Violence

In that last few scenes that I watched, there were a lot of violence.  The motif of violence is easily found in the film The Godfather.  There are many different motifs on the film as well as many different literary features.  The motif of violence acts through many literary features, such as suspense and irony.  Suspense is the idea of building up tension until a big scene.  Irony is when we the viewers of the film know something that the characters in the movie do not know.  By using these two literary features, Francis Ford Coppola can highlight the violence within the film.

An example of irony in the film The Godfather is when Michael is having dinner with Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey.  This is because the viewers know that Michael is going to kill Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey but they do not expect anything themselves.  Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey just think that this is a regular meeting with Michael but they are in for a surprise.  An example of suspense in the film is when Tom Hagen meets with Jack Woltz.  When Jack Woltz turns down Tom Hagen’s request, the viewers know that there will be consequences.  When the sun rises and the camera is panning all over Jack Woltz’s house and at his bed, the viewers think that he is dead.  This is not the case.  Instead of finding Jack Woltz dead, we find his prize horse’s head in his bed.  This is a good example of suspense because it has a relatively long build up.  For me, this part of the movie kept me on the edge of my seat.  Overall, Francis Ford Coppola uses suspense and irony to convey violence in the film The Godfather.

Character Foils

In Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Godfather, the use of character foils are best seen through Michael Corleone and Santino (Sonny) Corleone.   A foil is a character that contrasts with the main character to highlight the different qualities of the other character.  This is saying that even though Michael Corleone and Sonny are destine to live the same life, it does not mean that they have o make the same decisions.  Francis Ford Coppola uses character foils the contrast the different decisions and the different consequences that come with them.  Sonny and Michael are both the children of the Godfather, they are going to fill their father’s shoes when they grow older, and they both do not really have a choice but to follow the mafia way of life.

An example of this is the way that Sonny and Michael act.  By looking at Michael and Sonny’s character, we can tell that Michael will always think about his next decision and Sonny will always act using rash and violent decisions.  A good example of this is when Vito Corleone gets shot and goes to the hospital.  Once Sonny finds out that his father has been shot, he immediately sends his men to find his shooters.  Michael on the other hand thinks through the situation and creates a good plan to avenge their father.  In this case, we have the two brothers in the same situation but come up with very different solutions.  By doing this, Francis Ford Coppola highlights both their faults and the successes.  Another example is when Sonny’s sister is being beaten to death and when Michael’s Sicilian wife is murdered.  Michael takes it very calmly while Sonny takes it very seriously.  Sonny races to aid his sister and gets shot to death on the free way.  Michael decides not to run after Appolonia’s killer but returns home to New York.  This is another scene where character foils are used to highlight Sonny’s and Michael’s differences.

Going Through The Journey

In the section of the film The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola, the idea of Michael Corleone being the real hero really took off.  In the past scene, Michael Corleone had found out about his father’s shooting and is now preparing to murder Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey.  This part of the movie can be thought of the initiation or the ritual.  The initiation is when the adolescent comes into his maturity with new awareness and problems, and the ritual is when the actual ceremonies the initiate experiences that will mark his rite of passage into another state.  I think this because it seems like the family will accept Michael Corleone into the family again if he kills Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey.  It is like that Michael has to do this job to finally gain his family’s respect again.

In this stage of the Hero’s Journey, the hero usually has some sort of mentor.  Considering that the Godfather is in the hospital, which rules him out as a possibility.  I think that Michaels’s mentor is Clemenza.  It seems that throughout the film, he was always there are Michael in times of need.  Clemenza is a loyal member of the Corleone council and is also very devious.  He guides Michael through the murder and figures out a way for Michael to be untraced back to the murder.  In the Hero’s Journey, the mentor plays an important role in aiding the main character on his heroic quest.  He is the one that that main character goes to for advice, solutions, and answers.  In the film The Godfather, Clemenza seems like the character so far that does this for Michael Corleone.

                                                   

Class Discussion

During the past few classes, we have mainly been focusing on the different types of motifs that are present in the movie The Godfather and the literary features that they act through.  We talked about the Judeo-Christian motifs that keep showing up within the film.  A reference that we talked about in length is about how Vito Corleone survived the shooting.  According to the film, he was shot five times and survived.  Apparently, when Jesus was crucified, he had five wounds, one on his head, one on each arm, one at the ankles, and a fifth wound under his ribs.  The fifth wound came from a spear point that the people used to check if Jesus was dead or not.  I think that this concept is interesting because Francis Ford Coppola seems to be implicating Judeo-Christian references quite frequently throughout the film.  I am still considering the fact that all of the Judeo-Christian references could be just coincidences, but as more references start to show up, I am starting to believe that the references were done on purpose.

Another idea that the class discussed was the motif of fish.  You first see fish appear in the movie when Luca Brasi was walking in to meet the Tattaglia family.  The last time you see fish is when Clemenza brings in Luca Brasi’s bullet proof vest with a fish.  “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes”.  When you look back and think to when you say the fishes on the window, it is foreshadowing the fact that Luca Brasi is going to die.  This example is a perfect because there is a motif (fish) and literary features that act through it (foreshadowing).  The reason behind the phrase “sleeps with the fishes” is because in Sicilian tradition, when you want to hide a body, you weight their feet and throw them into the sea.  It signifies that they sleep at the bottom of the ocean with the fishes.

