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Actors: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, John Cazale
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Godfather |
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Michael Corleone (Pacino), a decorated war hero, returns home in 1945 for his sister's wedding. His father Vito (Brando) heads a prominent mob family that turns down an offer to go into narcotics with other crime organizations. This sparks a war between the various New York crime outfits. An unsuccessful hit on Vito puts him in the hospital; Michael's older brother Fredo (Cazale) is farmed out to Vegas, and feisty brother Sonny (Caan), who takes over with consigliere and adopted brother Tom Hagen (Duvall) during Vito's convalescence, is also violently dispatched.
Gradually, Michael takes over the reins of the family operation, first by shooting two enemies, including corrupt police captain McCluskey (Hayden) and hiding out for a year or more in Sicily; then arranging a massive coordinated attack on the other organizations in 1955.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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The movie is about a family...biological as well as criminal family. It shows how the son(Pacino) of a powerful mafia man(Brando) gets pulled into the family business by unexpected circumstances(the shooting and eventual death of his father) and how he fights to keep his "Family" on top. It shows how his father, who never wanted this son involved, teaches him about the "business"...how to think and react, how others think, who to trust and ho not to trust. The movie ends with the son becoming the new head of the family.
--Rhea, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Godfather |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Crime & Police Story?
Yes
Criminal enemy is...
- law enforcement gone bad
- Mafia conflict
If this is a criminal POV story...
- criminals killing each other
- one man's rise in a criminal organization
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- infantry soldier
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
- sad
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Italian
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- white/grey
Hair style
- (man) bald
Body type
- fat (man)
How much in movie?
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Italian
Main Adversary
Identity:
- a criminal organization
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
- 80%
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Italian
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- Midwest
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- resort/hotel
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately messy visuals of dead
- gory visuals of deaths
Movie makes you feel...
- excited
How many deaths in film?
- 8 or more
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- actual description of sex
- sex under blankets
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 1 (None)
Kind of violence:
- hand to hand
- guns
Unusual forms of death
- asphyxiation
- perforation--bullets
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
- Some foul language
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Loftus
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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