Review of The Godfather (1972) by Don H — 28 Jul 2018

"The Godfather.".

From the Urban Dictionary:

Usually used to refer to the head of an Sicilian crime family/organization (Mafia). Being someone's Godfather was a great honor in Sicilian culture, and he was expected to help in the upbringing of the baptized child, almost like a third parent.

The head of a criminal organization would look over all it's members in the same way, while he might not be related to any of them.

The term Godfather didn't really catch on until the movie(s) were released.

The Godfather settled all disputes within the family.

Francis Ford Coppola's ''"The Godfather" is told entirely within a closed world. That's why we sympathize with characters who are essentially evil" wrote Roger Ebert.

The film certainly devotes much of its time attempting to gain our sympathy for its corrupt characters, and for most the part succeeds in doing so.

It opens with the head of the Corleone Family Mafia Don Vito (Marlon Brando) taking a request from a man who wants The Godfather's help in avenging the brutal attack on his daughter. Brando gently pets and plays with a cat as he listens to the request.

But he is no saint. As explained by Michael (Al Pacino) in an early scene with his girlfriend Kay (Diane Keaton).

One reason we sympathize with them so much is the fact that as a family, they look after one another (At least in the first film). And they will each stop at nothing to take out acts of revenge against those that do wrong by them or any of their loved ones.

For instance: Look at the scene where Sonny (James Caan) discovers that his sister Connie (Talia Shire) has been abused by her husband.

I think scenes such as these as well the scene showing the urgency of the family members to protect their father when his life is at stake. These scenes play with our emotions.

They make us relate to people whom we really don't want to relate to. It shows us how nuanced the discussion of who classifies as evil and who does not truly is.

Michael Corleone is the key character of all three films. We first see him in uniform, at his sister's wedding. Then as events play out, such as the attempted murder of his father, and a possible mob-war, Michael's instinct to help his family kicks in and out weighs his morals. We begin to see him morph from a decent man to a corrupt one who ends up being worse than his father.

Pacino's gives a flawless performance as Michael. Notice the look in his eyes during the most important moment of his transformation when he kills for the first time.

All the men in the "Godfather" have an unconditional love and sense of loyalty to their family. Which sounds nice, but can lead to misery if you have the wrong family.