A few years ago, when I did film training in London, we had borrowed a prop gun that was in the top drawer of my desk. The guy we borrowed it from came to pick it up. He bought cannoli, which he put on my desk while checking the prop gun. As he was about to leave I realised I had a chance I would never have again in this life: "Take the gun, leave the cannoli" Whenever I have one of those 'should have said that' moments I always remember the one moment I got the chance and took it.
I saw this in March 1972, when it was already a national sensation. I was too young (14) to go by myself (R-rated), but I was a film fanatic even at that age, so my father agreed to go with me. He was as knocked out as much as I was. You picked up on so much: the constant subtext of family, the symbolic contrast of the dark rooms where the plans are made with the sunny gardens outside. You even noticed the Statue of Liberty in the distance when Paulie is killed. It will become a recurring motif (Remember the opening line of the movie is "I believe in America.") I never never tire of this movie. And I think Part 2 is even greater.
Al Pacino's role as Michael Corleone, has been picked apart and, studied by acting schools all over the world ever since this movie came out. Al Pacino's role what's the ultimate acting role of a lifetime
@@MoviesWithMiaI was 15 years old in 1972 when this film was released it was one of my dad's favorite movies!! Being from an Italian background and having some knowledge of the culture let me give you my opinion of why Michael chose the girl in Sicily!!! At the point that Michael went to Sicily to hide he knew that he was now in the family business whether he wanted to be or not!! His mindset was that of the heir to the throne who also needed to have male heirs himself!! The Sicilian wife is perfect because now he can have full-blooded Sicilian babies and he KNOWS a sicilian woman will NOT be curious about his business!! After all he grew up watching his mother and how she acted in Vito's world and in regards to Vito's business!!! So I believe marrying the Sicilian girl was Michael wanting to have a family, have children, and bring up the NEXT generation of Corleone's to continue the family business!! Of course that was destroyed by a bomb so when he came back to the States the ONLY woman he knew basically was Kaye! He still knows he NEEDS to have children to have male heirs to the throne so he goes for the only woman he's known and THAT'S why he marries Kay and has the family with her!!! By the time the trilogy is through you will see that that was a mistake by Michael.
@@MoviesWithMia She returns in the third "Godfather" movie as Michael's adult daughter. The character, Connie Corleone, is played by Talia Shire who is the sister of the director, Francis Ford Coppola.
Yes...YES! A reactor who has knowledge of history, and gives smart insight/analysis at correct moments of the movie being reviewed! Love you girl! Subscribed yes!
When Michael saw Apollonia he was hit by the "Colpo di fulmine" the Sicilian Thunderbolt. Love at first sight. "In Sicily, the women are more dangerous than shotguns" his bodyguard laughs. Michael was in Sicily for over 2 years. They were married for about a year. There was well over a year between her murder and him looking Kate up.
Little correction. Michael never looked up Kate, she actually tried to get information about him during the 3 years they were apart but never got an answer. Because of these she got to talk to Mrs. Corleone who took a liking to her. When Michael came back and after a long time Kate called to talk to Mrs. Corleone who told her Michael had been back for 6 months. In the movies the made Michael go after Kate dunno why, maybe it was easier to do it that way than to explain the attempts from Kate to reach out to him.
An important detail is that we see Michael's frightened face right before Apollonia dies, then the camera cuts away to the car as it explodes, then the scene fades to black. The next time we see Michael is when he is reunited with Kay and tells her he has been back in the US for a year. That means we skipped at least a year, maybe more. We didn't get to see Michael's reaction to her death, his face, his mourning, nothing. By the time we see him again he looks distant, cold, and robotic. Perhaps whatever was left of Michael died with Apollonia back in Italy. All that's left is the Godfather now, revenge, power, carnage
@@marvelsandals4228 If you're talking about movie wise then sure. If you wanna talk "lore" wise, and book wise.. this is not correct (entirely at least). Both Godfather and Sicilian explains one way or another how Michael gets to be "Godfather"/"Don" status.
Paulie was killed because he deliberately took the day off so the Godfather could be shot because the Tataglias paid him off, not because he made a mistake.
Yes, and in the book, the Corleones had contacts with the phone company who could trace calls for them. They discovered that Paulie was getting calls from someone from one of the other families, so they realized he was a traitor.
Good reaction as always, Mia. Btw, many people don't realize this, but one scene where we see Michael Corleone come to the realization of who he is and what he is capable of, was the night scene outside the hospital just before the cops arrived. In that scene of self-realization, Michael stands outside on the hospital steps with Enzo the baker, both of them pretending to have guns under their jackets as a car with rival hitmen slowly drives by. When the car drives by and goes away, Michael realizes that Enzo's hand is trembling with fear, while he (Michael) is cool, calm, and collected. He then takes Enzo's lighter from Enzo's trembling hand and calmly lights his cigarette for him. Michael felt no fear...he felt no panic at all. He felt nothing whatsoever while standing outside, unarmed, between fully armed killers and his hospitalized father. That was when Michael came to that self-realization of what he was capable of. Anyway, regarding your post-movie comments, just one correction --- the Hayes-Code era actually ended about many years prior to this movie back in 1966 (although officially replaced by the ratings system in 1968). However, Hollywood studios and filmmakers were ignoring the Hayes Code even in 1960. So, the "Cinematic barrier of what audiences could see in a film and do in a film" was already long overcome by the time The Godfather was released in 1972. In fact, if you think about it, The Godfather was actually pretty tame in 1972 with its language etc when compared to other movies before 1972...but that was a creative choice by the filmmakers.
Sacheen Littlefeather's claim of Native American ancestry has been disputed by her own family. Her sisters Rosalind Cruz and Trudi Orlandi say their family has no tribal ties. Some people call her a "Pretendian." The issue is discussed in the Wikipedia article on Ms. Littlefeather. John Cazale (Fredo) was in only five movies, and all of them were nominated for Oscars for best picture. In addition to The Godfather, they are: The Godfather Part 2 The Conversation Dog Day Afternoon The Deer Hunter The character of Johnny Fontaine was based on Frank Sinatra, who wanted the role in From Here to Eternity to revive his career. There were rumors that he used mob ties to help get the role. That was a real horse's head. They got it from a pet food factory. Sonny's bad temper and impetuous nature were what got the whole story going. He let Solozzo see how eager he was to get into the drug business. Solozzo took from this that he could make a deal with Sonny if Vito were out of the way. "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli." was unscripted. Richard Castellano came up with the line himself. Every scene where oranges appear is followed shortly by someone's death. I don't know whether this was deliberate on Coppola's part. Vito was telling the truth when he told Barzini that he wouldn't take revenge. He didn't do it. Michael did.
Vito was most certainly not telling the truth at the meeting. Then again, neither was anyone else. The whole idea that the sale of narcotics was going to be controlled was ludicrous from the get go. In any case, Vito and Michael started planning their revenge as soon as Michael came back.
@@tonybennett4159 Yes. The backers of The Deer Hunter wanted to dump Cazale from the film because he was dying of cancer. Streep threatened to quit if they did that.
The Italian wife subplot was another thing (after the killing of his father and the direct revenge he had to take) that hardened Michael. He was just hiding out in Sicily, but this solidified his "hardening" into the family business forever. After that, he's all business, and when he comes back to his old girlfriend it's not love anymore, it's a business-like desire to "settle this marriage thing". So, it's like he doesn't believe in love anymore, so he's just going back to the motions with his ex-girlfriend to become a family man ("normal" people then were expected to marry young and have kids young enough).
Michael's Italian wife, Appolonia, was a huge part of Michael's transformation. She was Italian, like Michael, she had an exotic name, she was with a big Italian family...by contrast Diane Keaton was a blond American, with a boring name like Kay (it's literally pronounced with one letter), dressed conservatively with a blond bob haircut and who's family you NEVER see or meet, ever...her purpose was to show how Michael was willing to establish a family with Kay despite her being a poor substitute for Appolonia, in order to fit in with the Italian family structure that he needed to have as Godfather. She was there to be as stark a contrast to Kay as possible, and show what Michael was willing to do in terms of his personal life in order to serve his father and eventually lead the Corleone family.
Michael is constantly dismissed because he's the youngest son, a studious college boy who wanted to stay out of the family business. No one realized how the war changed him. Michael was a Marine in the Pacific. He was awarded a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross. He became more merciless as events unfolded but he was already a killer when he came back. It's almost certain that Sollozo and he Mccluskey weren't the first men he'd killed.
I wouldn't say he was a killer after he came back from fighting in WorldvWar II. Having to fight-and kill-for your nation doesn't make you a killer even if you have killed (just as long as you didn't commit atrocities at least). While killing was indeed not strange to him, murder was. And while he did volunteer to kill McClusky and Sollozzo, he was still reluctant because it would be out and out murder, not killing to protect your comrades, yourself, or your nation (albeit it was ultimately to protect his father). That is why he asked for assurances from both of them that his father would be left alone and not just shooting them without further conversation as instructed. He was reluctant to kill even after volunteering to do so. If he got believable assurances that his father would be left alone I think Sollozzo and McClusky would have walked out alive. But if that happened Micheal probably would've caught hell from Sonny and the rest of them for sparing their lives, and probably would've have put in the "Fredo Zone" in terms of competence and naiveté.
