The Godfather

The Godfather

Released in 1972

Writer: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola

Director: Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Gallo

Major Actors:

Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone
Al Pacino as Micheal Corleone
James Caan as Sonny Corleone
Richard Castellano as Clemenza
Robert Duval as Tom Hagen

http://www.thegodfather.com/index.html?view=video/undefinedStory:

The story of this film is focused mainly about the life of Michael Corleone and the crime ring that revolves around his italian family. It shows how Michael stays away from his family business but soon comes around to becoming the person his father wished he would never become. Michael is known to be a well educated veteran who will have a much more lavish lifestyle but it changes throughout the movie. He goes to become just like his father as “the godfather” for the Italian-American community and the head of a large New York crime family.

Plot:
The plot begins as the Corleone family is arranging for favors on a wedding day as the godfather is known to never turn down any request on the wedding day of his own daughter. The beginning of the plot is found as the Corleone family does not partake in the drug business, Johnny is denied a role, the horse head is found and Michael is away. The plot rises as Don Vito Corleone is assassinated in the streets while purchasing fruit and Michael returns upon hearing the news. This is the prime of the plot as Michael learns to kill his first two people in a business proposition after his father is hospitalized from the various gunshots. Michael and his success has his disappear for a year until his safety is no more after his own body guard fails to assassinate him by blowing up his car. Don Vito Corleone calls a meeting for a truce between all families as his son Sonny is assassinated and Michael quickly learns of his traitor after his father dies from a heart attack. Michael then has all his enemies assassinated as he is at the church baptizing his newborn son Michael.

My Personal View:
This film is chronologically directed as the story goes along in order from the beginning to the end. I believe this choice contributed to the audience as they had the opportunity to witness Michael go from a normal life person to the head of a crime family in New York. This also was a great choice as the audience knew the story beginning with his father, the death of his father and how he then replaced his father. Character development impacts the storytelling choice since the audience may grow to know who the character is or simply realize who the character is as the story goes on. I believe the audience would not have had the same mood as the one found in the end of the movie if they had known Michael was already the godfather and the story took you back constantly to show how he became that person.

References:
http://www.afi.com/10top10/moreDetail.aspx?id=54023&thumb=1

http://www.thegodfather.com