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The Godfather

By Ishan Mehra

Prof: Erin Hill , Cinema Studies

Introduction

I am going to use the formalist theory method to tell analyse the movie .This will help in

removing the clutter and stage the article into based parts. The formalist theory is one of the

styles that an avid viewer can use to analyse, interpret, and understand a film. The theory

looks at the structure and form of the movie to deduce meaning. It uses internal evidence and

focuses on their style and design. An ordinary viewer can get the message put across by a

film by looking at the moral of the story that might be obvious for everyone to see. However,

formalist theory tries to unearth the implicit content that is not apparent to an ordinary viewer.

The theory evokes emotions by using various system designs such as lighting, sound, and

costume to pass a message. We are going to employ this method to analyse the film, The

Godfather.

Stage One: Analysis

Contextual Information

The title of the movie is The Godfather. It was released on March 24th, 1974. The cast of

the film include: Don Vito Corleone (Marion Brando) who is the patriarch of the mafia

family, Michael (Al Pacino) who is the youngest son of Vito and a decorated U.S. Marine

who became The Godfather at the end, Sonny (James Caan) who is the eldest son of Vito and

in line to succeed him, Fredo (John Cazale) who is Michaels elder brother, Tom(Robert

Hagen) who is the family lawyer of the Corleones, Kay (Diana Keaton) who is the girlfriend
of Michael, Sollozo (Al Latieri) who is a rival mafia boss, and McCluskey (Sterling Hayden)

a corrupt law enforcer (Puzo, 2009). The Director of the movie is Francis Ford Coppola, the

Executive Director is Robert Evans, The Cinematographer is Gordon Willis, and The

Distribution & Production Company is Paramount Pictures. The Godfather is a crime thriller,

where there is a lot of anticipation, suspense, and violence involved. It is a gangster genre

film, where the theme revolves around the gangster underworld (Dika, 2000).

Story/Plot

In the summer of 1945, guests are gathered for the wedding of Vitos daughter Connie and

Carlo (Coppolla, 1972). Vito and Tom are hearing requests for favors. According to Sicilian

traditions, one should not refuse requests on his daughters wedding day. Famous singer

Fontane petitions Vito to help him land a movie role in Hollywood to catapult his career, after

Jack Woltz the head of the studio turned him down. Michael, who is a marine returning from

World War Two, arrives at the wedding and introduces his girlfriend Kay to his family and

tells her about their life but promises not to engage in it. Afterward, Woltz refuses to grant

Fontane a casting role. The next morning he wakes up next to a severed head of his favorite

horse (Coppolla, 1972). Sollozzo, who is backed by the rival mafia families, asks Vito for

funds as well as political and legal protection for the heroin trade in New York. Vito refuses.

In retaliation, he is gunned down in an attempt on his life. However, he survives. Sollozo

abducts Tom, and blackmails him to offer the previous deal rejected by Vito to Sonny, who is

now in charge, but he also refuses. Michael visits his father in the hospital and finds him

unguarded. He rebuffs Sollozzos men who had come to kill Vito. Later, McCluskey breaks

Michaels jaw when the latter tells him that he is corrupt and works for Sollozzo. Michael

arranges a meeting with both Sollozzo and McCluskey where he kills both of them, which

forces him to be sent into hiding in Sicily. When Sonny learns that Carlo mistreats Connie, he
beats him up. Carlo connives with the rival mafias to have Sonny killed. Sonny is later shot

dead. Rather than revenge, Vito meets with the Five Families and agrees to sponsor them in

the heroin trade. After the death of her lover in Sicily, Michael returns from exile and re-

unites with Kay. At this moment, Vito is semi-retired. Michael takes over as the head and

promises his fiance that he will make the business legitimate. Afterward, Vito tells Michael

that a close associate will be used to lure him to a meeting where he will be killed. Vito dies

in the family garden while playing with his grandson. At the burial, Tessio proposes for a

meeting with the rivals which identifies him outright as the traitor. Michael arranges a series

of murders where all the heads of the Five Families are killed. Tessio and Carlo are also

killed. The film ends with Michaels close associate Clamenza, kissing Michaels hand and

calling him Don Corleone (Coppolla, 1972).

There is two narrative structure of a movie; continuous action and parallel action. Continuous

action is where the story unfolds chronologically from the start to the end while the parallel

action is where the story cuts back and forth between scenes. The Godfather mostly employs

continuous action (Puzo, 2009). From the beginning at Connies wedding to the final scene

where Connie is called Don Corleone, the scenes are related and arranged chronologically.

Examples include the transfer of power from Vito to Michael, and Michael growing from

being the youngest son who was upright to being a Godfather. All the above examples show

growth that develops linearly. Michael grows from being timid to someone ferocious; there is

the moral downfall of Michael, and Vito changes from being a powerful Godfather to a

playful grandfather. There are a few instances that parallel structure has been used. As Vito,

Sonny, and Tom discuss business with Sollozzo, there are flashes of scenes of a meeting

being arranged. Also, there is the mafia war following Sollozzos murder. There are flashes of

gangsters going about their daily lives as well as newspaper headlines on the aftermath of the

violent mafia war (Dika, 2000).


The story of this movie revolves around the moral downfall of Michael as he replaces his

father as the head of the family business (Puzo, 2009). On the other hand the plot of the film

takes us through the moment Michael returns from the war as a hero, the mafia wars which

forces him to commit murders and escape to Sicily, returning and becoming more brutal than

his father, the death of his father because of heart attack, and Michael becoming the

Godfather. In short, the story gives us the overall view of the film while the plot connects the

events that arrive at the overall view.

