You're going to give this an A, because, “I’m going to make you and offer you can’t refuse.” and if you refuse it, you don’t want to know what happens next. Afraid? Concerned? Such is the madness of Francis Ford Coppola’s film, The Godfather. The tragic tale of the Carleone family as they deal with the wonderful world of organized crime. Being a good movie on premise alone, this film is worth every cent of appreciation and has earned its high acclaim ten fold. With one of the most well developed characters, the sense of realism, and the riveting way emotional material is handled, Francis Ford Coppola’s, The Godfather is worth every bit of the acclaim it has earned.
What sets The Godfather apart from other gangster films is the way that the protagonist, Michael Corleone, is developed through appearance, dialogue and through his actions. When we first meet Michael at the wedding, he is dressed in his Marine uniform and is talking with his girlfriend Kay. As they are talking, Michael, to show Kay that he is different than his family of crime. “That’s my family, that’s not me.” Meaning, the way his family operates through extortion and criminal activity, is not the way he lives his life. Throughout the film, Tom Hagen and Sonny are reluctant to involve Michael in the families dealings. However, once Vito is shot, that all changes. Michael wants to kill Sollazzo and the Chief of Police Captain McCluskey for working for another family and wanting to kill his father. So without hesitation, he volunteers to kill them at a meeting, even though he will have to leave the country. His actions begin to show this embracing of the family business and a change in Michael towards this person that he didn't want to be. The characterization of Michael Corleone is completed at the end of the film in the closing scene. After the murder of his brother Sonny and his return to America, Michael takes over as the head of the family. However, his completion as the new head of the crime family becomes full when he is seen as the film comes to a close shaking mens hands as they call him Don Corleone, the title his father held before him. Michael’s characterization is one that ensnares the viewer in its simple complexity, from Marine to crime lord. The masterful creation of his personality and motives by Coppola are part of what makes the film so praise worthy. but what makes The Godfather even more praise worthy is the scary reality that this could happen.
Although The Godfather is set in the world of organized crime, there is still a sense of credibility which is provided by the characters, but also the external and internal conflicts which they experience. Coppola gives a dramatized account of the human condition. When we first meet Michael at the wedding, he tells Kay, “That’s my family, that’s not me.” It is common place for one to want to step out of the shadow of ones family or parents, however, as is often the case, they fail to break out. This is seen in the realm of sports whenever a legend has a son/daughter. The offspring are expected to become their own person, but in the end, end up as part of the “family”. This can be seen with Michael as he wants so desperately to not be involved with the family business, but ultimately ends up leading the business and becoming just another part of the family. This falling into what one tried to avoid relates to the mass majority of viewers who had goals that ultimately the opposite result occurred. Credibility to the actions of members of the different crime families can be found in the newspapers and different articles. The internet is filled with reports of how gangs, mafias, cults and others like them found their vengeance and got their way with others. This sense of knowing things like the shootings or blackmail occur, allowed the viewer to stay immersed in the film and not left wondering, “Is this even real?” The realness factor, is one of a few things that make The Godfather worth ones appreciation, but perhaps what goes the most under the radar in the acclaim of the film the the restraint in emotional subjects.
Mob and gang movies are well credited with intense overdramatic, excessive scenes of violence. What sets The Godfather apart from those is how Director Coppola dealt with such violence in a manner that remains so unique to the genre, an almost relaxing manner. After Sonny had threatened to kill Carlo for beating Connie, Connie calls the house saying that he had beaten her again. After storming off and driving off to go confront Carlo, Sonny is stopped at a tole booth and shot to death by several men. Having had over one hundred rounds out through him, he is then shot by another spray of bullets by one of the shooters. This act of violence, however, although out of context is seen as excessive, in context doesn't appear to be over the top. This occurs again when the camera cuts from the Baptism of Michael’s godson to the killing of the Corleone family’s enemies. On both occasions, there is aggressive use of violence, however, the way the violence is handled, it is almost a relief. In respects to Sonny’s murder, his death was ironic considering he had a similar thing in store for Carlo, but with his fists. This twist and relaxation of the tension associated with domestic violence seemed to alleviate tension and create sorrow instead of an uncomfortable feeling that one would get if they watched a brutal gunning down of a person on screen. For the murders during the Baptism, a sense of closure was the predominating feeling, not horror at what had just been done, but closure to the fact that the Corleone’s no longer had enemies to stop them. The alleviating, almost humorous, ironic approach to the film will largely go unnoticed or passed over. Yet this effect took the film from a traditional gang movie to the top of the charts.
The Godfather will not be known as the fan favorite, but it will be known as a praise worthy film, a revered film, one that was well deserving of the acclaim it received. Through the development of Michael Corleone that ensnared the viewer in his mind, to the tension relieving violence, and the story that could almost be on ABC News, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is arguably on the Mt. Rushmore of great films. Next time you're watching a movie, ask yourself, “Self? Is this movie worth my appreciation?” You may find a new favorite, or even the next great Blockbuster before it happens.
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