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The Godfather Cinematography

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On the 24th of March in 1971 an epic criminal drama “The Godfather” by Francis Ford Coppola was released. In a moment, from young to old, “The Godfather” captured attention of many millions of viewers, critics and politics – every man who was somehow connected with cinema and society. This film can be admired, this film can be criticized, but the fact remains - this film cannot be ignored. “The Godfather” became a brilliant masterpiece, which changed the very concept of what is real movie and in what direction the film industry should develop. One by one the "Godfather" won award by award, conquering film festival by film festival climbing higher and higher in the list of the greatest films in the history of cinema: 12 awards, including 3 Oscar …show more content…

America has made my fortune", a great sense of this film is contained in this opening phrase. The scene immediately becomes tense as soon as the camera starts to slowly move back, close-up shooting a person on the verge, Bonasera, a father, who lived and work honestly for his family and whose live was crushed by hands of rascals. The figure of Bonasera contrasted against a dark background but still staying in the shadows, while we see everything from the perspective of the Godfather sitting in the dark and listening to the petitions, brilliant stage lighting and framing. The cinematography of this movie was smooth with all scenes because Coppola did close-up scenes whenever necessary, and in every single scene the viewer can follow the story to the next scene without wondering what is going on or why. “The Godfather” remains essentially dark and tasteful, and colors are used perfectly to give a true feel of the era it is set in. There is a fair amount of violence, which was accurately filmed; it is not just a mindless violence, which remains rarely gratuitous. Every single sound effect used was played well within each scene, making the scene effective in making it seem real to the viewer. When there are outdoor scenes the viewer can hear the wind, birds, traffic, and other outdoor noises. When the scenes take place indoors, the viewer can hear the footsteps, door shutting or opening, and other indoor noises, which are appropriate for the scene. Praised by many as the best cast to ever appear in an American movie, all the cast in “The Godfather” succeeds in portraying complex, three-dimensional characters without ever making a slip. The exceptional portrayals of Don Vito and Michael Corleone respectively by Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, the performances by Robert Duvall, James Caan and Diane Keaton as Tom Hagen, Santino Corleone and Kay Adams, the ruthless Virgil Sollozzo played by Al Lettieri -- as well as more

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After discussing multiple of Scorsese’s other films the author, Robert Casillo, moves on to discuss the real Henry Hill, his rise to power, and his betrayal of the crime “family” he worked for. Robert Casillo also discusses the acting of the main characters and previously famous actors, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta. Specifically, Casillo compares the acting of the main characters to the actions of the real-life people that their characters were based on, and the representation the actors portrayed them

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The Godfather The concept of Verisimilitude seemed to fail for the most part with this movie. In numerous scenes, such as where someone or something died, the viewer watches an incredible dramatic and exaggerated performance play out before them, which is especially tough to imagine happening in their own life. Specifically, in the incident where the godfather is shot at the market, he dramatically falls onto the car, stops due to gravity, then flops over a few extra times before hitting the ground and moving again once more. I suppose the intention of the actions here are to convince the audience that he is truly and surely dead. Another example would be the famous scene with Jack Woltz, who awakened with a severed head of a horse at the

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The characterization in the film Goodfellas by director Martin Scorsese is based on a true story of the Italian mafia, and the commonality the director Baz Luhrmann’s film The Great Gatsby (20013) share is an organized crime theme. Both film directors express the unique composition of mise-en-scène. The sets, costumes in the films are realistic to each time period in which they are set. The films elements of mise-en-scene influence the viewer’s a psychological sentiment in relation with the film.

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Cinematography is critical to the success of any movie. Cinematography uses composition, lighting, depth of field, and camera angles to determine what the audience sees. Casablanca’s cinematography directs the audience’s attention, shapes the audiences feelings, and reveals the theme of the movie. Cinematography directs the audience’s attention and acts as the viewer’s eyes. The cinematography highlights Casablanca as a dangerous place filled with deception.

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Many say the best aspect of this film was its cinematography which greatly affected the feel and look throughout. From the opening credits to the last scene of the film the Cinematography was very important, the first scene of the film Jake LaMotta is alone preparing for a fight in a smoky ring. While this scene was shot in slow motion, with its wide angle lens which enlarged the size of the boxing ring. The use of the close frame composition techniques makes the viewers notice that Jake LaMotta is completely

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The Godfather is a mob film focuses on the Corleone Family, with its head Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) trying to find a suitable heir

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The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features an incredible amount of talent. Household names such as: Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters

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Things such as that make people feel as if the mafia is harmless and won’t affeict their lives. Movies such as The Godfather have had massive amounts of

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1972 crime drama The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, rose to fame as a masterpiece of modern editing techniques. With its usage of techniques such as reverse shots, parallel editing, and purposeful point of view, The Godfather creates a unique viewing experience for its audience. One of the most important editing techniques used in the film is fading. Through its inclusion in transitions and key scenes such as the beheaded horse scene, fading helps to set the ominous tone and impact the viewer’s understanding of the film.

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As a result, The Godfather ends up becoming a successful blockbuster, but it’s also artistic, and reflective of our society. The Godfather caters to both casual and critical audiences. Coppola uses graphic violence to draw in casual viewers, but he draws in critical viewers by having the film become a social critique of society. Auteur films are meant to give us a view of the world. In addition, the film draws parallels between the mafia and the police, by essentially stating that our society is corrupt.

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At the end of World War II, Italy’s government started to fall, which made living there even tougher than it already was. The social class difference was an all time high and neorealism had become far more noticed by the people. Italian film was just becoming more popular and with everything happening in Italian society, filmmakers saw the opportunity to react. Italian cinemas began playing films showing difficulty within the economy along with problems in everyday life. This grabbed the attention of a significant amount of people including the government.

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This creates a contrast with the darker and lighter parts of the scene, and creates the subject of the scene to be hidden in the shadows. This lighting technique is perfect for a gangster film such as the Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola’s has made apt use of lighting in this scene. In this scene, almost all the frames are low lit, especially the scenes where Don Corleone’s eyes are darkened.

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