The Godfather, a novel by Mario Puzo and a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a story of a Mafia family in the United States. The film focuses on Michael’s transition from rejecting his father’s life to embracing the path of organized crime. The sequel, The Godfather: Part II, follows Michael’s choices and covers the aspects of the book not filmed in the first film. The story suggests the seductive path to power by illegal means. Michael becomes increasingly corrupt, loses everything, and orders the death of his brother-in-law and brother. The film was met with considerable acclaim, especially for Al Pacino’s portrayal of Michael.
The Godfather is both a 1969 novel by author Mario Puzo and a 1972 Academy Award-winning film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and is considered by many critics to be one of the best films ever made. With an impressive cast that includes Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire, Diane Keaton and James Caan, the film is a rousing epic of the story of a Mafia family in the United States. The book chronicles the journey of Vito Corleone, as he becomes the Godfather, or head of a very prominent Mafia family in America, and then focuses on the journey of Vito’s youngest son, Michael, as he eventually assumes the role of Godfather and boss of the family business.
In the film version of The Godfather, the main focus is not on Vito’s early childhood, but instead on Michael’s transition from rejecting his father’s life and a life of organized crime, to eventually embracing this path. The Godfather: Part II, which for many critics is arguably the best cinematic sequel ever made, continues to follow Michael as his choices take him away from his beloved wife Kay, but also return to revisit the first story of Vito, played by Robert De Niro. Essentially the second film covers those aspects of the book not filmed in the first film.
Both the book and the film version of The Godfather are fascinating character studies that suggest the seductive path to power by illegal means. In the first film, Michael dates his girlfriend, Kay, and they attend the wedding of Michael’s sister, Connie. There is clearly tension between Michael and his father. Michael specifically rejected the path of organized crime and, prior to the start of the film, enlisted in the military during WWII. Although Michael loves his family, he doesn’t want to get involved in the business and is adamant to Kay that this will always be his choice.
Events, however, change Michael’s mind. An attempted murder of his father brings out Michael’s murderous side, and he agrees to a meeting with drug lord Salazzo and a police captain, solely to kill them both. Family protection runs very high in the Corleone family, as does the centuries-old revenge principal. Michael’s actions force him to flee the country to Sicily, while his brother Santino (Sonny) serves as temporary boss of the Corleone family. Sonny is hot-tempered and downright awful as a don, and he’s murdered, framed by Connie’s husband.
Meanwhile, Vito recovers some health, but an all-out war has begun between the various Mafia families (the five families), while he recovers. He finally “makes peace” to end the war, and is able to bring Michael safely home from Sicily, and in that moment, Michael, whose Sicilian bride is killed, has fully committed himself to the “style of mafia life”. Vito grooms him to take the job, and the two plot revenge on those who created the mob war in the first place.
Michael reconnects with Kay upon returning from Sicily and convinces her to marry him, assuring her that he will attempt to turn the family’s stock towards legitimate business. But the illegality of organized crime is not easily escaped and Michael is unable to extricate himself or the company from a continuing path of corruption. Kay remains hopeful for a while, but leaves Michael by the end of the book, and by the end of the second film.
As Michael becomes increasingly corrupt, he orders the death of his brother-in-law, and later in The Godfather: Part II he orders the death of his brother, Fredo. He has become utterly ruthless, unforgiving and intensely corrupt. Though he gains power, he loses pretty much everything else. The mafia lifestyle is not consistent with having normal family relationships.
The filmed version of The Godfather was met with considerable acclaim, as many enjoyed Puzo’s book. The casting was brilliant, especially the casting of Al Pacino as Michael Corleone. In an interview with Inside the Actor’s Studio, Pacino recounts how Coppola’s decision to hire him was met with opposition, and for a time during the first few days of shooting, Pacino expected every single day that he would be fired. This, film critics argue, would have been a considerable mistake. Though the film features the incomparable Marlon Brando, The Godfather is truly driven by Michael’s story, and it’s Pacino’s take on the part that makes the film so chilling and effective.
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