Movies

Movies nowadays are usually created according to the latest preferences of the people or based on the current trends in the society. Oftentimes, movies that top the charts are those which offer a supreme array of entertainment and superficial depth of critical analysis. Today, rarely will a person be able to encounter a movie that reflects real-life situations coupled with entertaining and mind-stimulating story line. Consequently, the present types of film productions are grounded on the ideals of consumerism and profit-earning activities. Luckily, none of these cases was ever a concern of the movie The Godfather because this cinematic masterpiece was able to combine quality movie experience with worthwhile entertainment that has defined a genre and became the standard of its contemporaries and successors.

Focusing on the conflicts of mafia-related families in America, the Godfather does not only deal with the brutalities and uneasiness of war times and gambling but also weaves into it a highly effective multitude of film elements that further set the film apart from the ordinary ones. In line with this, a critical analysis of the features and dimensions of movie elements that are accounted for the effectiveness of the film is the goal of this paper. It actually aims to offer an improved understanding of this classic movie based on the comprehension of the various film elements.

The Godfather Part I
 The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, epitomizes a classic film. It is not only admired as a classic history, but it is also regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time. The Godfather is a story about a Mafia family headed by Don Vito Carleone who is known to his associates as the Godfather. The conflict in the story begins when Don Vito is approached by the another mafia man named Sollozzo asking for financing and protection for the importation of heroin, but the Don refuses and reasons that his influence will be greatly jeopardized by such business. Shortly after this meeting, Don Vito is gunned down by an assassination plot and he barely survives. Michael, the Dons youngest son, used to disassociate himself from his fathers business, but after his father was almost killed and his brother died, and he is left with no choice but to take over the family business.

This motion picture became a success because the director was able to inject a mixture of the different film elements. The lighting, musical scoring and the editing all create a wonderful symmetry that helps the audience appreciate the story. Lighting is an element of the film that plays a huge role in the setting of expectations from the audience. The first scene of the movie starts as the camera slowly pulls back from the face of a man named Bonasera who is a member of the family. It can be noticed that in this very long take, low key lighting is used which indicates the darkness of the scene and suggests that the problem being discussed involves the business of the Mafia. After Bonaseras explanation about his problem, the camera zooms out and shifts to the outline of the hand, face, and desk of Don Vito Corleone. His power and authority is greatly manifested by the way Bonasera talks to him.

Editing is also one of the most important elements of a film because in its absence, modern television cannot exist. There are many exceptional scenes worthy of analysis in this movie, but nothing is better than the scene of baptism and murder wherein the director uses Einsteins method of montage editing. This is a process wherein an editor takes two pieces of a film and combines them in order to emphasize their true meaning. This is a method wherein two unconnected shots combined may lead to the creation of a third and different meaning (Montage). In this scene, Michael agrees to be the godfather of his sisters baby and during the last scene of the baptism, Michael indeed becomes the godfather of Connies baby. The sequencing of this part of the movie signals the start of Michael Corleones assumption of being the Godfather of the mafia. While the ceremony is ongoing, the service is shown to be simultaneous with the assassination of several mafia bosses and these were all planned by Michael in advance. The cross-cutting of the scenes is used to show alternative takes between the christening and the murders. The brief exchanges of words between Michael and the priest were being simultaneously cut by the killings of the mafia bosses. The priest speaks Latin at the start of the service thereby signaling the fact that the words are not of much significance and that the events that will shortly unfold are more important. While the images of the dead bodies are being shown, there is a voiceover of the priest giving blessing to the baby. The entire scene is very crucial to the successful execution of this movie because it shows the mixture of good and evil struggling over Michaels personality.

While the alternative scenes are being showed, Coppola adds a beautiful musical scoring by using the richness of Bachs masterpiece playing through the organ as the priest asks Michael whether or not he rejects Satan and all of his works. The murders represent the evil within him and the contrasting religion and murder just goes to show that Michael is a very complex character because he claims to reject Satan yet he is continuously committing a mortal sin. The baptism of a baby is considered as the purest thing on earth and the director utilizes this scene to give the viewers an in-depth examination of Michaels character. This part of the movie has the perfect use of music, language, and editing that gives the viewers the chill every time they watch the movie.