@@curtismartin2866It is best to leave it to the imagination. He was just a marine in the pacific. Watch “The Pacific” to get a sense of that. Now the actor playing the police captain had been a marine officer in ww2, but that was different as he was OSS in the Mediterranean running disguised fishing boats assisting friendly guerrillas and other intel ops with/for Yugoslavia.
@@purpleslogA lot of famous actors were in the war. Christopher Lee was a commando, Michael Rennie was a bombing instructor, and, of course, Lee Marvin was at Iwo Jima.
In the book, when Sonny and Clemenza laugh at Michael's suggestion that he kill Solozzo and McCluskey, Michael says, "I killed a lot of Japs". I agree with your comment that he was not unfamiliar with killing.
In real life, the Johnny Fontaine (Sinatra) movie that he wanted was "From Here to Eternity"--which won Sinatra a Best Supporting Actor award and got him back on top.
There are so many small scenes and details that just make this film great. From Clemenza”s cooking lesson, the scene in the garden between Don Vito and his grandson etc. Not strictly necessary but add so much character detail and fit with the theme of the movie.
Happy to see younger generations finding this film . The Trilogy has its critcs but as far as acting and story go it is awesome . The story is actually a family story of Micheal amd what a man will do to protect his family . To see his arch and even with II and III to see his lifetime arch is amazing . Glad you got a chance to see why we are so passionate about it
I really enjoyed your film and historical background segment and reactions. Would you mind if I make a minor editing suggestion? Ask Zack if it would be possible to include a little bit more of the scene you're reacting to. Give us a moment to absorb the scene so we can relate to your comment. I understand the enormity of editing a reaction video like this. It's just a suggestion. Sincerely, Arm Chair Editor
Michael must also have picked up some LEADERSHIP QUALITIES (willing to kill McCluskey & Sollozzo, take on the Godfather mantle, and more) and developed NERVES OF STEEL (outside hospital, and more!).
Congratulations on getting through arguably the greatest film ever made. And the sequel is just as unforgettable. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Godfather Part II. A bit of advise. If you haven't read the Novel, watch the second film first then read the book. As there are aspects of the second film, the telling of Vito's backstory and rise to power, featured in the book. Puzo was quite the genius. Using both films to sell his novel and vice versa. There is also a prequel novel called The Family Corleone. An excellent read written by Ed Falco, uncle of Edie Falco(aka Carmela Soprano). Thanks for this continuation of the Brando rabbit hole. Can't wait for your Reaction of On The Waterfront. Where a young Brando utters one of the most iconic lines in film history. And as a request, follow that with Julius Caesar-1953. Where a young Marlon Brando gives a ground breaking performance as Mark Antony. Great Reaction as always.
The defining moment for Michael to begin his character transformation when he noticed Enzo’s hands shaking (and rightfully so) while his hands were still. Michael realizes that he is his father’s son and that he was made for this life
I'm a Bronx Sicilian--all my family grew up with the Borough. This movie so brilliantly captures the community and the locations (many of the NY locations were shot in the correct neighborhoods). In fact, the hospital in which I was born was the hospital Don Corleone was in (but it was actually shot in another since the original hospital was already closed by the time the movie was made) My grandfather's hometown in Sicily is just a few miles away from Corleone--and the countryside still looks very much like that.
You should be proud of the many Sicilian geniuses and Nobel prize winners, but never of mobsters who brought shame on Italy and almost never spoke the official language. Frank Capra and other Hollywood greats also had southern Italian roots. One of the reasons the South lags behind in spite of hard workers and brilliant young Kids Is still the cancer of illegal business involved in everything including fake diplomas and bribes in health care, fake invalids and doctors too. A movie about playwrights artists and scientists of the same high standard as the godfather would be welcome and might erase old negative stereotypes.🧑🎓🔬✍️🎻🎥🇮🇹❤
Sacheen Littlefeather was actually a latina named Marie Louis Cruz who pretended to be Native American to garner more interest for her modeling career. The San Francisco Chronicle interviewed her family and traced their lineage back to Mexico, finding no record of any relative listed as having Native American ancestry. She flipped modeling into activism thanks to her awards appearance fame and pigeonholed herself into fabricating more egregious lies in the following decades. Very shameful for the family.
Best line: Leave the gun, take the cannoli. Most important line: I never wanted this for you. In the baptism scene, Michael becomes a Godfather TWICE. Vito Corleone is a compilation of many gangsters. He talks just like Frank (Prime Minister of the Underworld) Costello. His name comes from Vito Genovese, for whom that crime family is named. And he had the quiet, but lethal power of the boss of all bosses, Carlo Gambino. Vito getting shot while at a fruit stand, mimicked the actual assassination of Gambino Family underboss, Frank Scalice. He was murdered at a Bronx vegetable stand.
Him dying is the heaviest part of movie, to me. Yes, he was emotional, impulsive but incapsulated that Italian fire and was loyal to the Family to the end!
You know who he is when he goes up to the paparazzi in front of the house & becomes furious when he realises they're FBI & spits straight on their badge. Then he assaults the photographer, smashes the camera on the concrete in full view of the officers, tosses some "spare change" on to the ground like trash (Or like he's done this move more than once), curses the feds, then turns and leaves. Nobody makes a move to stop him. Right then; compared to the cool, almost noble demeanour of his father (Except for mocking Johnny Fontaine for crying "like a woman," which is an interesting irregularity -- or is it?), the audience knows Sonny is gonna be a whooollle problem. I wish viewers could've seen the reaction to to that. Like another poster said, it's impossible to film everything (due to copyright), but when one pauses to discuss scenes we don't see, it's very confusing unless you know the film very well already. I would have also liked to know how Ms. Mia determined Michael knew Kay for "5 minutes?" This was my first time here & the editing threw me. I seek out Godfather reactions, & while I totally understand being mindful about getting blocked, I couldn't wrap my head around this movie being cut into a 28-minute collection of non-sequiturs. 20 minutes of talking before & after, and historical & background information (Which I hope was read/filmed after the viewing) can't make up for missing important character/storyline-building moments. The Godfather has to be cut with the care of a bonsai to make any sense as a reaction.
16:26 I liked the little touch they put in right before Luca walks into the bar, the glass window has fish etched into it, foreshadowing that Luca is about to "sleep with the fishes"
Okay, that’s a fair point! But it did seem as thought this was the first time she was meeting the family and for him to just pull her into a family photo seemed bold af 😂 shows that Mikey has gusto!!
According to the book, they were college sweethearts. According to the movie, Micheal must have planned to marry Kate because he brought her into the FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH at the wedding at the beginning. It's an important family pic, so you'd only invite *family* to be in the picture. He spent christmas with her and planned on marrying her.
@@MoviesWithMia "it did seem as thought this was the first time she was meeting the family" It is, or pretty close. Which is why Michael is explaining to her (and thus to us) who people like Tom Hagen and Luca Brazi are.
Oh I haven’t seen Dr. Strangelove, but I did see Asphalt Jungle and when I was researching the film, I noticed it was him and literally did a double take 😂
"They saw him coming...." More like they knew that Lucca would never turn against the Don. There's some background on Lucca in the book; let's just say that he's a seriously scary individual. The man who played him was a professional wrester who supposedly had ties to the mob; also supposedly, he was so nervous that he flubbed his lines, and the director thought that fit the character so he left it in. Brando's playing with the cat was also improvised.
If it wasn't mentioned earlier, the reason Paramount didn't want Brando was because the studio hadn't forgotten or forgiven him for One Eyed Jacks. That film Brando directed and starred in , released in 1961. It was a box office bomb, though an excellent film.
It was so important that Pacino was a virtual unknown when he played this iconic role. He 'd appeared in a couple of films that few people saw. He'd mostly worked on stage (alongside John Cazale who played his brother Fredo). He gave it a necessary authenticity. Brando's remarkable transformation was also important in making things work. He was only 48 or 49 but became unrecognizable playing an older man with an original and authentic flair. With this performance Beando was able to reclaim his spot as the greatest American actor of his generation.
It is interesting how different generations perceive this film. Younger people seem to take the title "Godfather" like he's supposed to be Batman or some superhero. Instead of superhero, it's more like beautiful tragedy. Italian opera. I first saw it on VHS and failed to appreciate it. It was re-released in theaters in the 90s and THEN I really SAW it. (And all the back stories to the production are pretty epic too.)
24:00 There were no subtitles in the original theatrical release, and I am not sure they were ever added later. It serves to add suspense to the scene. It also encourages more active listening.
Yes. Coppolla wanted the scene to be about Michael's expressions. What solozzo is basically saying is he's not happy how things turned out and that he respects Vito but his thinking is old fashioned.
