Katie Cavanaugh
Ms. Taylor
APLAC Period 1
12 February 2012
The Godfather: A Classic
Click
on your television on a weekend night, flip through the channels, and you’re
more likely than not to find a showing of The
Godfather. Turn on said channel and
you’ll find yourself watching a critically acclaimed, organized crime drama
centering on the Italian American Corleone family, one deemed “The Greatest
Movie of All Time” by both Entertainment Weekly and Empire magazines (IMDb.com) . Flip past The
Godfather and you’re still likely to end up watching it, just in modified, modernized
version: think The Jersey Shore, Mob
Wives, or The Real Housewives of New
Jersey.
However, the original, directed
by Frances Ford Coppola and released to the American public in 1972, embodies
the very depth, thematic brilliance, and genuine performances so many of its successors
are criticized for lacking (TVGuide.com) . Using the ever-appealing sheen of the
gun-toting Mafia and the distinct glamour of life lived outside the law’s
bounds, this film, much like a good Mafia hit man, draws an audience in
seamlessly and then, almost before they know what has happened, engrosses them
in a profound, multi-faceted drama about the evolution of an entrancingly
imperfect family. By capturing viewers
in such, and then proceeding to lead them through action-laced events to an
ending rich with thematic value, The
Godfather is a definitive classic American film.
Society
evolves constantly, second by second, especially in reference to the various
technologies and ways of communication seemingly sprouting
instantaneously. A classic film has to
have staying power and, to do so, has to appeal to audiences over a wide time
span with its thematic richness. In essence, such a film must focus on issues
that, no matter the time or place, are wrestled with by humans on a basic
level. Classic films must also be the product
of inspired casting: strong performances from actors portraying realistic,
genuine, fresh characters are necessary for a movie to be considered classic.
And a movie can scarcely be considered classic if it fails to take on an innovative
role in society. Classic movies define
new genres for future cinematographic endeavors and have cultural longevity
within American society.
By
playing upon a combination of the ideas of family, individual evolution, and
moral strength in the face of a corrupt community, The Godfather creates the kind of rich thematic experience that
affects a viewer on a personal level and makes the film itself classic. Opening
with the wedding of “Don” Vito Corleone’s daughter, Don, the head of a New York
mafia ‘family,’ appears entirely in control of those around him, despite the
lurking realization that his power is beginning to erode. Don Vito, played to brilliant believability
by Marlon Brando, believes in the old-school morals that are quickly becoming a
thing of the past in the organized crime of the late 1900s: family, loyalty,
and respect. These antiquated views,
along with gambling and alcohol, are forces of the past. However, Don Vito refuses to abandon them and
denies the family involvement in the narcotics business of the future, at the
expense of high profits. The family
patriarch can scarcely view this as a moral victory, though, as his youngest
son Michael, once an innocent bystander to his family’s atrocities,
becomes head of the family mafia and
institutes a far more ruthless rule than that of his father. Don Vito’s difficulty to evolve in the face
of changing times is just as pertinent today, as people struggle to adapt to
society’s demands while also retaining their own morals. Watching the Corleone’s struggle to define a
moral code and witnessing the transformation of Michael from a war hero opposed
to his family’s life of crime to becoming exactly what it was he once condemned
is the kind of thematic material that makes a viewer question the basis of
their own values and fallibility.
The Godfather also reaches the level of
a classic movie by featuring distinct, complex characters free from stereotype,
although they may have consequently formed some of their own. While
The Godfather is certainly a drama
about organized crime, it is not a film about mobsters: it is a film about
people. The raspy voice, deliberate
movements, and penetrating stare of Marlon Brando as Don Vito create for the
audience a complete person, something more than just the stereotypical
gangster. This is not a man who is
heartless or irresponsible: in his own words, “A man who doesn’t spend time
with his family can never be a real man” (IMDb.com) . Don Vito is, in many ways, everything the
typical man aspires to be: he puts family first and despises displays of
weakness. Yet the moments that transcend
most from the film directly to the audience are those when Don Vito displays
his wordless sympathy for Michael as he is forced to assume the family throne,
showing an understanding of the burden of power and responsibility in a most
natural way. By casting actors and
actresses with the capacity to portray such complicated characters down to
every movement and every word, The
Godfather creates a set of relatable, unforgettable characters, ones we see
reflected in ourselves and those around us.