It is not hard to notice that the murders in the Corleone family begin as a way of defense in response to the killings of others. Director Coppola makes the main characters seem sympathetic by giving more weight on the murders committed by the other mafia families as compared to that committed by the Corleones, and his bias can be detected because it can be observed that the murders committed by the Corleones are not a shocking to the senses as that committed by others. Director Coppola places Vito Corleone at par with the ideals of the Americans by using a voiceover at the very beginning of the movie from Vito saying that he believes in America. This statement gives a connotation that The Godfather symbolizes the gangsters who came to the United States as immigrants in search for the American dream, and they achieve this dream in the same manner as the capitalists do with the exception of some illegal methods. Furthermore, the image of the mafia family as a closely-knit organization with Don Vito as the protector and collector of the obligations from them as a payment for his services seems lighter and as such, it stands in deep contrast to the more cruel reality of the other mafia families. One may also consider that this movie was released during a time of violence in the history of the country, and as such, one cannot help to consider how Don Vito and the Corleone family seem more sympathetic rather than murderers.

The Godfather II
The Godfather II simultaneously tells two different stories that are set in two completely different time periods. The second film features a parallel presentation of Vito Corleones rise to power in the 1910s and his son Michaels destruction of his own sense of humanity in the 1950s. The plot of the movie is the counterpart stories of both the son of the Godfather, Michael, and his father Vito. The narration or the plot structure contributed most to address the themes and subjects of the motion picture. The violence brought about by Michaels Carleones involvement to Mafia can be traced to his familys history. Don Vito rises up to power when he started to become a local Mafia agent after Don Fannuci. It explains through flashbacks of Don Vitos time why the Corleones became mixed up in the Mafia and violence in the first place. As the movie proceeds, I came to understand that the logic of the films journey back in time to Vitos youth suggests that the past affects the present.

The film also makes a comparison of how Vito and Michael approach and conduct personal life and power. Both characters love and protect their family. However, as a warm and loving father, Vito intelligently separates family from violence. His priority still is familyhe lives his life where family is more meaningful. The character of Don Vito Corleone, who is known as a shrewd Mafia boss, comes across as both the perfect father and perfect Godfather as he is being feared, making him a difficult model for all his children, especially Michael, to imitate.

During his younger years, Vito was already a ruthlessly ambitious Silican immigrant in New Yorks Little Italy in the early twentieth century. He was initially motivated to be rich and powerful to take revenge after his family was successively killed by a local Mafia boss back in the Silican countryside. Later, Vito, who initially made an honest and decent living as a grocery clerk in New York, builds a Mafia empire after losing his job, as the intimidated owner of the grocery store is forced to fire Vito to make room for the nephew of the local Mafia boss. After this event, Corleone learns to survive and make a living through petty crimes, stealing furniture and performing favors in return for loyalty. He commits his first murder however when he killed Fanucci, who tried to take advantage through extorting money from him. With Fanucci dead, Vito immediately earns the respect of the neighborhood and begins to intercede in local disputes and requests.

Young Vito eventually becomes a Mafia don in New York. With his new standing in the society, he dresses in fine suits and requests favors on behalf of friends. His new standing paved the way for him and his friend, Genco, to start an olive oil business that eventually becomes the biggest olive oil importer in the whole nation. However, Vito uses this business as a legal front for his organized crime syndicate while amassing wealth and power with his illegal inside activities and operations. Later on, Vito organizes his illegal operations as the Corleone crime family involving his sons Sonny and Michal to be a capo or underboss initially. During the prime of his power, he returns to Sicily to take revenge in the aging Don Cicio who killed Vitos brother and parents. To avenge his murdered parents and brother, Vito kills the don by carving his stomach open. Thus, from a kind and quiet young man, Vito became pragmatic and brutal criminal, though he never distanced or lost his kindness to his family.

On the other hand, Michael encounters tension between family and power. He seems burdened by the responsibility being of a don. Michael loses his wife and children as a cause he has to pay because of his tragic involvement with the Mafia. If Vito were placed in Michaels position, he will not let power and violence to dominate his family. Separation of business and family is a good theory for Vito and Michael, but Michaels way of handling the circumstances inevitably affected his family. The way Al Pacino (who plays Michael) approaches his more mature and powerful role is reflected in the tone of his voice and in his subtle acting. He plays his role in a much more spoken and self assured manner. Michael only needs to ask and command and it shall be done, and when Michael shouts, he dominates the scene. This reflects power. Michael does not have to please anyone because his power will speak for himself.