I believe the purpose of the interlude with Michael”s Sicilian wife is to show him completing his immersion into Mafia culture including Sicilian culture. That:s always been my read on it. It also shows his transformation as a character with the commanding way he approached the father in law, how he was really stepping into the role of a mob boss and leader. And of course it reinforces how treacherous mob life is, how filled with deadly betrayals. The car bomb was obviously meant for Michael, arranged by enemies from New York, but his wife had the misfortune of trying to show off her driving skills that day.
Jacqueline Keeler interviewed Littlefeather's two sisters, who said that their family is not Native American and that Littlefeather fabricated her Native American ancestry. They also said that their father, who was born in Oxnard, California, was of Spanish-Mexican descent and had no tribal ties
You need to see this movie more than once to get all the connections. For example, when Sonny spoke up in the drug meeting, it showed Sollozzo that if Sonny was in charge then the Corleones would make the deal. That was why Vito Corleone got mad at his son for speaking up out of turn. So when Vito sent Luca to spy it was too late. Plans were being made to kill Vito and step number one was removing Luca Brasi since he was Vito's main enforcer. Luca thought he was being sneaky but they were just setting the trap for him.
"Try the veal, it's the best in the city." Prepare for more awesomeness because there's a considerable debate about which is better, the first or the second Godfather film. : )
I read the book which gives more detail than the film, naturally. When Bonasera asked Don Corleone for justice for his daughter being brutally beaten by those 2 punks, Don Corleone told Clemenza to handle it. Clemenza had Paulie hire two retired boxers. Then Paulie staked out where the two punks hang out. He found them in a bar and waited for them. When the bar closed, Paulie saw them exit, and started to shout insults at them. They came over to beat up Paulie and the two boxers emerged and beat the crap out of them. They were told not to kill them, but break bones and put them in the hospital, which they did. They did not hit them on the tops, sides and backs of their heads, but proceeded to break ribs, arms, jaws, etc. They got their justice.
Initially, Micheal only wanted to save his father's life not become part of the family business. And you cut the perhaps the best scene at the Christening where, as all the murders are happening, the priest asks Michael if he renounces Satan and all his acts to which Michael replies, "Yes." Such a great contrast and insight to who Michael has now become.
Michael was in a rush to get married cause he needed to ensure he had children, sons. He probably had feelings for both women but securing his family name/bloodline was also a huge factor.
I saw this in 1972. It was and is a wonderful film. But it was not the film that was shocking because of the violence. The breakthrough film was Bonnie & Clyde from the sixties.
"That baby is older than my mother..." great line. Your ability to correctly reference this movie against what had been created pre-Hays is one of the great pleasures of your channel. You should know, though, that the movie that actually was the first to cause that break/reaction was Bonnie & Clyde. Final thought: in my opinion, Al Pacino, who had half again as much screen time as Brando, should have won Best Actor for this, with Brando winning Best Supporting Actor over Joel Grey in Cabaret. Grey was magical, but Brando was transcendent, and Pacino's subtle work here is... chef's kiss.
I was hoping someone would mention Bonnie and Clyde! After that film, nothing in The Godfather is particularly surprising--except the horse, of course. The R rating was created in 1968, so audiences would have been used to a bit more violence by 1972.
"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli." Good call. 👍 Fun Fact: Theatrical debut of Morgana King, Sofia Coppola, Italia Coppola, and Joe Spinell (in the uncredited role of Willi Cicci). Location Location Fact: Because Corleone, Sicily, was too developed, even in the early 1970s, the Sicilian town of Savoca, outside Taormina, was used instead. Historical Fact: Most of the cars in the movie have wooden bumpers. Bumpers were removed by car owners during World War II, and replaced with wooden ones. The chrome ones were turned in to help with the war effort. After the war, it took several years for them to be replaced. What Script Fact: Lenny Montana (Luca Brasi) was so nervous about working with Marlon Brando that in the first take of their scene together, he flubbed some lines. Director Francis Ford Coppola liked the genuine nervousness and used it in the final cut. The scenes of Luca practicing his speech were added later. Dark Filmmaking Fact: Cinematographer Gordon Willis earned himself the nickname "The Prince Of Darkness" since his sets were so underlit. Paramount Pictures executives initially thought that the footage was too dark, until persuaded otherwise by Willis and Francis Ford Coppola that it was to emphasize the shadiness of the Corleone family's dealings.
The child from a broken home is used in all three films to show the value of true families that actually love and care for each other as opposed to those who take advantage of or abuse members of their own family. Each film shows that the child from the broken home appreciates true family love more than any of the other members. In Part 1, Tom Hagen is the child from the broken home who shows his intense love and devotion to the Corleones for saving him as a child. Parts 2 and 3 each introduce a new child from a broken home who demonstrates intense devotion to protecting the love within the Corleone family.
Michael's last shred of innocence and ability to stay away from the family business was gone when his Italian bride was blown up. He had to come back to America and take over. Marrying his New York girlfriend was probably just a means to have more children cuz you know how they love their families. He lost the love of his life in Italy and love was not going to penetrate him anymore. He had business to take care of and that business necessitated extreme ruthlessness and no regard for feelings.
Very few people who saw the movie at the time were shocked because most people had read the book. (The same as Jaws). You got startled over Michael banging the desk telling Connie "Enough!" ----- A VERY Southern Italian gesture ("Basta!" Before an Italian husband gets too angry, it was a signal for a "time out. We'll get back to this later") The symbolism of the closing door in the movie was in the book as Kay was praying for Michael's soul ---- The same thing Michael's mother did very early in the book for his father's soul. (An "insider's" opinion: Lots of first and second generation Italians married Irish women in the Northeast US. It's sort of a "Quiet Man" dynamic)
The greatest Cinematic achievement of all time. Screenplay, script, direction, cinematography, lighting, Score, casting, acting! Nothing else even Godfather part II can touch it!!!!
That’s an astounding amount of information before you even watched the movie . Some of it I knew some I didn’t . Interesting. I recall the day I saw the godfather at a theatre in Columbus circle in New York . I went the very first showing on a weekday and it was in the morning can’t recall exactly the time but there just a few people in the theatre because of a weekday and most people were working . I sat up in the front directly in the center all alone in front of the screen . I was of course blown away . Nice review by the way . Best I’ve ever seen . I recommend Paths of Glory from 1957 directed by Stanley Kubrick it has a great cast with some of the best acting I’ve ever seen .
It was widely rumored/believed that the singer was based on Sinatra. Puzo stated outright that it was pure fiction based on no one. He saw Sinatra in a restaurant in NYC and walked over to introduce himself. Sinatra threw his drink at him and cursed him until Puzo walked away in shock. Or so it was stated in the New York papers.
I'm not sure how much the Stonewall's tie to organized crime had to do with the public's interest in this movie. When Stonewall happened, and for a long time afterwards, most people, including many queer folks, had never heard of the riots. In '69 when it happened, it generated a small article in the far back pages of the New York Times. (And the connection to the mob even more obscure. In fact, your making the connection here is the first time I ever heard of the tie-in as to why the film was so popular. Nor is this part of the mob even hinted at in the movie.) I'm also not sure how many places where it was actually illegal to be gay - although I think this is why Alan Turing, after his incredible work in England during WWII, was chemically castrated a few years later and apparently led to his suicide. J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, was most focused on rooting out commies and queer folks. Part of the rationale for the second was that a person in a high security job was susceptible to blackmail, and thus forced to give away top-secret info. (Part was that "man's man manly Hoover was indulging in self-hatred, as longer afterwards it came out - and he did, too - for frequently dancing in a red dress with his "long-time male companion.") In New York State back there, there was the sodomy law, which pertained to ANY sexual act except intercourse between any two unmarried people. (It was eventually found unconstitutional because of the difference between it not applying to married people.) Despite the law also applying to a heterosexual couples, it was ONLY enforced against gay people. (A gay civil rights law was thus thwarted by - it was claimed - offering legal protection to people defined by the criminal act of sodomy.) There were gay bars outside New York City. At the time, there was one in Albany, NY. It was located in the industrial district, which closed down after business hours, leaving the area deserted enough for the bar patrons to feel comfortable in coming and going to the bar. However, it was illegal in many places to congregate in a gay bar, as the rationale was the people there were assembled to commit a criminal act, sodomy. It was common for police to raid such places. Rarely was the law itself tested as instead the patrons were allowed to plead down to a minor misdemeanor such as public indecency and their names and often their faces appeared in the local papers the next day. Many arrested were married, and the publicity led to broken marriages, lost of jobs, being kicked out of apartments, and on to suicide. So in order to get police protection, bar owners were forced to pay for mob protection. At the same time, it was a sweet deal for the police to raid these bars as the patrons meekly submitted. The Stonewall affair was completely different for once. The patrons fought back, even at one point pinning down the police inside the bar (throwing things like beer bottles, no firearms). If you still want to react to a film in the waning days of Pride Month, I'd strongly suggest Red, White & Royal Blue, a film I NEVER would have imagined in my wildest days possible when coming out way back in 1973.
