f reason was always a precursor of the civilized world, more than half the world’s stories would’ve never been scripted. Nor would they be immortalized through the art form Ingmar Bergmann so famously proclaimed as the one “that goes beyond the ordinary consciousness, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of our soul.” Reasoning is never the cause for any conflicts in the world; it is the lack of it that has triggered battles between men - civilized or otherwise - for centuries. But life would be cruel for an illiterate, self-esteemed simple laborer man of a murdered family, laced with a cataclysmic childhood & banished from his own unsophisticated land of savage history, if it expects him to reason rather than seek vengeance or redemption by any unfair means possible. And even though the unfair means are employed, vengeance is realized, the equanimity with which he reasons, remains quite unparalleled. Vito Corleone is deservedly The Godfather.
The character is a villain yet highly charming & fascinating, although by no means is the story the greatest in literature. The film version was made by the then relatively unfamiliar director, an erstwhile hit actor and a bunch of up-and-coming actors. Yet, it has topped or almost topped every film chart of great movies that is ever made. No account of film history is complete without it. No critic or enthusiast of films can claim to be one without watching it. Its influence on modern cinema is enigmatic. The film is an undisputed, timeless classic, just like its sequel.
The genre is crime-noir. It’s a reflection on gangster philosophy (deep yet immoral), only this time, from inside out. But not before we realize that the Don isn’t the main lead, it is his son Michael who’s reluctant to get along with his father’s business. (How did the Academy miss the strong character shift from Vito to Michael & the fact that the lead is Michael, is beyond my grasp.) The movie opens into the already established crime-organization of Don Corleone. The charismatic Brando portrays a wheezy-voiced Vito Corleone, a man extremely comfortable for his power, mainly because he is not bothered with the ethical repercussions of his deeds, partly because he knows he does not get carried away with it. One by one, masterful characters come before us, be it the frightening Luca Brasi, the dutiful consigliere, the short-tempered Sonny, the charming, composed Michael or the drunk & eccentric Fredo. And we quickly bond with these even through the wedding of Constanzia, arrival of Johny Fontane or the appeals of the mortician & the baker. All the strings are in Don’s hands, except Michael’s, whose distance bothers him constantly.
In the one wedding chapter of the film, Coppola takes us on a roller-coaster ride from the infidelity and recklessness of Sonny, aloofness of Michael, the reach of Don through the politician & judges’ letters and their discomfort of publicly bonding with Don to the arrogant tearing down of the photo film by the power-drunk Barzini. The details are attended with an amount of care that is not catered in today’s cinema. It firmly establishes Don Corleone as a man of honor, a family man but nevertheless, a crime syndicate. His control amplifies in the next chapter where the beheaded horse & dreadful bellowing of the Jack Woltz fades into his face. Nino Rota’s terrific, disturbingly haunting score creates a depth of the grave mind capable of committing coldblooded felony & also a halo of power around the Godfather.
The introduction of Turk brings the portent yet we do not see the further danger. The crisis of Corleone family & uncertainty surrounding it is thrilling, dramatic and yet very much realistic in its depiction. Anyone can relate to it and thus start sympathizing with the Don, while being perfectly aware of his criminal background. Coppola’s use of angles is intriguing, e.g. the bird’s eye shot of assassinating Godfather. The viewer feels the tension in Michael’s mind when he’s about to assassinate Sollozzo, featured by the contrast of his silence & the harsh train clamor. It is also made dramatic by slowly dolling in on his face. Coppola cuts short on McClusky’s background by casting Sterling Hayden whose iron-clad voice ensures a required sense of authority & he delivers a short-timed but brilliant crooked cop. Coppola doesn’t spend more time to intensify the brutality & assorts the life of the buttonmen on the mattresses with newspaper headlines of the gang war through a simple montage. The plot moves on with ease, conveying the violence through the montage and thus, while the three hour long movie doesn’t let the viewer settle down, it doesn’t hurry him either.