A
classic movie can be played any time and be both enjoyable and relevant. Often, what makes these films have continued relevance
is that they have made an imprint on the culture of society itself. The
Godfather, perhaps more so than any other film in recent history, remains
relevant and has cultural longevity. In
fact, it can be argued that The Godfather
created the “gangster movie” genre and inspired the current American fascination
with the lives of Italian-Americans who, like the Corleone family, walk the
line between right and wrong, law and transgression, moral and corrupt (TheGodfather.com) .
Certainly
The Godfather’s successors, shows
like the aforementioned Jersey Shore
or Mob Wives, fail to have such
substantive value as the film but they do reflect the ever-prevalent questions
explored in the movie itself. In a
society where politicians and businessmen could increasingly be easily confused
with the morally just, but ruthless mafia men featured in the film, The Godfather brings up issues that are
still very much at the front of cultural context. For example, how does one define family, and
what should one be willing to do to protect theirs? What makes something moral? How tightly
should one hold to their morals? What does it mean to be lawful? How does one
reconcile who they want to be with what society is pushing them to become?
These
aren’t questions The Godfather has
answers to; only ones that it brings to the forefront of the viewer’s mind. And because these questions are almost always
relevant, if not more so today than when the movie was filmed, The Godfather is a classic. Because, while, yes, this movie has great
themes, genuine characters, and has stayed the test of time, it is the ability
of The Godfather to make a viewer
evaluate, and perhaps even change, their own way of life, that makes it truly
classic.
Works Cited
IMDb.com. "The Godfather (1972)." The
Internet Movie Database (IMDb). 12 February 2012
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/>.
TheGodfather.com.
"About the Films- The Godfather Timeline- 1990s." TheGodfather.com.
12 February 2012 <http://www.thegodfather.com/>.
TVGuide.com. "The
Godfather: A Flim Review." TV Guide. 12 February 2012
<http://movies.tvguide.com/the-godfather/review/124688>.
I thought that your ability to connect the movie to society today, allowed you to establish a strong ethos because it shows you understand the ideas of the movie. By elaborating on Don Vito's indecisiveness and decision making you allowed the reader to connect to his feelings which is what the movie intends, evolving a pathos. Your ability to explain in detail the hopes of the movie as a movie not only "not about mobsters: it is a film about people," was a strong establishment of the message of the movie. Also, your definition of a "classic" film at the very beginning allowed you to expand of those qualifications and explain them in more detail each paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job with this review. The way you noted what made audiences want to watch this movie over and over again was a real successful way to move into the review. One thing that I do question is the linkage between today's society and that of the movie's era. Is it a good movie because it is a cultural piece? You never really say. Overall though your use of pathos and ethos really help out your review and statement that the Godfather is a classic. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI can tell that your review was very carefully constructed. I definitely had the sense that you were speaking in an informal, familiar tone, that would get any readers not only to consider, but perhaps to appreciate what you were saying. You strong voice helps bring about the realism of your review: it does not necessarily follow the general structure of an essay or argument, but as a touch of human to it that makes it all the more convincing. Right off the bat, I could tell that you had truly comprehended the movie, as you likened it to its own plot - describing it as something similar to a Mafia hit man that draws any viewers in.
ReplyDeleteYour argument was also very convincing in the sense that you made your review applicable to all audiences. You noted the film's important use of drawing on the idea of a family, and in doing so, portrayed it as an appropriate movie for the whole family. You incorporation of sources better backed up your position, making you sound more credible as a writer. And your ability to incorporate an argument of definition by defining a "classic" forces all of your readers to follow your logic and see for themselves that the movie is a must-see.
This evaluation was clearly well planned, organized and executed. You examined the elements of its "hook", relation to society, themes and other distinguishing qualities of this film. Your sophisticated diction stresses your beliefs that this movie is truly a classic. You made general connections to society and portrayed this particular film's effect on society. An appeal to emotion was evident when you applied these connections to your audience. It had a major impact when you claimed that this classic could "change, [people's] own way of life." You appealed to logic and reasoning when you effectively incorporated various quotes. These quotes, as well as analyses of them, provided a large base for your argument. By citing your sources and maintaining a detached tone, you were able to make a successful appeal to authority. This well crafted argument defined what a "classic" movie is, as well as proving why the Godfather is a classic. Great job! I haven't seen this movie before but I am certainly more willing to watch it after reading your argument.
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