Italians were treated as second class citizens, moreso during the setting of Godfather II. You should check out the film Cabrini for more on that aspect.
As an Italian from Chicago, I can tell you that there are several layers to Irish-Italian relations as far as organized crime and other cultural flashpoints. Of course, the Irish immigrated to America first, were treated like crap, but eventually assimilated, with many becoming cops, which came into play when waves of Italians started coming in at the turn of the 20 th century. My grandfather and his brothers and cousins constantly were hassled by Irish cops, sometimes even getting arrested briefly (I had no relatives in the mob that I know of.) As for mob conflicts, the most famous one in Chicago was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929, when Al Capone’s South Side Italian crew took out “Bugs” Moran’s Irish North Side crew. As for the best movies on this, this general culture clash is touched on “Gangs of New York” and “The Cotton Club.” “Gangs” examines another interesting aspect before the Italians arrived: Nativists, i.e., mostly Protestants whose families can be traced back to colonial times, and the new waves of Irish Catholics.
As for the violence, it was Bonnie & Clyde that was a game-changer in that you could not get comfortable in a scene because shocking violence was just around the corner.
Apparently Coppola had to fight to keep the sombre lighting in so many scenes. That he was proved right gave tremendous power to the new generation of directors, from Coppola through Denis Hopper, Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma etc etc, but it all came crashing down with Cimino's "Heaven's Gate" which was a commercial disaster (although I rather like it) and ushered in the era of accountants, safe options and endless sequels.
Hi Mia, I like your reactions for sure. Your research is on par beyond others. However, in regards to the gay bar Mafia connection I doubt that had a lot to do with the popularity of Mario Puzo's book. While true, this wasn't common knowledge among the masses. Even if it was, the zeitgeist at that time wouldn't allow for this information to be a reason to buy a book about the Mafia. Its popularity, I believe, was the book itself. It's a good story.
Can hardly wait for your reaction to ‘II’, the sequel that I always thought was actually better than this original. Based on your comments regarding culture and development, I think you might like part two as much as this.
I saw this film when it first came out in theaters. The movie theater was packed. I lived where much of the film was shot, and in an area that had a large Italian-American population. Many Italian-Americans were in the movie theater and were excited to see the film. They would chuckle and they so appreciated the Italian language used in the film. I had never seen so much excitement in a theater before a movie even began. The movie was a huge hit. immediately.
the most underappreciated and overlooked gangster film, these days, is "bonnie and clyde" (1967) which stars warren beatty, faye dunaway, gene hackman and, with his first role in a major film, gene wilder appears in a wonderful scene. it was a HUGE hit upon release. without "bonnie and clyde" there'd be no "the godfather" as we know it. so, check it out smiley. the book, "the godfather," is pretty good. except it goes into great detail in subplots concerning johnny fontaine and lucy, sonny's mistress, as the family makes its move into vegas. its about 1/4 of the book and takes away from the overall enjoyment of the book. but the film got it right! and left that part out. thanks for the video.
Coppola had a difficult time during the making of the movie with constant threats of being fired for going over budget and mostly using little known actors, other than Brando.
Frank Sinatra hated this this movie, as the singer wanted the movie role was supposed be him. Also Mario Puzo really hated the theme, and admitted he flinched every time he heard it.
I think he descended into darkness during the war, where he fought the Japanese. Anyone who knows of that theater can verify that it was the most brutal, horrific campaign of WWII.
It is quite common among Italians to adopt people as their own regardless of their origins. So the Tom Hagen character isn't out of the ordinary even back then. If you ever seen a popular police drama from the 1990's "Homicide - Life on the Street," there's a character played by Yaphet Koto named Giordello or "G" by the other detectives. He's African-American who was adopted by an Italian-American couple after his parents died. His parents were close to his adopted parents in the Little Italy neighborhood in Baltimore.
As an Italian-American I see this as a great story and a great movie and it would be disingenuous to pretend that the Sicilian Mafia was not an integral part of early twentieth century America.
What a lot of people don’t get about Luca Brazi getting killed so early in the movie is not that they knew he was spying for Vito. It’s that they were always going to kill Vito. Tom said it himself. “Even Sonny won’t be able to call off Luca Brazi”. They would not be able to kill Luca easily once they went after Vito so Luca had to die first. When Sollozzo made the offer to Vito, Barzini was planning on Vito turning him down. The whole scheme was a power play by Barzini. At the meeting of the family heads Barzini carried the conversation a little too much which made Vito realize that Barzini was not the neutral arbiter that he was trying to portray but the real opponent that Vito was facing. If you read the book you get much more back story and character intent Micheal married the Sicilian girl because he felt that Kay and her family would not want a man who was accused of murder. A Sicilian girl would understand the culture more. Also I believe in the book it was Micheal’s mother who facilitated the reunion. I can’t remember exactly how they got in contact with each other but Kay and Micheal’s mother were talking about Michael and Micheal’s mother invites Kay out to the house. Also the closing of the door in Kay’s face at the end of the movie happens again in Godfather2 and I was told that ever after Diane Keaton’s close friends do this practically joke on her that when she shows up someplace that one of them will close a door in her face.
I really appreciate your profound research work resulting in your historical background facts section in each of your videos. Love it! 👍 To your information: Mario Puzo's last name is pronounced "Put-so". 🙂 Apropos of names: Of course all the Italian names are heavily Americanized in this movie (e.g.: they say "Cor-le-own" instead of "Cor-le-oh-ne").
"Michael, we're bigger than U.S. Steele." Love that line 😂
A few years ago, when I did film training in London, we had borrowed a prop gun that was in the top drawer of my desk. The guy we borrowed it from came to pick it up. He bought cannoli, which he put on my desk while checking the prop gun.
As he was about to leave I realised I had a chance I would never have again in this life:
"Take the gun, leave the cannoli"
Whenever I have one of those 'should have said that' moments I always remember the one moment I got the chance and took it.
Its leave the gub, take the cannoli, right?
Also hope that guy got the joke and quote, lol
@@harish123az It is, but the reverse fitted the situation. Everyone got it!
Nice
Legend...lol
Legendary.
I saw this in March 1972, when it was already a national sensation. I was too young (14) to go by myself (R-rated), but I was a film fanatic even at that age, so my father agreed to go with me. He was as knocked out as much as I was.
You picked up on so much: the constant subtext of family, the symbolic contrast of the dark rooms where the plans are made with the sunny gardens outside. You even noticed the Statue of Liberty in the distance when Paulie is killed. It will become a recurring motif (Remember the opening line of the movie is "I believe in America.")
I never never tire of this movie. And I think Part 2 is even greater.
We can't allow masterpieces of the 70s, like The Godfather, ever to be forgotten.
I think older movies are very much being forgotten than the Godfathers
Thankfully they never will. There are films and songs that will stand until the earth explodes.
That's why they're preserved in the national library of congress film Registry.
Al Pacino's role as Michael Corleone, has been picked apart and, studied by acting schools all over the world ever since this movie came out. Al Pacino's role what's the ultimate acting role of a lifetime
'cause everyone else acts "big & Italian" & he is quiet
Brando did not act “big & Italian” either, whatever that means.
Al Pacino got robbed of an Oscar for that role.
Michael’s journey to Sicily and marrying a Sicilian girl was him connecting with the roots of his culture and a huge part of who he became.
The baby in the christening scene is future director Sofia Coppola.
😧😧😧 NO WAY!!! That is sooo cool! Thanks for sharing!!
NEPO baby…literally ha
@@MoviesWithMiaI was 15 years old in 1972 when this film was released it was one of my dad's favorite movies!! Being from an Italian background and having some knowledge of the culture let me give you my opinion of why Michael chose the girl in Sicily!!!
At the point that Michael went to Sicily to hide he knew that he was now in the family business whether he wanted to be or not!! His mindset was that of the heir to the throne who also needed to have male heirs himself!! The Sicilian wife is perfect because now he can have full-blooded Sicilian babies and he KNOWS a sicilian woman will NOT be curious about his business!! After all he grew up watching his mother and how she acted in Vito's world and in regards to Vito's business!!!
So I believe marrying the Sicilian girl was Michael wanting to have a family, have children, and bring up the NEXT generation of Corleone's to continue the family business!!
Of course that was destroyed by a bomb so when he came back to the States the ONLY woman he knew basically was Kaye!
He still knows he NEEDS to have children to have male heirs to the throne so he goes for the only woman he's known and THAT'S why he marries Kay and has the family with her!!!
By the time the trilogy is through you will see that that was a mistake by Michael.
@@MoviesWithMia She returns in the third "Godfather" movie as Michael's adult daughter. The character, Connie Corleone, is played by Talia Shire who is the sister of the director, Francis Ford Coppola.
@@carleton4199 I always think of Talia Shire as..."...Aaaaadddrriiiiannnnn.....!"
Yes...YES! A reactor who has knowledge of history, and gives smart insight/analysis at correct moments of the movie being reviewed! Love you girl! Subscribed yes!