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| Francis Ford Coppola explaining a scene to Marlon Brando |
Puzo’s story is undemanding, in the sense that, the events arrive in a lucid flow but that doesn’t mean it’s obvious. It’s a plain story of mafia world with guns, violence & revenge. But there is something to it that made it an immense success. There is a hook that makes it special beyond common underworld stories.
The protagonist is the antagonist himself & in a very unconventional way. The Godfather isn’t just about Vito Corleone; it’s more about Michael Corleone. But most importantly it is about ‘Godfather’ which isn’t just one man. It’s a title, a crown of thorns to be worn by a man of strong mettle and supported by ‘family’ men who are loyal & gritty enough. When it becomes about Michael, it’s a story of a right man gone wrong, a good man become bad, maybe due to circumstances. No one (even Vito Corleone himself) expects his rise to the head of the family when he initially asserts himself, “That’s my family Kay, that’s not me.” But Michael doesn’t remain faithful to that assertion. He takes over the family business he utterly despised as a young man and reasons with equal composure as that of his father. We get a glimpse of it when Michael proposes extermination of McClusky & Sollozzo with a cold, fixed gaze. He eclipses his older brother Fredo in the transit, which delineates the theme for the sequel. And all the while, we empathize with the ‘Godfather’, the lead, a contemplating villain with substance. But the hook is not complete here, it is not whole just yet.
Michael’s exile in Sicily interspersed with the essential & parallel story of Sonny’s dealing with Carlo holds a grip on the viewer. The wedding with Apollonia makes Michael’s life easier during the exile & lightens up the plot but Constanzia’s troubles with Carlo never lets go of the anxiety. (Coppola later admitted that Connie’s violence scenes were introduced to make the film more ‘exciting’ to keep the studio happy.) In creating a fiercely violent killing of Sonny, Coppola creates fear under broad daylight. And the very next scene is the dark study room of Godfather. See the effect of immediate contrast. It creates that bleak mood. There’s is no loud mourning. No bold exhibition of the bereavement. Just a conversation of two men in a dark room & the grief of loss they’re suffering. The graveness of the calamity strikes when Godfather breaks down at the mortuary, “Look how they massacred my boy.” The next chapter intensifies the panic where car-blast-ploy to kill Michael takes Apollonia down. With Sonny murdered & Fredo in Vegas, we’re substantially ready to tackle the possibility of Michael returning back to action and this time, not just as a runaway assassinator.
Here comes a time leap which is unexpected. It’s almost a year after Michael returns from Sicily. The lead has been Michael, but the character shift from Vito to Michael has just begun. Coppola skips period of Michael’s entering the business. It is quite understood through his stepping up to kill Sollozzo & the death of Sonny. This year long leap is tad bit difficult to digest unless you’re aware of the difficulties (bringing Michael back to America, arranging someone to take Michael’s charge on his head etc.) mentioned in the novel. Then, the fedora hat comes on, his walk becomes a bit rigid and his expressions graver, with a fixed, cold stare which became a legend. It characterized Al Pacino’s Godfather. Next thing we know, he’s sitting in the Godfather’s chair, making big decisions about the Capo-regimes, Consigliere and moving the family business to Nevada.
His composedness stands out in the encounter with the head-strong Moe Greene. While firing his consigliere with “You’re out Tom”, he is curt, but not arrogant. He exhibits his soft side for Kay & their son. He’s receptive to his father’s advice on the probable traitor but he’s determined to wipe out his enemies based on his instincts & perception. Everything while keeping his head cool. And Al Pacino delivers all this in a short-spanned screen time after return of Michael from Sicily. He brings about a convincing heir to Vito Corleone after his death (Although Fredo’s absence at Godfather’s funeral doesn’t make sense). But even if Brando is off the screen, Pacino shoulders the lead role with great ease.
Brilliant screenplay from Coppola & Puzo throughout the entire film raises the bar for the climax & it doesn’t disappoint us at all. The pitiful end of Tessio & Tom Hagen’s image behind the window panes resonates revenge, preparing the viewer for its echo. Then, comes the dichotomy of baptism & assassinations of Barzini & others, that can undeniably be hailed as one of THE best in Film history. It gives a different dimension to the entire film. A calm & composed Michael at the baptism while being aware of the killings raises the cold-bloodedness of his methods by which he brings about the whole blood-smeared business. Each scene raises the tempo of the drama about to occur. This is editing at its best. When the exterminations end, Coppola takes us to the vital turn. The final conspirator, unnoticed, unthought-of.
