If you are ever able to watch The Godfather Saga, its a longer cut of the movie, and excellent.
Any Godfather fans here?
- Thread starter jrp316
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Great movies I don't think they'll be able top ever top them. Well besides the sopranos.
Never read the books, seen the movies numerous times. IMO best scene is when Michael blows away the police chief and Sollozzo. 2 was a better film, because of the back story but IMO to the original is still the original especially with the aforementioned scene and the love story with the gorgeous Italian girl. 3 was tolerable, not nearly as bad as is made out to be but still better then a lot of other films.
Still all three are worth seeing.
Still all three are worth seeing.
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- #24
The scene outside the hospital in part I is ne of my favorite scenes in the movie; I've described it below and offer my interpretation.
At the hospital, Michael has just finished moving his father to another room, instructed the nurse to keep a constant watch on him and not to leave his room (for her own safety as well as Vito's). Since all of Tessio's men and the police guards are mysteriously gone, he knows that it's only a matter of time before a hit squad comes.
Michael keeps a watch from the window when Enzo the baker turns up. (As a sidebar, Enzo had recently been granted a favor by Vito, allowing him to stay in the country and marry the head baker's daughter.) He had only come to visit with Vito, but Michael brought him outside to the entrance of the hospital to await the hit squad. Michael poses Enzo up like a gangster and together, they wait. A car pulls up full of gangsters, but they end up splitting after a few tense moments. The police show up shortly thereafter, and Michael covers Enzo's getaway by confronting the police directly.
My interpretation: Michael's instincts were correct when it came to the missing guards; for both Tessio's men to be gone without a trace as well as the police guards would've taken some high intervention, like that which only Sollozzo could've pulled off. Intervention to set the stage to finish off Vito once and for all. Michael did what he could to throw off the hit squad, but even that wouldn't have been enough. The squad simply would've torn the hospital apart looking for him and likely have killed or injured innocent hospital staff to get to him. As we see later with the corrupt police scene, no police help would've been coming for them.
Enzo's appearance on the scene was the best thing that could've happened for Michael in that situation. The hit squad would've known that Michael was not part of the family's muscle, but Enzo was an unknown. The fact that he stood side by side with Michael meant that Michael was not alone. If Michael had to stand outside the hospital alone, the hit squad would've taken him down and went in without hesitation, knowing that there would be no resistance. With Enzo standing there with him, the hit squad's situation changed; they came in thinking that they would have a clear path to Vito. As such, they were probably lightly armed and not prepared for a firefight. Get in, get out quietly.
If there were now two guards outside where there were none before, who else would be inside waiting for them? For all they knew, Enzo could've been the second coming of Luca Brasi, or Michael may have mustered a small army on his own that were just lying in wait inside. As such, they bugged out.
I believe it was this part where Michael realized that he was cut out for his father's line of work. Whereas Enzo was shaking like a leaf in fright after the hit squad left, Michael was rock steady. He knew then that he'd have to be the one to succeed his father as Don of the family.
Michael keeps a watch from the window when Enzo the baker turns up. (As a sidebar, Enzo had recently been granted a favor by Vito, allowing him to stay in the country and marry the head baker's daughter.) He had only come to visit with Vito, but Michael brought him outside to the entrance of the hospital to await the hit squad. Michael poses Enzo up like a gangster and together, they wait. A car pulls up full of gangsters, but they end up splitting after a few tense moments. The police show up shortly thereafter, and Michael covers Enzo's getaway by confronting the police directly.
My interpretation: Michael's instincts were correct when it came to the missing guards; for both Tessio's men to be gone without a trace as well as the police guards would've taken some high intervention, like that which only Sollozzo could've pulled off. Intervention to set the stage to finish off Vito once and for all. Michael did what he could to throw off the hit squad, but even that wouldn't have been enough. The squad simply would've torn the hospital apart looking for him and likely have killed or injured innocent hospital staff to get to him. As we see later with the corrupt police scene, no police help would've been coming for them.
Enzo's appearance on the scene was the best thing that could've happened for Michael in that situation. The hit squad would've known that Michael was not part of the family's muscle, but Enzo was an unknown. The fact that he stood side by side with Michael meant that Michael was not alone. If Michael had to stand outside the hospital alone, the hit squad would've taken him down and went in without hesitation, knowing that there would be no resistance. With Enzo standing there with him, the hit squad's situation changed; they came in thinking that they would have a clear path to Vito. As such, they were probably lightly armed and not prepared for a firefight. Get in, get out quietly.
If there were now two guards outside where there were none before, who else would be inside waiting for them? For all they knew, Enzo could've been the second coming of Luca Brasi, or Michael may have mustered a small army on his own that were just lying in wait inside. As such, they bugged out.
I believe it was this part where Michael realized that he was cut out for his father's line of work. Whereas Enzo was shaking like a leaf in fright after the hit squad left, Michael was rock steady. He knew then that he'd have to be the one to succeed his father as Don of the family.
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^Very nice analysis.
I also love the first two Godfather films, but I have always had a problem with something: Why was it imperative that Michael had to be the one to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey? The family knew where they were going to be, so why didn't Sonny just send some muscle in with guns blazing? It seemed very risky for Michael to do the hit himself.
I also love the first two Godfather films, but I have always had a problem with something: Why was it imperative that Michael had to be the one to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey? The family knew where they were going to be, so why didn't Sonny just send some muscle in with guns blazing? It seemed very risky for Michael to do the hit himself.