When Michael saw Apollonia he was hit by the "Colpo di fulmine" the Sicilian Thunderbolt. Love at first sight. "In Sicily, the women are more dangerous than shotguns" his bodyguard laughs.
Michael was in Sicily for over 2 years. They were married for about a year.
There was well over a year between her murder and him looking Kate up.
Little correction. Michael never looked up Kate, she actually tried to get information about him during the 3 years they were apart but never got an answer. Because of these she got to talk to Mrs. Corleone who took a liking to her.
When Michael came back and after a long time Kate called to talk to Mrs. Corleone who told her Michael had been back for 6 months. In the movies the made Michael go after Kate dunno why, maybe it was easier to do it that way than to explain the attempts from Kate to reach out to him.
An important detail is that we see Michael's frightened face right before Apollonia dies, then the camera cuts away to the car as it explodes, then the scene fades to black. The next time we see Michael is when he is reunited with Kay and tells her he has been back in the US for a year. That means we skipped at least a year, maybe more. We didn't get to see Michael's reaction to her death, his face, his mourning, nothing. By the time we see him again he looks distant, cold, and robotic. Perhaps whatever was left of Michael died with Apollonia back in Italy. All that's left is the Godfather now, revenge, power, carnage
@@marvelsandals4228 If you're talking about movie wise then sure.
If you wanna talk "lore" wise, and book wise.. this is not correct (entirely at least).
Both Godfather and Sicilian explains one way or another how Michael gets to be "Godfather"/"Don" status.
@@marvelsandals4228 Wow I never thought of it that way. That sent shivers and goosebumps all over my body.
I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see younger people fall in love with the same films that my generation grew up with!
Paulie was killed because he deliberately took the day off so the Godfather could be shot because the Tataglias paid him off, not because he made a mistake.
Yes, and in the book, the Corleones had contacts with the phone company who could trace calls for them. They discovered that Paulie was getting calls from someone from one of the other families, so they realized he was a traitor.
Good reaction as always, Mia. Btw, many people don't realize this, but one scene where we see Michael Corleone come to the realization of who he is and what he is capable of, was the night scene outside the hospital just before the cops arrived. In that scene of self-realization, Michael stands outside on the hospital steps with Enzo the baker, both of them pretending to have guns under their jackets as a car with rival hitmen slowly drives by. When the car drives by and goes away, Michael realizes that Enzo's hand is trembling with fear, while he (Michael) is cool, calm, and collected. He then takes Enzo's lighter from Enzo's trembling hand and calmly lights his cigarette for him. Michael felt no fear...he felt no panic at all. He felt nothing whatsoever while standing outside, unarmed, between fully armed killers and his hospitalized father. That was when Michael came to that self-realization of what he was capable of.
Anyway, regarding your post-movie comments, just one correction --- the Hayes-Code era actually ended about many years prior to this movie back in 1966 (although officially replaced by the ratings system in 1968). However, Hollywood studios and filmmakers were ignoring the Hayes Code even in 1960. So, the "Cinematic barrier of what audiences could see in a film and do in a film" was already long overcome by the time The Godfather was released in 1972. In fact, if you think about it, The Godfather was actually pretty tame in 1972 with its language etc when compared to other movies before 1972...but that was a creative choice by the filmmakers.
So now you know. Even though the movie starts out focusing on Vito, "The Godfather" is the story of how Michael became the Godfather
Sacheen Littlefeather's claim of Native American ancestry has been disputed by her own family. Her sisters Rosalind Cruz and Trudi Orlandi say their family has no tribal ties. Some people call her a "Pretendian." The issue is discussed in the Wikipedia article on Ms. Littlefeather.
John Cazale (Fredo) was in only five movies, and all of them were nominated for Oscars for best picture. In addition to The Godfather, they are:
The Godfather Part 2
The Conversation
Dog Day Afternoon
The Deer Hunter
The character of Johnny Fontaine was based on Frank Sinatra, who wanted the role in From Here to Eternity to revive his career. There were rumors that he used mob ties to help get the role.
That was a real horse's head. They got it from a pet food factory.
Sonny's bad temper and impetuous nature were what got the whole story going. He let Solozzo see how eager he was to get into the drug business. Solozzo took from this that he could make a deal with Sonny if Vito were out of the way.
"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli." was unscripted. Richard Castellano came up with the line himself.
Every scene where oranges appear is followed shortly by someone's death. I don't know whether this was deliberate on Coppola's part.
Vito was telling the truth when he told Barzini that he wouldn't take revenge. He didn't do it. Michael did.
Yikes… I apologize for not looking further into that
@@MoviesWithMia This news was only revealed this past year after Ms. Littlefeather passed away..
Vito was most certainly not telling the truth at the meeting. Then again, neither was anyone else. The whole idea that the sale of narcotics was going to be controlled was ludicrous from the get go. In any case, Vito and Michael started planning their revenge as soon as Michael came back.
John Cazale and Meryl Streep were in a serious relationship in his later years and she stayed with him and was cut up by his death.
@@tonybennett4159 Yes. The backers of The Deer Hunter wanted to dump Cazale from the film because he was dying of cancer. Streep threatened to quit if they did that.
The Italian wife subplot was another thing (after the killing of his father and the direct revenge he had to take) that hardened Michael. He was just hiding out in Sicily, but this solidified his "hardening" into the family business forever. After that, he's all business, and when he comes back to his old girlfriend it's not love anymore, it's a business-like desire to "settle this marriage thing". So, it's like he doesn't believe in love anymore, so he's just going back to the motions with his ex-girlfriend to become a family man ("normal" people then were expected to marry young and have kids young enough).
he never smiled again
Michael's Italian wife, Appolonia, was a huge part of Michael's transformation. She was Italian, like Michael, she had an exotic name, she was with a big Italian family...by contrast Diane Keaton was a blond American, with a boring name like Kay (it's literally pronounced with one letter), dressed conservatively with a blond bob haircut and who's family you NEVER see or meet, ever...her purpose was to show how Michael was willing to establish a family with Kay despite her being a poor substitute for Appolonia, in order to fit in with the Italian family structure that he needed to have as Godfather. She was there to be as stark a contrast to Kay as possible, and show what Michael was willing to do in terms of his personal life in order to serve his father and eventually lead the Corleone family.
Michael is constantly dismissed because he's the youngest son, a studious college boy who wanted to stay out of the family business. No one realized how the war changed him. Michael was a Marine in the Pacific. He was awarded a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross. He became more merciless as events unfolded but he was already a killer when he came back. It's almost certain that Sollozo and he Mccluskey weren't the first men he'd killed.
I wouldn't say he was a killer after he came back from fighting in WorldvWar II. Having to fight-and kill-for your nation doesn't make you a killer even if you have killed (just as long as you didn't commit atrocities at least). While killing was indeed not strange to him, murder was. And while he did volunteer to kill McClusky and Sollozzo, he was still reluctant because it would be out and out murder, not killing to protect your comrades, yourself, or your nation (albeit it was ultimately to protect his father). That is why he asked for assurances from both of them that his father would be left alone and not just shooting them without further conversation as instructed. He was reluctant to kill even after volunteering to do so. If he got believable assurances that his father would be left alone I think Sollozzo and McClusky would have walked out alive. But if that happened Micheal probably would've caught hell from Sonny and the rest of them for sparing their lives, and probably would've have put in the "Fredo Zone" in terms of competence and naiveté.
@@arrow1414 I have always wanted to see a prequel that explores what Michael did in the war.
@@curtismartin2866It is best to leave it to the imagination. He was just a marine in the pacific. Watch “The Pacific” to get a sense of that. Now the actor playing the police captain had been a marine officer in ww2, but that was different as he was OSS in the Mediterranean running disguised fishing boats assisting friendly guerrillas and other intel ops with/for Yugoslavia.
@@purpleslogA lot of famous actors were in the war. Christopher Lee was a commando, Michael Rennie was a bombing instructor, and, of course, Lee Marvin was at Iwo Jima.
In the book, when Sonny and Clemenza laugh at Michael's suggestion that he kill Solozzo and McCluskey, Michael says, "I killed a lot of Japs". I agree with your comment that he was not unfamiliar with killing.
In real life, the Johnny Fontaine (Sinatra) movie that he wanted was "From Here to Eternity"--which won Sinatra a Best Supporting Actor award and got him back on top.
Actually his girlfriend, later wife, Ava Gardner, got Frank that role, they say. Maybe that's why Frank hated the film.
Also the story about getting out of his contract with a bandleader was based on something alleged to have happened with Sinatra.
There are so many small scenes and details that just make this film great. From Clemenza”s cooking lesson, the scene in the garden between Don Vito and his grandson etc. Not strictly necessary but add so much character detail and fit with the theme of the movie.
The Irish gangs and Italian gangs worked together and against each other, depending on the circumstances.
both Catholic
So happy to see your reactions again, Mia! Godfather is such a powerful film!
36:20 Mia:"Too much death".
Godfather fans: 'Oh, Mia ..."