If until now, we’ve been influenced by Godfather’s forbearance, then wait for his tactics. If we’ve been taken by his unperturbed poise, then wait for his wisdom & judgment. One of the masterful single shots in the history of cinema arrives here. Michael enters Carlo’s house and his face is half-lit from the window side & the other half is dark. This frame has become immortal. A perfect symbolic depiction of the hardhearted, astute, socially-honored conman.
Carlo’s betrayal surprises us and yet convinces soon. Keeping it behind the curtain is the pinnacle of Puzo’s story and Coppola’s direction. The hook completes here, in the battle of undying loyalties & dreadful treachery. In demanding a confession from Carlo, “Only don’t tell me you’re innocent, ‘cause it insults my intelligence; makes me very angry”, Michael establishes his intellectual & muscle supremacy over everything. And when Clemenza garrotes Carlo, his walk suggests that the vengeance is finally realized.
What could possibly be described as some of the best editing, casting, cinematography & direction in cinema, we see Coppola establishing a mood & period that not only suited
The Godfather, but it would’ve suited only
The Godfather. This is story-telling at its best. This is film-making at its best. Even if the viewer has not read the novel, it will not make much difference. And those who’ve read it, have their imagination in physical. Coppola & his cinematographer, Gordon Willis, have created some of the excellent frames in the history of cinema. When Kay Adams - dressed in bright crimson - comes to the mall, the grey tones of other men & the gloomy ambience, produces a contrast that is not only captivating but also symbolic of the soft subplot that eventually goes on to provide a vital perspective in the end. The set design of Corleone mall is outstanding, especially Don’s study room. Coppola’s creation of the post-war Sicily and the roughness of the place is excellent. In casting, a then-slumping Marlon Brando was a surprise choice as Vito Corleone. Even Al Pacino & James Caan were not well recognized. But all have delivered masterful performances. There are immensely impactful dialogues. “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.” Or “I made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders!” or “I believe in America.” From the brilliant editing to the superb art direction,
The Godfather was brilliance on the technical level too.
And yet The Godfather did not win a single technical Oscar.
But it did beat Cabaret (which had tied up with Godfather at 10 nominations) as the Best Picture. It did beat Cabaret as the Best Adapted Screenplay. The story of the youngest, unwilling son of a crime pyramid going to the top of the hierarchy is definitely intriguing but it’s the way it happens that is more gripping. Always willing to break free from the family business, Michael is the most liberal son of the family. He may despise his family’s methods but his love for his blood is still intact. Circumstances ask a lot of Michael and he doesn’t disappoint his family. In evolving through the perils, he’s aware where he’s going and all he’s left with is to reason with life. Understanding his father’s rationale of becoming who he was, he evolves into a considerate heir. And as he holds the strength for his family, the Corleone family prevails over its enemies. Michael Corleone deservedly inherits The Godfather.
A masterpiece, an all-time-best, The Godfather influences our
deepest concepts of conscience about crime. It expands our ideas of
circumstantial crime & cold-blooded conspiracy. It became an
exemplary role for real-life gangsters for a large time. And yet it
exhibited the diminishing attribute crime brings with it, the darkness
that constantly haunts it. When Michael finds that lie is the only way
to hold him & Kay together, he employs it. In the end, this soft
subplot of Kay offers us the most important perspective on Godfather,
the one where it is no longer inside out. When Clemenza kisses Michael’s
hand with respect and greets him, “Don Corleone”, Al Neri closes the
door on a concerned Kay who’s just struck with a bitter realization. The
door closes into darkness; depicting what is best described by
something Michael says to Vincent Corleone in the last installment of The Godfather trilogy - “It’s the price you pay for the life you choose.”
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| "Don Corleone!" |