Michael and Vito are both subtle in character and both intense, but both actors (with Robert De Niro playing as the young Vito) handle the intensity differently as portrayed by their character. Vitos intensity comes across as a perfect husband and father and as a determined and hardworking man. Vito is an ideal romantic figure. In contrast, Michael is always overdrawn by intensity to get what he wants. Nevertheless, De Niros and Pacinos quietness and subtle acting gives a powerful highlight to the exploration of evil, passion and power.

In addition, Michael also uses church to get across his ambition. One of the primary reasons of the Corleones stability is their close connection with the Roman Catholic Church. They have a material based relationship with the church as they bestowed it with financial gifts and favors. The Corleones sense of morality, however, does not conform to what the church says towards the significance of morality. Apparently, their relationship with the Church is only for the sake of external benefit with the intention of acquiring respect. In exchange for their generosity towards the church with the awareness of the media, Corleones family also accumulates favors from the church when they needed it. In this scenario, the ends do not justify the meansif the ends are necessary for the continuation of a society or power, then the means do not have to be morally bound. Perhaps, big tithes are used by the Corleones family for absolution after practicing underground crimes and corruption, but apparently, in using the Roman Church for personal interest, the Corleones have the tendency to deceive and manipulate others for personal gain.

One of the dynamic portrayals of the character is the direct disagreement of Kay (Michaels wife) to the Mafia way of life. She strongly objects the Mafias idealism. At the end of the movie, the viewer can sense the awakening of realization about her character when she reveals the truth that her miscarriage was really an abortion. This is her silent manifestation of her rebellion against him that leads to the destruction of Michaels family which is immensely painful to him. When Kay remarries and becomes the legal first parent, Michael is deeply and silently wounded. Kay is the only first and last battle that he loses.

The cinematography is also a crucial element in The Godfather Part II. The colors and mood of the environment enhance time. Softer and pastel colors are used to enhance the feelings of the time. It makes it look like an old photograph like seeing it from a very distant memory. The color also sometimes varies. For example, when violence and death take place, the color in the background is dim while black and white are being highlighted. This is the directors way of communicating with the audiences emotions. The costume and set agree with the character. The set and props has a strong influence in the movie. It has a binding agreement to the time and themes. I also noticed that Michael in particular is always shown from a high angle shot to emphasize his power and strong personality. It seems intimidating, but it is the cinematographys way of telling something about Michaels character. The low angle shot of several scenes also stresses death and mystery.

The Godfather II is one of the most astonishing movies I have ever watched. The movie reflects cultural idealism that mirrors family, loyalty and honor. It reveals how the Corleone family consolidates their business power to protect their familys honor. It is highly anticipated and perhaps critically examined because the movie setting also depicts the American economic success where the powerful Mafia groups are great contributors. It is a story of gangster genre where power is very important. The Godfather, despite its low budgeted production, has an enduring artistic legacy where the film speaks for itself. Coppola does a good job with the way he develops his characters. Vito and Michael seem quiet and cold, but Coppola artistically makes an evolution for them as cold-blooded killers that made them a stronger force. I also found the background colors satisfying. The color scheme alone will say that the future involvement of the characters will be dark experiences. The movie is a complete material of a different variety of elements from music to colors, setting, and plot structure and character development. It is a perfect blend of elements wherein a variety of scenes is linked together from different time periods and creates emotional momentum and revelation. After watching the film, I was very excited even to research about how the American government, family-oriented critics and anti and pro Mafia reacted to this film. After all, this is a movie about family-oriented violence brought by disloyalty and revenge. Ultimately, this is also a story of the American corporate corruption and violence during 20th century. Nevertheless, the story also gives justice to the dark side of human nature. Examples of this are the loving and warm nature of Vito, Kays self realization at the end that she does not want to become part of violence and corruption, and Michaels enduring love for his family even though he is being corrupted by evilness and power.

The Godfather III, Elements and Emotions
Generally, the third part of The Godfather, the third film in the series, still has numerous points of similarity from previous films, especially in terms of how emotional aspects are portrayed and presented. Specifically, in terms of establishing a sympathetic effect upon the audience, the director has utilized various elements in a highly effective manner. Such film elements which definitely aid in developing the aforementioned response from the audience include the setting, cinematography, clothing, pace, sound, music, character and plot. Hence, in providing a proper argument that the Godfather trilogy, or in this case the third in the series, indeed confers sympathy among the audience, the only appropriate approach would be to discuss how each of the aforesaid elements have been masterfully manipulated and arranged by the brilliant director of the film, none other than Francis Ford Coppola.

