The Godfather. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Written by, Mario Puzo and _____ Ford Coppola. Perfs. Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and James _____Caan. Film. 1972
The Godfather is a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola that is based on a novel by Mario Puzo. The film tells the story of the Italian-American Corleone mafia family from 1945 to 1955. It begins when Don Vito Corleone is the head of the family and leads the business. His American born and raised son Michael is a war hero and has just come home from the Second World War. Michael is the beloved son of Don Corleone, even though Michael denounces he will ever take part in the family business. Don Vito Corleone has old world values, strong Italian roots, and wishes to live his life in the way that cares for the safety of the community and most of all the safety of the family. Don is morally against the use of drugs, and there is an attempt on his life after he turns down an offer to protect drug dealer Sollozzo in exchange for profit. A climax in the film occurs when Michael visits his father at the hospital and does not find his body guards protecting him. He protects his father by mimicking a mafia bodyguard with the help of a visitor. After this incidence he finds himself volunteering to murder the people who wish to kill his father.
Trough the character of Michael Corleone, Coppola explores the mean by which we come to define who we are. At the beginning of the movie Michael takes his American girlfriend (which he introduces as friend) to the wedding of his sister Connie Corleone to Carlo Rizzi. At this time Michael did not want to be part of the family business. He flees to Italy and marries an Italian raised girl. He introduces himself to her father as an American, but he converges to the expectations and traditions of courting an Italian girl. He learns to embrace his Italian roots and after the death of his father Michael begins a violent mob war against the other five mafia families and all others who scheme against the family, which includes Carlo Rizzi. The killing of his brother in law tears his sister and the Corleone family apart. After the injury of his father Michael begins to make peace with his Italian roots and with the family business. This is similar to Gogol in The Namesake, who begins to make peace with his Bengali roots after the death of his father.
