Faye Gozon: The Godfather (1972)

Film Research

opening scene, overview of cars parked (shows how much of them are/how famous family is)

Vito talking to Johnny Fontane

overhead shot of wedding, bride and father of the bride dancing and the wedding guests

severed horse head on studio producer's bed

overhead shot of Vito Corleone getting shot on the street

close up of newspaper that Michael reads, finding out his father was shot

Sonny opens a package which is a fish inside Luca Brasi's vest, a sicilian message which means he is "sleeping with the fishes"

Clemenza asks Paulie to pull over in a secluded area

Clemenza presents to Michael the tape-wrapped gun that he will use to shoot Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey with

The aftermath of Michael killing Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey

The Corleone family have lunch

Michael hides in Sicily

Sonny is shot and killed at a toll booth

A zoom-in shot of Tom sitting in the don's office

Vito asks his friend Amerigo Bonasera to give Sonny a proper funeral

Apollonia's car gets blown up, killing her as well

The five families meet up to discuss the current issues concerning them

The Corleone sons and Vito in his office where he turns over his duties as Don to Michael

Vito's funeral

The church where Connie and Carl's baby is baptized

a shot of a dead Don Tattaglia in bed with a prostitute

a shot of a dead Don Cuneo in revolving doors

A zoom-out shot of Michael being revered as the Don of the Corleone family

Essay

The movie is set in the 40’s. The movie starts with a friend of Don Vito Corleone asking for a favour to kill someone in justice for his daughter. The discussion takes place in the Don’s office during his daughter’s wedding reception. Various other people visit the Don. Youngest son and WWII marine, Michael, arrives with his girlfriend, Kay Adams, who asks Michael various questions regarding his family. Family lawyer, consigliere, and adopted son, Tom Hagen goes to Jack Woltz, a studio head, to persuade him to give the Don’s nephew, Johnny Fontane a part of his movie. Woltz refuses and wakes up to his horse’s decapitated head in his bed.

Virgil Sollozzo, a man involved in drugs, asks Vito to partake in his business to which the Don declines. Sollozzo orders Hagen to be kidnapped and Vito to be gunned down. Michael and Kay sees the news of the shooting, Michael calls back home to hear that his father survived his injuries and is recovering in the hospital. Sollozzo pressures Hagen to tell oldest son, Sonny, to take his deal, and is released. Michael visits his father and dodges another attempt on his father’s life. He gets punched by NYPD captain McCluskey, who is also part of the drug business. The Corleones device up a plan for Michael to shoot both Sollozzo and McCluskey, which he does in an italian restaurant.

Michael hides away in Sicily and brother Fredo hides in Las Vegas. Sonny beats up brother -in-law, Carlo, after finding out from younger sister, Connie, that he physically abuses her. He is then killed in a shootout in a highway toll booth. During his stay in Italy, he meets and marries a woman named Apollonia. She is then killed in a car bomb.

Michael comes back from Italy and reunites with Kay and marries her. Vito recovers and withdraws as being the head of the family and appoints Michael as the new head. Michael makes his father his consigliere and asks Hagen to relocate in Las Vegas. Michael tries to buy out casino owner, Moe Greene, who becomes furious and rejects him. Fredo sides with Greene and Michael tells him to “never take sides with anyone against the family.”

Vito suffers a heart attack and dies. Connie’s child’s baptism takes place at the same time Michael’s orders of assassinations of the other dons of the other families, are carried out. Michael then kills Carlo, as justice for Sonny’s death. Connie runs to Michael and accusses him of killing off her husband. After she is escorted out, Kay asks Michael if it’s true to which Michael lies. Kay leaves the room, and a few men come in to talk to Michael. With a growing suspicion, the door is then closed on her.

The tone of the film is very serious and almost "film noir", contrasted by a lot of good events like the wedding and the baptism. Very suspenseful with action and a little romance. Location is in New York City but majority of the scenes are in secluded places like home, dark churches, alley ways, country sides, empty offices etc. Color palette used in the film are earth tones, using browns, creams, dark greens, black.

Words to Idea + Thesis Statement

5 words: Mob, Blood, Family, Italian, City

Set in the 1940s, The Corleone’s, an Italian-American family headed by Don Vito Corleone, are part of the crime families in New York that operate with guns, money, trust and betrayal. Youngest son, Michael Corleone, gets dragged into the family business.