That's a great interpretation. And then you cut to the scene where Micheal comes up with the plan to off the corrupt cop and the guy who tried to off his dad (Sollozzo?). Micheal was born to be the Don. Clearly the smartest of the bunch.
We see violence on TV every night. But somehow the violence in the Godfather is much more authentic and in a way, much scarier. Was it Luca Brasi who was assasinated in the bar that night? That scene can still unhinge me...
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- #28
If you're talking of the scene at the bar with the knife through the hand, that was Luca Brasi's untimely end. A rather big mistake on Vito's part to send him there IMHO. The scene I described above would never have come to pass if Luca was still alive.
Yeah, that's the one. Nothing like getting your hand pinned to the bar and getting garrotted.
This is a great point. I think it was a symbolic rite of passage gesture on the behalf of Michael. That action would cement his 'point of no return' thusly alleviating his internal struggle.
Can you be a real man and not like the Godfather (first and second at least)?
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- #33
It was very risky for Michael, but he was the only one in the family who could do it without arousing suspicion of a trap before hand. Tom would've been the only other one who wouldn't have aroused suspicion, but the family couldn't have afforded to lose him in exile afterward, and he wasn't a man of violence anyway.
If it had been Sonny, Clemenza, Tessio or any of the button men that took the meet, Sollozzo likely would've brought along some of his men as a security detail, if he would even agree to meet with them at all. Sollozzo and McCluskey were very paranoid and careful men; they made all of the arrangements for the meet in secret, the location of which wasn't even known to the Corleones until the last minute. Clemenza had to scramble to get the gun planted for Michael. Their underestimation of Michael's capability was their undoing. It was that, along with the earlier event at the hospital, that helped to cement his status as a future Don.
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- #34
Indeed you can. Being a real man is a state of mind and following a strong moral compass. One need not be a 'made man' in order to do that.
I guess I can understand that having Michael do the job was the move least expected by their enemies, and it certainly did cement his role in the game. At least he could have eaten his meal first though. What a waste of perfectly good Italian food.
At least he could have eaten his meal first though. What a waste of perfectly good Italian food.
This I cannot explain nor forgive.
Just remember. It is an excellent work of fiction.
Cosa Nostra is a Hollywood and media myth.
Yeah, excuse me while I talk to that guy about dat dhing
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- #38
At least he could have eaten his meal first though. What a waste of perfectly good Italian food.
He failed to follow Clemenza's advice. He left the gun, but did not take the cannoli.
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- #39
Another in the "my take on" series: why did Michael question Carlo?
The penultimate event in the first movie is Michael 'cleaning house' with respect to those who were conspiring against his family, which he plans and executes to full effect. The last ones to go is Carlo, who we learn is responsible for Sonny's demise. Michael calls him to account for it, but why does he question him?
"Was it Barzini or Tattaglia that approached you?" This question from Michael plants a seed of doubt in Tom's mind. He wonders if Michael is yet the man his father was, since the question seems to imply that Michael doesn't know for sure that Carlo was the conspirator against Sonny. At this stage, the answer really doesn't matter since both men are dead. The killing of his sister's husband (and his nephew's father) wouldn't be something to take lightly, so did Michael want to be 100% sure? Did he want a confession from Carlo's own lips in front of witnesses before he signed the death warrant?
I believe that Michael's assuredness was displayed with the first statement he made to Carlo. "You have to answer for Santino, Carlo." It wasn't an accusation, nor was it a question...it was a statement of fact as far as Michael was concerned. He didn't say "do you know anything about what happened to Sonny?" or "You conspired against Sonny! Admit it!". He knew that Carlo was complicit in Sonny's killing. The trial was effectively over, the jury voted guilty. So why drag it out? At this point, it isn't business for Michael, it was personal. Michael was a shark in the water and was circling his prey; effectively playing with his food before he ate it.
I believe he wanted the confession just for the satisfaction of seeing Carlo squirm, to see him destroyed in the eyes of those he looked up to and aspired to be with before he was killed. He wanted his revenge to be complete, and he wanted everyone there to see and hear it.
"Was it Barzini or Tattaglia that approached you?" This question from Michael plants a seed of doubt in Tom's mind. He wonders if Michael is yet the man his father was, since the question seems to imply that Michael doesn't know for sure that Carlo was the conspirator against Sonny. At this stage, the answer really doesn't matter since both men are dead. The killing of his sister's husband (and his nephew's father) wouldn't be something to take lightly, so did Michael want to be 100% sure? Did he want a confession from Carlo's own lips in front of witnesses before he signed the death warrant?
I believe that Michael's assuredness was displayed with the first statement he made to Carlo. "You have to answer for Santino, Carlo." It wasn't an accusation, nor was it a question...it was a statement of fact as far as Michael was concerned. He didn't say "do you know anything about what happened to Sonny?" or "You conspired against Sonny! Admit it!". He knew that Carlo was complicit in Sonny's killing. The trial was effectively over, the jury voted guilty. So why drag it out? At this point, it isn't business for Michael, it was personal. Michael was a shark in the water and was circling his prey; effectively playing with his food before he ate it.
I believe he wanted the confession just for the satisfaction of seeing Carlo squirm, to see him destroyed in the eyes of those he looked up to and aspired to be with before he was killed. He wanted his revenge to be complete, and he wanted everyone there to see and hear it.
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