes the gap
between the family business and the outside world while dragging Kay into it.
The final scene of The Godfather defines the entire movie,
as Michael is standing in the office with a distance between Kay and him and
then the door closes to end the film. The shot that shows Michael standing in
the office at the end of the hall and the side close-up of Kay helps define how
Michael has gone from one end of the spectrum to the other. He once described
how he was not like his family and now he is the head of the family,
transgressing from light to dark. Another important action in the scene is the
door closing as Kay is staring into the office. This explains how closed out
Kay is from Michael’s business or the difference between light and dark. Since
Michael is now at the dark spectrum, Kay does not see or know what he does.
These two critical scenes define a major motif in the film.
Not only does this theme happen in these two scenes, but also through out the
majority of the film. Without these two prominent scenes that define this idea
of business and life or dark and light, the viewer would not clearly see this. Coppola
shows, mainly, through out the entire film with the, developing character,
Michael whose views drastically change during the course of the movie.
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ReplyDeleteThis motif of division is extremely insightful when evaluating The Godfather, and as it is prevalent throughout the film, there is always room for expansion and criticism. Primarily, I think it is helpful to redefine the dichotomy between “business and real life” to a separation between the Corleone business of violence and the Corleone family, because in the context of The Godfather, “real life” subsumes business. With this altered lens, the two critical scenes: the Corleone wedding and the final scene of The Godfather, not only work to support this idea that there is an attempt at a division, but also shows how the separation can be deconstructed, and that violence ultimately leads to violence.
ReplyDeleteThe opening wedding scene constructs a distinctive disconnect between Michael and his family that sets up the rest of the movie to tear down this division. Michael counts himself as a member of the Corleone family, but not as a member of the violence that the Sicilians often employ; when speaking of the violence, Michael said: “That’s my family, Kay. That’s not me”. There is hope that the Corleone violence will not bleed out to affect Michael and Kay, a hope that violence can be contained in a small circle in individuals, and not the rest of society.
This hope is decimated by the rest of the film, the dividing wall between the Corleone business and Michael demolished by the end of the movie as Michael ascends to become the new Godfather. It would seem that, while there was an attempt to maintain the separation between Michael and the family’s violent business, it can and was transcended. That is, the violence of the Corleone family (and the brutal acts against it) forced Michael to become a part of it. This transformation of Michael illuminates that, while we can try to turn the other cheek and stay out of violence, we ultimately cannot.
--Ryan Winstead
Group 9
In the post above it says that “The Godfather” is a movie about the “divide between business and real life.” I do not disagree with this statement however the movie is more than just the separation between business and real life. The movie is also about the importance of family and friends. From the opening scene in the movie it is clear how the Godfather views friends and family.
ReplyDeleteHe has old worldviews where if a friend does something for you then you will have to repay them. In the beginning, with Bonasera the Godfather goes on a speech about friendship and why he should help Bonasera because he has wanted nothing to do with the Godfather. He further tells Bonasers that if they had been friends all along people would be afraid to beat his daughter and this whole tragedy would have been avoided.
I do also see how the business part of the movie is considered to be dark and the family side is shown as light in the post above. This is due to that fact that whenever the family is together planning business there is only one light on in the room and the shades are drawn, as seen in the beginning of the movie. While talks of murder are being discussed just outside the door where there is plenty of light there is a wedding going on.
This just further proves that during the movie the business of the family trade is a dark one that shouldn’t be shared with the whole family and the less people know the better.
Eric Shacklette
The first point made in this blog ais very similar to the lecture in cass that was given, the obvious devide between the family business and the outside world, and who is on the outskirts and who is even welcome in the family. The high and low and light and dark topic was discussed in class and this was accomplished through the lighting techniques used by the director. The Don usually appears in more dark settings and Michael in the beginning, and everyone else seems to be more in the light. The business is the "darkside" of things, not alot of people know what goes on indside the office or on the other side of the doors they see. What I do find interesting is why the director chose this to be the dark side. The people who know the most about this world are usually shown more in dark settings which provides a little irony, in theory you would think it to be opposite. The light that the others are in I think has to do with thei innocence and the idea that they are still pure and everyone else is drowned in the darkness by the filth. The divide is there and the director does a great job in presenting it in this way.
ReplyDeleteKendrel Dickerson
-Group 3-