Hey, it’s not what I was expecting 😅 And cut me some slack… there is not NEARLY as much death in movies of previous generations!
Happy to see younger generations finding this film . The Trilogy has its critcs but as far as acting and story go it is awesome . The story is actually a family story of Micheal amd what a man will do to protect his family . To see his arch and even with II and III to see his lifetime arch is amazing . Glad you got a chance to see why we are so passionate about it
I really enjoyed your film and historical background segment and reactions. Would you mind if I make a minor editing suggestion? Ask Zack if it would be possible to include a little bit more of the scene you're reacting to. Give us a moment to absorb the scene so we can relate to your comment. I understand the enormity of editing a reaction video like this. It's just a suggestion.
Sincerely,
Arm Chair Editor
"How did you guys deal with all this death in this movie?..."
And we're all sitting here thinking : "Wait...."
😂😂😂
Thanks Mia! By far, this is the most intellectually fulfilling reaction series on YT
Michael was no boy. He had been a Captain of Marines (USMC) during WWII and was a war hero. He had done plenty of killing before we met him.
Michael must also have picked up some LEADERSHIP QUALITIES (willing to kill McCluskey & Sollozzo, take on the Godfather mantle, and more) and developed NERVES OF STEEL (outside hospital, and more!).
Great to have you back! Sorry for the loss of some of your videos.
When Kay ask Michael when he came back, he says he have been back a year, maybe more. So he had time to mourn Appolonia and do some thinking.
Congratulations on getting through arguably the greatest film ever made. And the sequel is just as unforgettable. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Godfather Part II. A bit of advise. If you haven't read the Novel, watch the second film first then read the book. As there are aspects of the second film, the telling of Vito's backstory and rise to power, featured in the book. Puzo was quite the genius. Using both films to sell his novel and vice versa. There is also a prequel novel called The Family Corleone. An excellent read written by Ed Falco, uncle of Edie Falco(aka Carmela Soprano). Thanks for this continuation of the Brando rabbit hole. Can't wait for your Reaction of On The Waterfront. Where a young Brando utters one of the most iconic lines in film history. And as a request, follow that with Julius Caesar-1953. Where a young Marlon Brando gives a ground breaking performance as Mark Antony. Great Reaction as always.
The defining moment for Michael to begin his character transformation when he noticed Enzo’s hands shaking (and rightfully so) while his hands were still. Michael realizes that he is his father’s son and that he was made for this life
I'm a Bronx Sicilian--all my family grew up with the Borough. This movie so brilliantly captures the community and the locations (many of the NY locations were shot in the correct neighborhoods). In fact, the hospital in which I was born was the hospital Don Corleone was in (but it was actually shot in another since the original hospital was already closed by the time the movie was made) My grandfather's hometown in Sicily is just a few miles away from Corleone--and the countryside still looks very much like that.
Wow, that is amazing!! Thank you for sharing 😁
Do you know whether or not the revenge killings depicted in the films were as common as they showed them to be?
You should be proud of the
many Sicilian geniuses and
Nobel prize winners, but
never of mobsters who
brought shame on Italy and
almost never spoke the
official language. Frank Capra
and other Hollywood greats
also had southern Italian roots. One of the reasons the
South lags behind in spite of
hard workers and brilliant
young Kids Is still the cancer
of illegal business involved
in everything including fake
diplomas and bribes in health
care, fake invalids and doctors
too. A movie about playwrights
artists and scientists of the
same high standard as the
godfather would be welcome
and might erase old negative
stereotypes.🧑🎓🔬✍️🎻🎥🇮🇹❤
Sacheen Littlefeather was actually a latina named Marie Louis Cruz who pretended to be Native American to garner more interest for her modeling career. The San Francisco Chronicle interviewed her family and traced their lineage back to Mexico, finding no record of any relative listed as having Native American ancestry. She flipped modeling into activism thanks to her awards appearance fame and pigeonholed herself into fabricating more egregious lies in the following decades. Very shameful for the family.
Most Mexicans have Native American roots. In fact, it is the dominant genetic heritage of Mexico.
Yeah, the difference between Mexicans and Native Americans is just a border white people drew after the genocide.
@@gunkulator1 Yes, but they would be Meso American. That lady pretended to be Apache, which is Plains Indian.
@@SRG1966 Uh, no. Different DNA. 🤦♀
@@catherinelw9365 as related as white Europeans are.
Michael mentions to Kay when he finally sees her again that he's been back for a year.
Best line:
Leave the gun, take the cannoli.
Most important line:
I never wanted this for you.
In the baptism scene, Michael becomes a Godfather TWICE.
Vito Corleone is a compilation of many gangsters.
He talks just like Frank
(Prime Minister of the Underworld) Costello.
His name comes from Vito Genovese, for whom that crime family is named.
And he had the quiet, but lethal power of the boss of all bosses,
Carlo Gambino.
Vito getting shot while at a fruit stand,
mimicked the actual assassination of Gambino Family underboss, Frank Scalice.
He was murdered at a Bronx vegetable stand.
I thought James Caan's ''carnal' scene at the wedding laid out who Sonny was as a character.
Him dying is the heaviest part of movie, to me. Yes, he was emotional, impulsive but incapsulated that Italian fire and was loyal to the Family to the end!
You know who he is when he goes up to the paparazzi in front of the house & becomes furious when he realises they're FBI & spits straight on their badge. Then he assaults the photographer, smashes the camera on the concrete in full view of the officers, tosses some "spare change" on to the ground like trash (Or like he's done this move more than once), curses the feds, then turns and leaves. Nobody makes a move to stop him. Right then; compared to the cool, almost noble demeanour of his father (Except for mocking Johnny Fontaine for crying "like a woman," which is an interesting irregularity -- or is it?), the audience knows Sonny is gonna be a whooollle problem. I wish viewers could've seen the reaction to to that. Like another poster said, it's impossible to film everything (due to copyright), but when one pauses to discuss scenes we don't see, it's very confusing unless you know the film very well already. I would have also liked to know how Ms. Mia determined Michael knew Kay for "5 minutes?"
This was my first time here & the editing threw me. I seek out Godfather reactions, & while I totally understand being mindful about getting blocked, I couldn't wrap my head around this movie being cut into a 28-minute collection of non-sequiturs. 20 minutes of talking before & after, and historical & background information (Which I hope was read/filmed after the viewing) can't make up for missing important character/storyline-building moments. The Godfather has to be cut with the care of a bonsai to make any sense as a reaction.
Sonny and the bride's maid finaglin' sets up a core plot point in "The Godfather: Coda, the Death of Michael Corleone" (a.k.a. "The Godfather 3").
It's always important to remember that the Godfather 1is set in 1947-49
Gotta grab my dinner and crochet project and settle in for THIS ride! I love watching people watch my favorite movies for the first time.
Toronto1972.When that door closed on Kate, nobody moved as the credits rolled on.We just did not want the movie to end!
Of all the alternative casting mentioned, I can see Anthony Quinn being excellent as the old Don.
16:26 I liked the little touch they put in right before Luca walks into the bar, the glass window has fish etched into it, foreshadowing that Luca is about to "sleep with the fishes"
Don't worry about the subtitles at the dinner. They didn't have the translation in the movie 😊
I love all the references to The Godfather in You’ve Got Mail. Shows just how much it influenced even the culture of other films.
Please do not wait too long to do Godfather II. Don't lose the vibe.
The baby in the baptism scene is Sophia Copella the daughter of the director. She would later portray Michael Corleone's daughter in GF3
Kay wasn’t a “random chick he just met”. She was his girlfriend. She was with him as his guest at the wedding.
Okay, that’s a fair point! But it did seem as thought this was the first time she was meeting the family and for him to just pull her into a family photo seemed bold af 😂 shows that Mikey has gusto!!
Kay and Michael were college sweethearts and when Michael joined the Marines she stayed home and waited for him.
Ahh! Okay, I didn’t get that from the dialogue 😅
According to the book, they were college sweethearts. According to the movie, Micheal must have planned to marry Kate because he brought her into the FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH at the wedding at the beginning. It's an important family pic, so you'd only invite *family* to be in the picture. He spent christmas with her and planned on marrying her.
@@MoviesWithMia "it did seem as thought this was the first time she was meeting the family"
It is, or pretty close. Which is why Michael is explaining to her (and thus to us) who people like Tom Hagen and Luca Brazi are.
Did you notice the police captain is the same actor that played General Jack Ripper in Doctor Strangelove. Sterling Hayden.
Oh I haven’t seen Dr. Strangelove, but I did see Asphalt Jungle and when I was researching the film, I noticed it was him and literally did a double take 😂
@@MoviesWithMiaPlease watch Dr. Strangelove. You won’t regret it.
"They saw him coming...." More like they knew that Lucca would never turn against the Don. There's some background on Lucca in the book; let's just say that he's a seriously scary individual.
The man who played him was a professional wrester who supposedly had ties to the mob; also supposedly, he was so nervous that he flubbed his lines, and the director thought that fit the character so he left it in. Brando's playing with the cat was also improvised.
