The Godfather

The Godfather,(1972) directed by Francis Ford Coppola, shows us an inside look into a New York Mafia family showing that even with its dark side family means everything to them but it’s sadly torn apart, through the pressures of being a in the Mafia, in a way that makes the viewer feel their Pain.

The movie starts out with a dark scene with low key lighting looking at the shadowy back of Don Vito Corleone(Marlon Brando) head as a man in the background begs for his help and protection. This dark and eerie sequence is interrupted by scenes of his daughters wedding. These scenes are a big contrast from the dark shot of the Godfather in that they are shot in high key bright lighting. This opening sequence sets the tone of the whole movie. There’s the dark business side of their life and then there’s the joys of family loyalty.

Don Vito Corleone is a man that lives like he is still in the old country. He has principles that he will never break. Family is everything to him. The people who he Godfathers he will help for the rest of their lives no matter what they need. This is shown in the line “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” which is said many times throughout the movie as he helps people get what they want through threatening their opposition in many clever ways that can’t be turned down.

But he also has principles when it comes to business. He is against Drugs and won’t offer his services to a man that needs his help to traffic drugs. This move ends up in his near death from their retaliation. Because of this his son Michael Corleone(Al Pacino) who doesn’t want to get involved with the family business ends up diving full force into the violence of the wars between mafia families and eventually taking control of his aging fathers business.

This Mafia family is portrayed completely from inside. There are no civilian casualties shown and everyone that they do kill has it coming to them which makes the viewer on their side hoping that everything works out for the best for the family.

When Michael takes over the family business he’s in a real struggle and the family starts to break down. Family members are fighting and betraying each other. A sequence where Michael is becoming the Godfather of his sister’s daughter strongly resembles the opening scenes. The should be joyful scenes of the ceremony are interrupted by many scenes of ruthless murders. The murder scenes are dull as many different people are shot dead in cold blood by Michaels doing. But in a contrast from the opening sequence the shots of Michael becoming this Childs Godfather are not bright and joyful. Instead these shots are in dark low key lighting much like the opening shot of the Godfather behind his desk. These dark scenes along with the intense music foreshadow a surprise ending in which we get to see what Michael truly values.