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By Ishan Mehra
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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).
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
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
WORK CITED :
(1993)