If it wasn't mentioned earlier, the reason Paramount didn't want Brando was because the studio hadn't forgotten or forgiven him for One Eyed Jacks. That film Brando directed and starred in , released in 1961. It was a box office bomb, though an excellent film.
Carlo beat up sonny's sister to draw him out to to the toll booth.
I think this is difference between great and directors, cameramen, editors,actors, and especially screenwriters and what we have today 😮
"How did you deal with all the death in this movie", says Mia. Uh, oh...there's a baptism coming up...
It was so important that Pacino was a virtual unknown when he played this iconic role. He 'd appeared in a couple of films that few people saw. He'd mostly worked on stage (alongside John Cazale who played his brother Fredo). He gave it a necessary authenticity. Brando's remarkable transformation was also important in making things work. He was only 48 or 49 but became unrecognizable playing an older man with an original and authentic flair. With this performance Beando was able to reclaim his spot as the greatest American actor of his generation.
It is interesting how different generations perceive this film. Younger people seem to take the title "Godfather" like he's supposed to be Batman or some superhero. Instead of superhero, it's more like beautiful tragedy. Italian opera.
I first saw it on VHS and failed to appreciate it. It was re-released in theaters in the 90s and THEN I really SAW it. (And all the back stories to the production are pretty epic too.)
Apparently Brando’s playing with the cat was totally spontaneous.
So happy you are taking a look at this one! And I'm a little surprised you hadn't already watched it.
24:00 There were no subtitles in the original theatrical release, and I am not sure they were ever added later. It serves to add suspense to the scene. It also encourages more active listening.
Yes. Coppolla wanted the scene to be about Michael's expressions. What solozzo is basically saying is he's not happy how things turned out and that he respects Vito but his thinking is old fashioned.
Sonny made a huge mistake showing interest in the deal. Everyone knew it but him in the meeting.
I believe the purpose of the interlude with Michael”s Sicilian wife is to show him completing his immersion into Mafia culture including Sicilian culture. That:s always been my read on it. It also shows his transformation as a character with the commanding way he approached the father in law, how he was really stepping into the role of a mob boss and leader. And of course it reinforces how treacherous mob life is, how filled with deadly betrayals. The car bomb was obviously meant for Michael, arranged by enemies from New York, but his wife had the misfortune of trying to show off her driving skills that day.
Mia I was two years old when this film 🎥 came out, I first saw it when I was 16 . It's a masterpiece 📽️ film.
You must see Godfather III
Always great to watch your reactions!! Definitely a classic that has stayed with me and that is well worth the hype!
Jacqueline Keeler interviewed Littlefeather's two sisters, who said that their family is not Native American and that Littlefeather fabricated her Native American ancestry. They also said that their father, who was born in Oxnard, California, was of Spanish-Mexican descent and had no tribal ties
Happy to see you posting such great videos (as always), Mia!
You need to see this movie more than once to get all the connections. For example, when Sonny spoke up in the drug meeting, it showed Sollozzo that if Sonny was in charge then the Corleones would make the deal. That was why Vito Corleone got mad at his son for speaking up out of turn. So when Vito sent Luca to spy it was too late. Plans were being made to kill Vito and step number one was removing Luca Brasi since he was Vito's main enforcer. Luca thought he was being sneaky but they were just setting the trap for him.
Just found your channel, and it looks like I've got some stuff to watch! You've got a lot of good stuff on here. Pleased to meet you.
Welcome aboard! And thanks for watching!!
"Try the veal, it's the best in the city."
Prepare for more awesomeness because there's a considerable debate about which is better, the first or the second Godfather film. : )
Ooh can’t wait to get in on that conversation!!
I always look at it as one film, split into two parts.
@@MoviesWithMia The second is more layered, deeper and more complex. The first one might be slightly more fun, though.
I read the book which gives more detail than the film, naturally. When Bonasera asked Don Corleone for justice for his daughter being brutally beaten by those 2 punks, Don Corleone told Clemenza to handle it. Clemenza had Paulie hire two retired boxers. Then Paulie staked out where the two punks hang out. He found them in a bar and waited for them. When the bar closed, Paulie saw them exit, and started to shout insults at them. They came over to beat up Paulie and the two boxers emerged and beat the crap out of them. They were told not to kill them, but break bones and put them in the hospital, which they did. They did not hit them on the tops, sides and backs of their heads, but proceeded to break ribs, arms, jaws, etc. They got their justice.
Amen!
Good summary from the book. Paulie was instructed that the two boys spend a MINIMUM of 6 months in the hospital.
FYI-There's a series on Paramount Plus showing what it took to make this film.
Initially, Micheal only wanted to save his father's life not become part of the family business. And you cut the perhaps the best scene at the Christening where, as all the murders are happening, the priest asks Michael if he renounces Satan and all his acts to which Michael replies, "Yes." Such a great contrast and insight to who Michael has now become.
Michael was in a rush to get married cause he needed to ensure he had children, sons. He probably had feelings for both women but securing his family name/bloodline was also a huge factor.
At least you're back!!! Good to see you again!!
I saw this in 1972. It was and is a wonderful film. But it was not the film that was shocking because of the violence. The breakthrough film was Bonnie & Clyde from the sixties.
"That baby is older than my mother..." great line. Your ability to correctly reference this movie against what had been created pre-Hays is one of the great pleasures of your channel. You should know, though, that the movie that actually was the first to cause that break/reaction was Bonnie & Clyde. Final thought: in my opinion, Al Pacino, who had half again as much screen time as Brando, should have won Best Actor for this, with Brando winning Best Supporting Actor over Joel Grey in Cabaret. Grey was magical, but Brando was transcendent, and Pacino's subtle work here is... chef's kiss.
I was hoping someone would mention Bonnie and Clyde! After that film, nothing in The Godfather is particularly surprising--except the horse, of course. The R rating was created in 1968, so audiences would have been used to a bit more violence by 1972.
I couldn’t agree with you more about the way the Oscars should have gone! Al Pacino was fabulous!
"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
Good call. 👍
Fun Fact: Theatrical debut of Morgana King, Sofia Coppola, Italia Coppola, and Joe Spinell (in the uncredited role of Willi Cicci).
Location Location Fact: Because Corleone, Sicily, was too developed, even in the early 1970s, the Sicilian town of Savoca, outside Taormina, was used instead.
Historical Fact: Most of the cars in the movie have wooden bumpers. Bumpers were removed by car owners during World War II, and replaced with wooden ones. The chrome ones were turned in to help with the war effort. After the war, it took several years for them to be replaced.
What Script Fact: Lenny Montana (Luca Brasi) was so nervous about working with Marlon Brando that in the first take of their scene together, he flubbed some lines. Director Francis Ford Coppola liked the genuine nervousness and used it in the final cut. The scenes of Luca practicing his speech were added later.
Dark Filmmaking Fact: Cinematographer Gordon Willis earned himself the nickname "The Prince Of Darkness" since his sets were so underlit. Paramount Pictures executives initially thought that the footage was too dark, until persuaded otherwise by Willis and Francis Ford Coppola that it was to emphasize the shadiness of the Corleone family's dealings.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 thank you for sharing! Wow, some of these facts make SOOOO much sense!
You're welcome! 😁
Go with God and Be Safe from Evil. 😎 👍
The child from a broken home is used in all three films to show the value of true families that actually love and care for each other as opposed to those who take advantage of or abuse members of their own family. Each film shows that the child from the broken home appreciates true family love more than any of the other members. In Part 1, Tom Hagen is the child from the broken home who shows his intense love and devotion to the Corleones for saving him as a child. Parts 2 and 3 each introduce a new child from a broken home who demonstrates intense devotion to protecting the love within the Corleone family.
Michael's last shred of innocence and ability to stay away from the family business was gone when his Italian bride was blown up. He had to come back to America and take over. Marrying his New York girlfriend was probably just a means to have more children cuz you know how they love their families. He lost the love of his life in Italy and love was not going to penetrate him anymore.
He had business to take care of and that business necessitated extreme ruthlessness and no regard for feelings.
Very few people who saw the movie at the time were shocked because most people had read the book. (The same as Jaws).
You got startled over Michael banging the desk telling Connie "Enough!" ----- A VERY Southern Italian gesture ("Basta!" Before an Italian husband gets too angry, it was a signal for a "time out. We'll get back to this later")
The symbolism of the closing door in the movie was in the book as Kay was praying for Michael's soul ---- The same thing Michael's mother did very early in the book for his father's soul.
(An "insider's" opinion: Lots of first and second generation Italians married Irish women in the Northeast US. It's sort of a "Quiet Man" dynamic)
The greatest Cinematic achievement of all time. Screenplay, script, direction, cinematography, lighting, Score, casting, acting! Nothing else even Godfather part II can touch it!!!!
Lawrence of Arabia not only touches it but rises far above it. no film is better!
