"Women can be careless. Not men."

In the movie The Godfather, there was an evident difference in the role of the man and the women. The men seem to be superior than the women in the sense that the women cannot question the judgement of the men.

The men seem to keep away their business from the women and the women cannot ask them questions about it or give their input on any situations relating to the business. I think this was a major theme throughout the movie. The movie starts off with a father out to find justice for his daughter that was brutally beaten and asks of this from the Godfather. The Godfather cannot refuse since it is the day of his daughter's wedding.

The movie ends with Kay Adams seeming to realize the ruthlessness of Michael Corleone to the full realization. It think that the men have more of a power since they have taken away lives, and if a women makes a mistake, no one dies. The women seem to live a more peaceful life since they are not part of the business as the men are and they do not have to watch or worry for their lives. However, they do worry of the lives of their loved ones.

I think that in the movie, the door also symbolizes the divide between the men and the women since it is a barrier between them. This example is evident in the end scene when one of Michael's men closes the door, where Kay Adams is on the other side.

Michael Corleone is Tom Hagen + Santino Corleone

Santino "Sonny" Corleone and Tom Hagen appear to be as a foil of Michael Corleone. Foil's can be emphasized by physical characteristics but they also highlight various features of another characteristics personality.

Tom Hagen—who was the adopted son of Vito Corleone and served as the family lawyer and consigliere—liked to think critically before acting and had more of a business intellectual. He like to play his cards safe but perhaps too safe.

Michaels biological brother, Santino, on the other hand, seemed to be a person who acted fast and wanted justice, revenge and vengeance now. He was hot headed and hot tempered and wants results and action to be taken as soon as possible.

Then there is Michael, who seems to be a little bit of both of them., a balance on the scale. He thinks before he acts but he takes the appropriate action and knows what and how to approach it. He demonstrates this throughout the movie and he is similar to his father as well. He is intellectual but also has ruthless characteristics. He is balanced which makes him an ideal person to take over the family business.

The use of doors in the movie The Godfather

In the movie The Godfather, there seems to be a recurring camera angle that is shot showing characters or a scene through a door way. A doorway can represent inside or an enterance to a place of some sort. It can even symbolize a shield or a barrier because without one, anyone could have access to it. Since this angle was a very popular shot throughout the movie, it make's one ponder on its significance and asks many questions. Is this just one of Francois Ford Coppola's favorable camera angles?

Or is it something more.

Maybe it is just a strategy in order to lengthen or prolong the scenes throughout the movie. However, one thing that I noticed is that in the end of the movie, was that the door closes behind Kay Adams, shielding her away from her husband, Don Corleone, and left as an outsider.

Literary Feature Hunt-Suspense

The literary device suspense is used in the movie The Godfather quiet effectively and the director uses it to his advantage in order to hook the audience and keep them interested in the movie. In class, I couldn't help but notice how everyone is itching to continue watching the movie since we want to know what the outcome is and how it happened. One scene that was especially interesting was the scene where Michael Corleone was planning to kill McCluskey and Sollazo. This grabbed my attention because here was the same person who said he was not interested in being part of the family business and he was know expertly strategizing on ways to murder the two. I was completetly paying full attention while watching this situation because I wanted to know if he would come through. In the scene where Michael does follow the plan and meet with Sollazo and McClusky in the car, I found feeling scared when they passed the restaurant where the planned to meet since it may have put Michael Corleone's life in danger. However, that was just a trick to make sure no one was following them and they returned to the original place where they were to meet. I also found the scene especially suspenseful because his character did not follow exatly what the pre-plotted plan was. For example, he was suppose to come out of the bathroom shooting, however he chose to sit back down. At this point I thought that he was having second thoughts about the whole thing and I did not think he was going to go through with it. I also thought that if he was not going to take the lives of McCluskey and Sollazo, I thought they would ultimately kill him. Except, as he sat down for a couple of more minutes he shot them both, first the cop and second, Sollazo and was standing there for a few moments and I thought he may be caught by someone. However, he was not and he did dropped the gun like planned and fled the scene. Suspense is used to catptivate the audience and in the movie The Godfather, it was used quite efficiently and appropriately.

Does the Godfather 'glorify' the Mafia- Archetypes

Marlon Brando initially refused to be considered for the role of Don Corleone, saying “I won’t glorify the Mafia.” Does The Godfatherindeed “glorify” organized crime?

While watching the movie The Godfather, I could not help but be fascinated and intrigued by the inside look of the running and everyday life of the Mafia. I usually prefer chick flicks or comedies opposed to Gangster Dramas however, the suspense used in the movie made me interested right away. The action helped keep one wanting more and more.

I feel that the movie somewhat does glorify organized crime. This being said, a lot of people are interested in guns and like violence, hence the fact there are so many violent video games that are being played by teens, adults-even childern! The Godfather has a lot of violence and this is one thing that a lot of people are attracted to. Perhaps not so much the violence but the power. The power over choosing someone's faith for them and that power can make anyone use it in crazy ways. The Mafia has a lot of power and it may send out a message that power is a thing to crave for, and get it at all costs. For example, in the beginning of the movie we are shown a man asking Don Corleone to help him get revenge on a male who ruined his daughter. Don Corleone has that power to help him and he has the power to demand respect from him. This could send out a message that violence and having this power over people and being in the Mafia is an extreme advantage. Some might say yes, it is an advantage and I would agree. However, them being murderers should not be overlooked.