To begin the discussion, it would be most appropriate to expound on how the settings used throughout the film have been vital in attaining sympathy from the viewers. Specifically, both New York and the Vatican City have been used as the main locations shown throughout the film. In relation to this, it would not be difficult for one to immediately identify the distinctions between the two cities. As a matter of fact, aside from the apparent appeal of the two contrasting cities, organized crimes are often associated with both. In the movie however, it is certainly clear that New York and Vatican are also presented in a symbolic manner, wherein the former is regarded as a means of escape for Michaels roots and heritage while the Vatican may be thought of as a harsh reflection of Michaels past. In this sense, an appeal to ones emotions has been established through the contrasting geographical settings, as these are central to the internal and external dilemmas of Michael as well as the other remaining members of the Corleone family.

From the previous discussion, it has been explained as to why the setting is indeed vital to the overall effect of the film to the viewers. However, establishing the believability of the characters is also necessary in maintaining a connection with the audience and gaining the desired effect in terms of sympathy. In this sense, the director once again succeeds as the clothing of the main characters is completely natural to the historical point and setting being portrayed throughout the course of the film. Hence, the viewers would have no concerns regarding disbelief due to the authenticity of the physical and aesthetic aspects of the movie. Of course, the cinematography also allows for a very natural effect of the situations that transpired. As a matter of fact, the lighting and color saturation applied in filming are ideal to establishing a natural image in relation to every sub-location in the movie. The camera focus has been accomplished in a superb manner as well, and the emotion expressed in scenes may easily be appreciated by any viewer.

To reiterate, sympathetic views pertaining to the characters of The Godfather Part III may be directly associated with the masterful execution of the focus upon the realities during such a point in history as well as the superb emphasis on believability not only in terms of the setting but also in terms of acting. If such aspects of the film have not been successfully crafted, then as aforementioned, the appeal to the viewers emotions would not be as it is. In addition to the previously discussed film elements, it must also be highlighted that the pace of the film also contributed to its emotional appeal. In order to effectively portray the emotional difficulties and internal conflicts of the characters, flashbacks are presented at the beginning and at the end of the movie. Also, arguments, grief, and violence are properly transitioned so as to further emphasize the challenges being faced by the characters. This allows for an effective transition between fast-paced and violent scenes and situations which highlight personal reflection and emotional discussion.        

While the pacing and scene transitions allow for viewers to learn more of the situations being faced by the characters throughout the film, the use of sounds and music further enhances the other film elements and also creates a distinct atmosphere during critical sequences. Although the effective use of both sound and music may be observed throughout the film, the scene with the most impact upon ones sympathy would be the closing moments. Specifically, the music played throughout the final moments of Michael, wherein he is alone and evidently filled with regret and sadness, completely supplements the effect of the scene. As a matter of fact, without the music, it would be probable that a viewer would not exhibit the same emotional reaction from such a scene the sympathy of the audience may not be as easily tapped if the music did not complement the gravity and the image of the final scene in the movie. Thus, it may be said that The Godfather has been generally successful in developing sympathy for the characters among the viewers through an excellent use of scores and effects in different sequences throughout the film.

Definitely the most important reason as to why the characters in the film are able to attain sympathy from viewers is in terms of both character development and plot progression. While the previous films are essential in establishing both character and plot, the development of such aspects throughout the third film is still definitely top-notch. Who would not feel sympathetic towards a person that did all that he can to leave behind a life of crime and violence but in the end was still not able to escape his past and suffered considerable repercussions such as loneliness and anguish until his death Definitely, people know of the challenges associated with changing ones life for the better, and in this sense, understanding the pain of unaccomplished dreams and failure would most likely appeal to anyones feelings. Therefore, it may definitely be concluded that the characters in the third part of the Godfather series of films are able to effectively gain ones sympathy not only through the stories associated with them but also through the excellent execution of various film elements to augment the overall emotional effect.

The Godfather is undeniably one of the best movies of all time. After assessing the effects of the film elements that were used in this movie, it is really not surprising why a number of movie critics have included this film in their list of top 100 best films in the history of movie-making. The actors and actresses effective portrayal of their characters, the firm line delivery, the aura of the setting, the mood of the story, lighting, sound, props and clothing, cinematography, and all the other elements have helped to create a masterpiece out of this film. Consequently, both adults and children must be given the chance to enjoy this movie and dwell on its lifetime lessons.