Title – The Godfather
Released – Mar, 1972
Director – Francis Ford Coppola (Dir)
Fred Gallo
Writer – Mario Puzo (Scr)
Francis Ford Coppola (Scr)
Actors – Marlon Brando (Don Vito Corleone)
Al Pacino (Michael [Corleone])
James Caan ([Santino] Sonny [Corleone])
Richard Castellano (Clemenza)
Robert Duvall (Tom Hagen)
Godfather is a classic gangster movie that depicts the mafia of 1950’s. The story is based on facts about mobster families in America and their criminal activities. One particular mafia family is the focus of this story, the Corleone family. Its story is about power and revenge, which is shown through bloodshed. The main point of the movie is about Don Corleone not funding a gangster family, who are in narcotics. Due to his refusal he is shot dead in the street. Corleone’s sons take revenge on the mobster who has attempted to kill their family along with other mafia families supporting the narcotic mobster. Issues were handled by eliminating the antagonist, which were many, by killing them. The organized crime mobs were fighting among themselves, in order to be the top mafia family by eliminating the entire Corleone family. The Corleone family was like a good family but their actions made them bad. The film is presented chronologically. The first scene is a long shot with low-key lighting in an office with men dressed in black, where Don Corleone is holding a session to meet people who ask him for favors to solve their issues. The day is the day of Corleone’s daughter’s marriage and the scene is shot in natural light, an afternoon time. The lighting, the various camera shots, the clothing of the time the movie is depicting, along with background score, all give a feeling of how sad a gangster life is. The character development and foreshadowing of the movie makes a viewer engrossed in each scene that unfolds. The actions and reactions of the characters become predictable. Each character development is shown gradually. The viewer finds out about the characters by their actions. If this film was shot in another method, the effects of mobsters’ lives and their actions would not have any impact on the audience. For example if this film was presented as a documentary, the effect of being in a mobster’s life would not have been felt.
gazalachhapgar 