That’s an astounding amount of information before you even watched the movie . Some of it I knew some I didn’t . Interesting. I recall the day I saw the godfather at a theatre in Columbus circle in New York . I went the very first showing on a weekday and it was in the morning can’t recall exactly the time but there just a few people in the theatre because of a weekday and most people were working . I sat up in the front directly in the center all alone in front of the screen . I was of course blown away . Nice review by the way . Best I’ve ever seen . I recommend Paths of Glory from 1957 directed by Stanley Kubrick it has a great cast with some of the best acting I’ve ever seen .
I got to see The Godfather in a movie theater. Talk about getting involved in a movie....
It was widely rumored/believed that the singer was based on Sinatra. Puzo stated outright that it was pure fiction based on no one. He saw Sinatra in a restaurant in NYC and walked over to introduce himself. Sinatra threw his drink at him and cursed him until Puzo walked away in shock.
Or so it was stated in the New York papers.
I'm not sure how much the Stonewall's tie to organized crime had to do with the public's interest in this movie. When Stonewall happened, and for a long time afterwards, most people, including many queer folks, had never heard of the riots. In '69 when it happened, it generated a small article in the far back pages of the New York Times. (And the connection to the mob even more obscure. In fact, your making the connection here is the first time I ever heard of the tie-in as to why the film was so popular. Nor is this part of the mob even hinted at in the movie.)
I'm also not sure how many places where it was actually illegal to be gay - although I think this is why Alan Turing, after his incredible work in England during WWII, was chemically castrated a few years later and apparently led to his suicide. J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, was most focused on rooting out commies and queer folks. Part of the rationale for the second was that a person in a high security job was susceptible to blackmail, and thus forced to give away top-secret info. (Part was that "man's man manly Hoover was indulging in self-hatred, as longer afterwards it came out - and he did, too - for frequently dancing in a red dress with his "long-time male companion.")
In New York State back there, there was the sodomy law, which pertained to ANY sexual act except intercourse between any two unmarried people. (It was eventually found unconstitutional because of the difference between it not applying to married people.) Despite the law also applying to a heterosexual couples, it was ONLY enforced against gay people. (A gay civil rights law was thus thwarted by - it was claimed - offering legal protection to people defined by the criminal act of sodomy.)
There were gay bars outside New York City. At the time, there was one in Albany, NY. It was located in the industrial district, which closed down after business hours, leaving the area deserted enough for the bar patrons to feel comfortable in coming and going to the bar.
However, it was illegal in many places to congregate in a gay bar, as the rationale was the people there were assembled to commit a criminal act, sodomy. It was common for police to raid such places. Rarely was the law itself tested as instead the patrons were allowed to plead down to a minor misdemeanor such as public indecency and their names and often their faces appeared in the local papers the next day. Many arrested were married, and the publicity led to broken marriages, lost of jobs, being kicked out of apartments, and on to suicide.
So in order to get police protection, bar owners were forced to pay for mob protection. At the same time, it was a sweet deal for the police to raid these bars as the patrons meekly submitted. The Stonewall affair was completely different for once. The patrons fought back, even at one point pinning down the police inside the bar (throwing things like beer bottles, no firearms).
If you still want to react to a film in the waning days of Pride Month, I'd strongly suggest Red, White & Royal Blue, a film I NEVER would have imagined in my wildest days possible when coming out way back in 1973.
Italians were treated as second class citizens, moreso during the setting of Godfather II. You should check out the film Cabrini for more on that aspect.
As an Italian from Chicago, I can tell you that there are several layers to Irish-Italian relations as far as organized crime and other cultural flashpoints. Of course, the Irish immigrated to America first, were treated like crap, but eventually assimilated, with many becoming cops, which came into play when waves of Italians started coming in at the turn of the 20 th century. My grandfather and his brothers and cousins constantly were hassled by Irish cops, sometimes even getting arrested briefly (I had no relatives in the mob that I know of.) As for mob conflicts, the most famous one in Chicago was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929, when Al Capone’s South Side Italian crew took out “Bugs” Moran’s Irish North Side crew. As for the best movies on this, this general culture clash is touched on “Gangs of New York” and “The Cotton Club.” “Gangs” examines another interesting aspect before the Italians arrived: Nativists, i.e., mostly Protestants whose families can be traced back to colonial times, and the new waves of Irish Catholics.
As for the violence, it was Bonnie & Clyde that was a game-changer in that you could not get comfortable in a scene because shocking violence was just around the corner.
Apparently Coppola had to fight to keep the sombre lighting in so many scenes. That he was proved right gave tremendous power to the new generation of directors, from Coppola through Denis Hopper, Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma etc etc, but it all came crashing down with Cimino's "Heaven's Gate" which was a commercial disaster (although I rather like it) and ushered in the era of accountants, safe options and endless sequels.
Hi Mia, I like your reactions for sure. Your research is on par beyond others. However, in regards to the gay bar Mafia connection I doubt that had a lot to do with the popularity of Mario Puzo's book. While true, this wasn't common knowledge among the masses. Even if it was, the zeitgeist at that time wouldn't allow for this information to be a reason to buy a book about the Mafia. Its popularity, I believe, was the book itself. It's a good story.
Can hardly wait for your reaction to ‘II’, the sequel that I always thought was actually better than this original. Based on your comments regarding culture and development, I think you might like part two as much as this.
I saw this film when it first came out in theaters. The movie theater was packed. I lived where much of the film was shot, and in an area that had a large Italian-American population. Many Italian-Americans were in the movie theater and were excited to see the film. They would chuckle and they so appreciated the Italian language used in the film. I had never seen so much excitement in a theater before a movie even began. The movie was a huge hit. immediately.
the most underappreciated and overlooked gangster film, these days, is "bonnie and clyde" (1967) which stars warren beatty, faye dunaway, gene hackman and, with his first role in a major film, gene wilder appears in a wonderful scene. it was a HUGE hit upon release. without "bonnie and clyde" there'd be no "the godfather" as we know it. so, check it out smiley.
the book, "the godfather," is pretty good. except it goes into great detail in subplots concerning johnny fontaine and lucy, sonny's mistress, as the family makes its move into vegas. its about 1/4 of the book and takes away from the overall enjoyment of the book. but the film got it right! and left that part out. thanks for the video.
Coppola had a difficult time during the making of the movie with constant threats of being fired for going over budget and mostly using little known actors, other than Brando.
Frank Sinatra hated this this movie, as the singer wanted the movie role was supposed be him. Also Mario Puzo really hated the theme, and admitted he flinched every time he heard it.
Michael's descent from the light into the darkness.
I think he descended into darkness during the war, where he fought the Japanese. Anyone who knows of that theater can verify that it was the most brutal, horrific campaign of WWII.
"The Godfather": Shakespearean tragedy on the level of "Macbeth."
It is quite common among Italians to adopt people as their own regardless of their origins. So the Tom Hagen character isn't out of the ordinary even back then. If you ever seen a popular police drama from the 1990's "Homicide - Life on the Street," there's a character played by Yaphet Koto named Giordello or "G" by the other detectives. He's African-American who was adopted by an Italian-American couple after his parents died. His parents were close to his adopted parents in the Little Italy neighborhood in Baltimore.
Finally you're watching my favorite movie of all time. The Godfather part 2 is even more epic and is the standard for how sequels should be made. 🔥
As an Italian-American I see this as a great story and a great movie and it would be disingenuous to pretend that the Sicilian Mafia was not an integral part of early twentieth century America.
What a lot of people don’t get about Luca Brazi getting killed so early in the movie is not that they knew he was spying for Vito. It’s that they were always going to kill Vito. Tom said it himself. “Even Sonny won’t be able to call off Luca Brazi”. They would not be able to kill Luca easily once they went after Vito so Luca had to die first.
When Sollozzo made the offer to Vito, Barzini was planning on Vito turning him down. The whole scheme was a power play by Barzini. At the meeting of the family heads Barzini carried the conversation a little too much which made Vito realize that Barzini was not the neutral arbiter that he was trying to portray but the real opponent that Vito was facing.
If you read the book you get much more back story and character intent Micheal married the Sicilian girl because he felt that Kay and her family would not want a man who was accused of murder. A Sicilian girl would understand the culture more.
Also I believe in the book it was Micheal’s mother who facilitated the reunion. I can’t remember exactly how they got in contact with each other but Kay and Micheal’s mother were talking about Michael and Micheal’s mother invites Kay out to the house.
Also the closing of the door in Kay’s face at the end of the movie happens again in Godfather2 and I was told that ever after Diane Keaton’s close friends do this practically joke on her that when she shows up someplace that one of them will close a door in her face.
"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli". Favorite line in the movie. It's so cold.
I really appreciate your profound research work resulting in your historical background facts section in each of your videos. Love it! 👍
To your information: Mario Puzo's last name is pronounced "Put-so". 🙂
Apropos of names: Of course all the Italian names are heavily Americanized in this movie (e.g.: they say "Cor-le-own" instead of "Cor-le-oh-ne").
he never told anyone back then but 2 of Pacino's grandparents were from Corleone, Sicily