I feel that the movie does glorify the Mafia since it is showing the lives of the characters who are associated with the Mafia. It creates a connection with the audience and the characters and the audience usually roots for the main characters because it is their life we are being shown and from their point of view, what they are doing is not wrong. One can't blame them or Don Corleone for being good at what he does. In the scene where Michael is set out to kill McCluskey and Sollozo I was rooting for him to kill the two even though I know that it would be wrong.

I do feel it does glorify the mafia since I am interested more into it and felt like it wasn't such a big deal when really it is. This could be since it wasn't showing the lives of others who were not in the Mafia, but were affected by its' violence somehow so we did not get to see how there impact of lives from the violence of the Mafia. We were showed the lives of the Corleone family and Michael Corleone who is somewhat portrayed as the 'hero'.

However, it can also be said that the movie does show the dangers of the Mafia and how easily revenge, power, and arguments or disputes can take away the lives of many innocent or loved ones and the dark side of the Mafia as well.

In the end, it is more of a personal response of what one takes out from watching the movie.

Archetypes November 30th

Who is the “hero” of the film? What is Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey? How are myths similar to popular stories? Why do we like the stories we like?

I personally think that the hero of the movie is Michael Corleone. This is because throughout the movie he is called a war hero by many of his fellow friends and family members and not only that, but he also took matters in his own hands even when he vowed he did not want to get mixed up into that business.

Even though his character is first somewhat weak since we do not know much about him and do not have a full and in depth knowledge of his background or what his character is like but throughout the movie we see it developing. He initially did not want to take any part in the family business but when his father was shot, his view changed dramatically and all he wanted was revenge. Joseph Campbell’s hero’s Journey starts off with the return of a hero. This is true to The Godfather because Michael Corleone arrives back from War in the beginning of the movie. He received a warm welcome as a savior with a lot of people calling him a hero. But then he faced the whole ordeal with the shooting of his father and that somewhat was like a test on what path he should choose. He chose to get revenge and that shows that he is a hero perhaps to his family.

Other stories that I can think of that are somewhat similar to Joseph Campbell’s theory is perhaps Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter is already thought of as a hero since he was the one who escaped death from Voldemort, (You know who), who was an evil person and thought of as a hero figure because of this. He goes on to be gawked at and treated a little bit differently because of this when he returns to Hogwarts, which falls under Joseph Campbell’s theory of the return of a hero. Even though he wasn’t really aware of Hogwarts before he was 11 years of age, he was still thought of as a hero. The series goes on to show how much of a hero he is because he often saves the day and fights evil Voldemort because he is the one who can.

I feel that we are likely to favour stories like this since we often feel sympathy or an emotional attachment to the characters. My immediate reaction to when Michael Corleone was going to dinner with the chief and Sollazo was routing for him to murder them because that was what he was set out to do. This is an awful thought however, I feel that he was getting justice for his father. It portrays him as a better guy than the other characters since the police officer was a dirty cop and Sollazo seemed to have been in charge of shooting his father. I feel that most people would love a nice happy ending and a story of a hero may contain this, or at least it has the action and the adventure. Suspense also plays a key part in stories in order for us to want to know more, want to know what happens. I feel that stories like this also have elements of good versus evil which has been a classical tale.

Class Act November 28th

Reflect on class conversations providing relevant feedback: this is your chance to add your comments if we missed you in class.

The conversations we had during class were very useful in order for us to get a better understanding about the movies and process what was going on. The conversations we had made us realize and look at things we may have missed if we were not discussing it.

One of the discussion we had was about the amount of times Don Corleone was shot. He was shot 5 times and this showed to be somehow tied to Jesus Christ, he was christened five times and came back to life. The discussion helped us make a connection to religion and the story of Christ and how the amount of times Don Corleone was shot related to that. Some people also look at Jesus Christ as god and this could also connect to the fact that Don Corleone’s character had some characteristics that ‘God’ might have. By this I mean his character had connections of all sorts and was feared and admired by many. God is also feared in many religions since of a Judgment Day of some sort and he is admired, worshipped as well. He is also respected by a lot of people and he demands respect as well.

Another discussion we had in class was about the color of the dress of Kay Adams, Michael Corleone’s girlfriend. In all the scenes so far, she is shown wearing a bright red colored dress. It really makes her stand out and shows that she is somewhat like an outsider. The color of the dress could be described as bright, red, maroon but in our class discussion we have come to the conclusion of the color scarlet. We made a movie to text connection and therefore discussed the name the Scarlet Women. I went on to research more about it and it may refer to A prostitute, The Whore of Babylon, a figure in the Book of Revelation Babalon, a figure in Thelema. This makes me questions the motives of Kay Adams and makes me think more critically about her character rather than just looking at her as the pretty face that is always with Michael when she is seen. It raises questions such as Is she unfaithful or dishonest? Not only relationship wise but maybe she is connected to the Coleones rivals the Solatzos. Or perhaps her character really approves of that color. However we know that twice is a considence and three times is a pattern. I will have to continue watching the film to find out.

Another topic we discussed was the role of Clemenza. He is shown reciting to Michael how to cook some traditional Italian meals. Also teasing him about telling his girlfriend he loves her. He is shown slowly mentoring Michael with his interest in revenge on the Sollazo’s and McCluskey with the special gun that is untraceable. Clemenza shows him how to use it and is guiding him with the gun. The gun was also extra noisy and the ultimate killing machine and according to Joseph Campbell’s theory, it would go under The Magic Weapon or The Special Weapon.

The conversations we had in class helped us look at the movie more critically and analyze it. If we were to watch it outside of an academic topic and for recreational purposes, we may have missed out on some of the tircks and literary devices the writers and director used in the film.