Aesthetic Choices

Mise en scene refers to those elements put in before filming starts to enhance the presentation

or achieve a particular objective. They include lighting, sound, costumes, and props. All these

were incorporated in The Godfather. Light is used where it is used to illuminate Vitos face

making the eyes darkened (Coppolla, 1972). It creates a unique image of him thus illustrating

his personality and profession. Prop is used where the gun is planted in the restaurant, and

Michael uses it to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey. The gun signifies Michaels new life.

Costumes are used where the mafias wear black suits with black ties, and driving expensive

black cars which are a classical mob character. Also, Michael progresses from wearing the

military uniform to expensive suits to match his profession. Sound used in this movie is

nostalgic and with a lot of sadness to match the theme (Coppolla, 1972). Another aesthetic

choice is editing that includes cuts and transitions and camera shots. In this movie, there is

parallel editing where multiple events occur concurrently. Michael attends the baptism of his

godson while his hit men execute the Five Dons of New York. There is the varying of camera

shots. In the church, it is conveyed through long shots, close-ups, and tracking shots that are

paralleled by the preparation for the murders. There was the close-up of the baby being

cuddled by the mother at the church (Puzo, 2009). Another aesthetic choice is the use of
technology. It is widely touted that The Godfather revolutionized the cinematography world.

It introduced a phenomenon called shooting darker, which was novel at that time. At that

time, movies were shot in areas that were quite lit, but shooting more unlit is where shots are

taken in quite dark places. Unlike this era of digital cameras, during that period it required a

lot of expertise to shoot in the dark. It led to situations where a darker version of movies

could be produced in the theater.

Social/Personal Impact

Since the invention or inception of motion pictures in 1927, films have had a social, political,

and cultural impact on society. The Godfather has had its repercussions too; it changed

Hollywood. Italians were now fully recognized as people and part of America, and not

stereotypes (Dika, 2000). It was an Italian movie made by Italians, unlike the previous ones

that had been directed by non-Italians. Also, the movie Italianized American culture where

those who had watched the film memorized famous pick up lines like I am going to make

you an offer you cant refuse. In the 80s it was not uncommon to find people quoting

different lines of the movie. Moreover, the movie made the Italians of that time to have a

sense of belonging because the movie depicted their lifestyle, which the rest of America had

to understand (Dika, 2000). At that time, there were a lot of stereotypes that Italians were

violent people, but the film made people understand that the so-called violent people were

compassionate people ready to defend their families at whatever cost. On top of that, the film

set precedence, and set a standard or threshold for subsequent gangster-genre movies. It can

then be said that it revolutionized Hollywood. Also, the film portrays the struggle of every

American to achieve the American dream. Any American viewer can identify with it,

especially the struggles their parents or grandparents underwent to fit into the American

dream. The film also introduced us to the Italian way of life that had been stereotyped for a
very long time (Puzo, 2009). The eating of Italian pasta at the wedding, their family life

where men run the business exclusively and women are homemakers, the violence

stereotyped to Italian Americans, the Catholic church associated with them, and strong family

ties where they stay in close knit set ups. It made the rest of America embrace them. The film

was inspired by the mob wars that were persistent in New York at that time, and their

mysterious nature since no one knew how it was organized. The film was based on several

underworld mafias that existed in New York. Don Vito had the same personality with mafia

bosses of the time who were engaged in rivalry wars and the illicit drug trade (Dika, 2000).

Stage Two: Reflection

Movie analysis equips one with valuable knowledge and technique of interpreting movies and

other literal works. It enables me to determine how the film uses the various cinematic

features and their designed system. In The Godfather, the cinematographer using darkened

scenes to put across the theme of the movie, and also the faces of the cast, were shaded to

match with their personality (Coppolla, 1972). Also, movie analysis enables one to come up

with objective criticism. Criticism in this context means dissecting and understanding a film,

and appreciating it. One can come up with real criticism through deep reflective thought and

conducting research on the subject matter. Moreover, it enables one to look at a movie as part

of a broader context of a society. It can be achieved by looking at the theme, culture, place,

and time it was made. The Godfather was made at a time when there were a lot of stereotypic

views against the Italians (Dika, 2000). The movie served to demystify that notion and enable

the rest of America to understand and embrace them. Movie analysis gives one the ability to

understand various theories and apply these ideas to film. It can be said then that film

analysis is the practical aspect of applying those principles learned.


Movie analysis has imparted me with some valuable knowledge, and from now on film

watching will never be the same again. With the various film theories in mind, movie

watching will be from a critical perspective, and understanding the plot and hidden meaning

in the film. A good example is a formalist theory where interpretation is achieved by looking

at the style and design used like lighting and sound, or the auteur theory that looks at the film

directors life and previous work. The course has enabled me to learn that each and every film

normally has reasons behind their production. They are made out of societal experiences. The

Godfather was made so that the rest of America could understand the Italian Americans

(Puzo, 2009). Lastly the course has given me skills in movie analysis and criticism. I can now

watch a film from different dimensions; deciphering the explicit meaning of the plot and the

implicit meaning which the director wanted to put across, and this will go a long way in

helping me in my filming career. Analysis can be achieved by applying the various theories

like formalist theory that enable one to interpret and understand a film, and come up with an

objective criticism of the sam

WORK CITED :

The Godfather by Mario Puzo (1969)


The Godfather Papers & Other Confessions by Puzo (1972)
The Godfather Movie (1974)
The Godfather Movies: A Pictorial History by Gardner & Gardner

(1993)

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