How Does Michael Corlee Use Film Techniques In The Godfather

THE GODFATHER AND MICHAEL CORLEONE’S RISE TO POWER

Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, Schindler’s List, Forrest Gump, and Casablanca are some of the most well-known and popular films of all time, with each of these making an appearance on the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest movies of all time (AFI’s, 2023). Another one of these popular movies, and one I hear about often, is The Godfather. Now that I have seen this crime film and studied its cinematography, I can understand why it is so renowned. There are a variety of film choices that are meticulous and thorough. These details highlight the messages that the film is trying to convey, especially the messages surrounding the main character, Michael Corleone. Through many aspects

There is one particular scene that comes to mind which uses cuts to show how Michael becomes the godfather literally for his nephew and figuratively for the mafia. Towards the end of the movie, Connie asks Michael to be the godfather of her new baby. Around the same time, Vito dies and Michael becomes in charge of the family business. As one of his first acts as head of the business, he orders the murders of five enemies and rivals: Stracci, Greene, Cueno, Tattaglia, and Barzini. Ironically, these murders take place during Michael’s nephew’s baptism. While the murders are executed by his hitmen, Michael stands in a church, swearing to guide his nephew in the way of Christ. Scenes from the baptism cut to scenes of murders, then back to Michael’s holy promise, then to more murder. This is an example of intellectual montage, or “juxtaposition of two or more unrelated actions or locations” (Jung, Week 4). Even though Michael is involved in it all in some way, the different actions of murder and baptism seem unrelated. The editing of cuts reveals a stark contrast between what Michael says and what he does. It also shows how far he has come since his proclamation at the beginning of the movie that he will never be involved with the family business. Finally, it defines what kind of mafia leader Michael will be: one that does not fear

By viewing The Godfather with feminist theory, the audience can see how Michael changed based on the way he treated Kay throughout the film. In the beginning, Michael and Kay were a team. They talked to each other and were honest with each other. Michael respected her as a fellow individual. This can be contrasted by the objectifying way Sonny treated the bridesmaids at the wedding at the beginning of the movie. Unfortunately, Michael and Kay were separated for some time, but by the end of the movie, they were married. In the last scene, Connie, through tears and hysteria, accuses Michael of killing her husband. After she is sent away, Kay is appalled by the thought of Michael killing someone, especially his brother-in-law. She demands to know if it is true or not, and despite Michael’s reluctance to answer her, he tells her that he did not kill Connie’s husband. Even though this puts Kay at ease, it is a lie. After beginning the movie by telling Kay that he would not get involved with the family business, by the end, he has resorted to killing family members and lying to his wife about it. Analyzing Kay’s relationship with Michael reveals how much he has negatively changed throughout the