the Godfather: a powerful film

The Godfather is a classic, but I only ever watched the beginning (mainly the wedding scene) before tonight. I was impressed by the depth of the characters in the Corleone family and the contrasts made between devotion to family and commitment to following through on business. The Corleone family is headed by Vito Corleone, the godfather, who controls their affairs and their involvement in the mob. The contrast between Vito’s love for his family and the ease with which he commits violence against others (essentially, someone else’s family) is striking. When Vito makes someone an offer they can’t refuse, it means “either his brains or his signature will be on that contract.” This business functions as a means of providing for his family and loved ones, or protecting them. When Vito refuses an offer from a man called Sollozzo, the Corleone family becomes involved in a complicated, and seemingly endless, string of attacks and meetings and murders.
Vito’s youngest son is initially the most innocent of the Corleone sons; He loves his family but wants nothing to do with the family business: “That’s my family, not me.” However, when he finds himself in a position where he is obligated to step up and protect his father, Michael begins a transition of becoming numb to the pain he causes others and increasingly more devoted to the “business.” He reaches a point when he contradicts his previous rejection of the family business, by explaining that his father “is like any powerful man who is responsible for others.” Everything becomes business for Michael, but in the Corleone family business is nearly synonymous with family. Those in the business are part of the family, and anyone who denies their family will lose this protection. The contrast of Michael at the beginning and Michael at the end produces a sobering effect, because after witnessing the succession of deaths and understanding how personal it became, I could understand why he changed. When Michael killed two men, I shared a sense of satisfaction, and when a Corleone was killed, I felt upset and defensive. The Corleone’s drew me in and I sided with them (although not necessarily agreeing with them) because I felt like I knew them.