Class Discussion

What we discussed we as a class pertaining to the film The Godfather had was interesting.  We discussed the impact of religion, motifs, and fish on the overall film.  The first example of religion is in the first scene of the film.  The light from the window creates a halo around the Godfather symbolizing his importance or God like qualities.  Throughout the film, the class will constantly be looking for religious aspects that show up throughout the film.

Religion is one of the many motifs that we as a class have found.  We have also found the motif of light and dark, doors, and family influence.  The motif of light and dark is how the two contrast each other to convey a different message.  The motif of doors is self explanatory.  We brainstormed doors and came up with the idea of openings, entrances and exits, or a separation between the mafia and family life.   Throughout the scenes that we have watch so far, the role of family plays an important role.  The Godfather seems to care a lot about his family and seems to do anything for them.  The motif of fish is a rather undeveloped concept but is still a concept to keep in mind.  When Luca Brazi goes to visit the other family, parts of the scene is shot through a glass window that has pictures of fish on them.  It seems that Francis Ford Coppola wants to emphasize the idea of fish to the audience.  Throughout the next few classes, I personally will be looking for other traces of fish.

Throughout the class discussions, there are many undeveloped ideas that are being developed with the help of other classmates and the teachers.  It seems that my classmates are starting to create a good idea but does not have the examples to back it up.  We are working as a class to help these people and once those ideas are developed, only them will we have a better understanding of the film The Godfather.

Michael Corleone, The True Hero

Throughout any story or film, there is always a hero.  Although it might be hard to identify a hero but there is always one.  According to Joseph Campbell, there are many different types of heroes, “Hero as a warrior, hero as a lover, apocalyptic hero, a denied hero ...” (Joseph Campbell).  Even though there are many different types of heroes, they are not hard to identify.  For example Hercules was a warrior hero and Super man is a super heroic hero.  The tricky part is identifying who is the hero.  In the film The Godfather, I do not think that Vito Corleone is the hero because he does not follow the hero’s journey.  According to Joseph Campbell, there are five stages in the hero’s journey, the departure (the hero is called to adventure), initiation (the hero crosses a threshold), the road of trials (the hero endures tests), the innermost cave (the great trial or test), and the return and reintegration with society (hero returns home).  Vito Corleone does not follow these stages; however, Michael Corleone does.  I believe that Michael Corleone is the true hero of the file The Godfather.

From the parts of The Godfather that I have watched, Michael Corleone has already started his hero’s journey.  Michael Corleone’s departure or call to adventure is not show in the film but started when he was born.  Michael Corleone was born into a family that was the head of a mafia group.  At the moment that he was born, he was already destine to go on a dangerous journey because of his heritage.  Considering that we have only watched the beginning 30 – 45 minutes of the film, there are no other evidence of the hero’s journey; however, when Michael Corleone says “that’s my family Kay, not me” implies that he is reluctant to accept that fact that he is the true hero.  This is part of the first stage of the heroes journey, the hero is called to adventure but is reluctant to accept it.

Considering that next four steps of the hero’s journey, we can in a way predict what will happen in the next step of Michaels Corleone hero’s journey.  In the second step Michael Corleone could kill someone to let him cross a threshold into a new world.  The third step can consist of carrying out tasks given by the Godfather which acts as his dad but also as his guide or aid.  In step four, when the hero descends into the innermost cave, Michael Corleone could have to go somewhere foreign to kill someone of importance to finally gain his father’s approval, and the final step when the hero returns home can be when he finishes the task and is not thought of as part of the mafia life once again.

The Battle Between Light And Dark (best)

A motif that I noticed in The Godfather was the contrast between light and dark.  It seems that most of the mafia related work happens in dark settings and the normal family life happens in brighter settings.  This motif acts through the literary features setting and suspense.  Setting is where a scene in a movie or a book takes place.  Suspense is a state of uncertainty while waiting for a decision or action.  Both suspense and setting help convey the motif of the contrast between light and darkness throughout the film.

Setting is all about what other objects are in the scene that adds to the scene meaning.  An example of this is in the beginning of the film when Bonasera is in the Godfather’s dark office.  Francis Ford Coppola specifically situated the Godfather to be sitting by the window that contained most of the light present in the room.  This shows the contrast between light and dark, but also shows the contrast between the hopeful and the hopeless.  In the Godfather’s office, Francis Ford Coppola placed Bonasera placed Bonasera in the dark to show that he was hopeless and was in need of help.  On the other hand, the Godfather was placed in the light of the window to symbolise that he held the power and key to happiness.

Suspense is omnipresent in the film The Godfather.  The use of suspense throughout the film lets Francis Ford Coppola keep his audience on the edge of their seats until an epic scene.  An example of the use of suspense is when Jack Woltz finds his prize horse’s head in his bed.  The suspense starts to build up during dinner between Tom Hagen and Jack Woltz.  Tom Hagen and Jack Woltz are having a nice evening negotiating until Jack Woltz turns down Tom Hagen’s offer to let Jonny have the part in the movie.  Looking back on previous scenes, we can confirm that the Corleone’s will get what they want no matter what.  In the morning, Jack Woltz wakes up to a bloody bed.  He quickly checks if it is his blood but finds out that it was the blood of his prize racing horse.  This goes to show that most of the mafia business happens during the night time.  Tom Hagen did not retaliate what Jack Woltz refused his offer but waited until night time to make his statement.

Overall, the contrast between light and dark is a powerful symbol throughout the film The Godfather.  The contrast is seen through the setting and the suspense that Francis Ford Coppola implicates throughout the film.