Hitchockian Ideals OR The Omertà Code?

 

HELLO all! To begin today, quickly, if anybody reading this has ever legitimately has been faced with the above question in the header, feel free to Directly Message me via Twitter under the pseudonym @Chris_0Reilly because I would just love to know you.

But, I digress! Yesterday was Monday, July 30th, and I realize I had said I would post about "Rear Window" & Hitchockian idiosyncracies, but this was before I "got a kick in the head, paesano!" Today marks the beginning of 'Mob Week' on AMC, and in the world of film, some of the greatest works of art can be found in the "Mafia/Crime" genre. In addition to these being considered some of the greatest modern masterpieces to film scholars/the general public, they are some of my own, personal favorites as well. Personally, "The Godfather: Part I" & "Part II", "Goodfellas", "Raging Bull" (a vaguely mafia-oriented movie with hints of a criminal underground; really, just an overwhelmingly Italian movie), "The Untouchables", "A Bronx Tale", "Casino", "Mean Streets", AND, the obligatory farce, "Analyze This" (<-- With regards to this, Robert De Niro plays the most sincerely, and convincingly, evil character here than in any other film) truly are amongst my all-time favorite films. I won't delve deeply into each of these today (NOW July 31st), but will provide a brief overview of "The Godfather: Part I" - quite literally, 'The Godfather' of modern film. This masterpiece epic done by Francis Ford Coppola, and originally authored brilliantly by Mario Puzo, is always a fickle pick for me, personally, to be my favorite film of all-time - YES, it is a masterpiece, and yes nobody doubts this, thus making it a seeming "cop-out" pick. I, however, am now choosing to stand by this pick, as it fulfills the criteria I have for my all-time favorite films: If it is on television, will I change the channel to the film concerned EVEN if I have seen it within the last 48 hours? If YES, it qualifies; If NO, it more than likely still qualifies in some other state of mind. BUT, again, I digress, and without further ado, here are the thoughts of brevity & summation of "The Godfather: Part I" . . . (<--Don't be angry with the spaced-ellipse; It's strictly business; TRAILER BELOW)

"The Godfather: Part I" (1972)

Beginning a review (brief, mind you) of "The Godfather: Part I" leaves me with a helpless feeling. It is a monumental task to begin to undertake and dissect the film that, to some, is considered the greatest cinematic achievement of the modern film-making era. Luckily, for you and I, I will stick to the very basic skeletal points I wish to make about the film, and proceed henceforth.

To begin, the essential idea of "The Godfather" was groundbreaking: Romanticize men who murder in cold (AND warm) blood, 'loot' others, extort, gamble illegally, intimidate & bribe policemen of all rankings, baby politicians to the point of neediness (on the powerful, prestigious politician's part), and sleep with, quite literally, their pick of a bountiful amount of women. These elements, although vaguely present, are never truly directly mentioned in the film. Business is done in front of the camera, but it's talked about amongst "The Family" as if it were a Mom-And-Pop family business looking to perhaps expand and broaden its market. This "Mom&Pop Shop", however, talks about how "drugs are a dangerous business." The basic premise for the film is truly amazing, and the filmmakers were talented enough in choosing the pacing, the background music/score (Composed by Nino Rota), and the right lighting, to name a few elements. As a result of Coppola's skill, the audience becomes entrenched in this romantic story about a family's will to survive in the "dog-eat-dog-eat-kitten" world of organized crime, and much to a moralistically pure person's chagrin, oftentimes the audience empathizes with the problems, and romances these brutally awful men into anti-heroes.

This, however, is not merely accomplished by Coppola, but by the brilliant acting talent assembled. Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone provides a calm, calculating, paternal figure who is the respected man of the family. He is the patriarch who calls the shots, and Brando's portrayal is, to sound redundant, brilliant. Some say he over-played the Don, but those people also found Channing Tatum in "Step Up" to have "intelligent timing." (As a bit of trivia, for those who don't know, those are cotton balls in his cheeks, connected to a mouthgear-like apparatus to give the Don pouty cheeks, & to make his speech more deliberate)
His consigliere Tom Hagen - played by a young Robert Duvall - is a German/Irish boy who the Corleone family took in when he was a young orphan boy living on the streets of New York. Quite fortunately, he is a deceptively intelligent person, and becomes the Don's number one confidant. His "non-pure-blood" rules him out as a candidate to ever become a "Made-Man" [Sidebar: In order to become what is essentially a "Mafia Executive Board Member", one must be 100% Italian AND, depending on the family, more than likely Sicilian - the Southernmost part of Italy's inhabitants]. He is, however, "made" for the position of consigliere, and Duvall nearly matches Brando in maintaining a relatively even-keeled demeanor, with each having a few outbursts. Robert Duvall, much & unfortunately like Tom, was under-appreciated.
The "Family's" eldest is Fredo Corleone - played by John Cazale. (also of "Dog Day Afternoon" fame where his co-star was, again Al Pacino; He died tragically young in 1978 after just finishing shooting his character's scenes on "The Deer Hunter") Far and away the most unheralded of the group, his performance of Fredo was brilliant, and seemed to embody a part of him, which made the part so honest, and gave Fredo a sort of boy-ish innocence - albeit, an innocence that does get one passed over in the "Family Tree" to eventually succeed Don Vito to become Don. There is a shy, barely existing chip on his shoulder throughout the series, and it first becomes apparent here, and that surprisingly emotionally involved chip only appears because of John Cazale's talent.
The Family's second eldest, and eventual successor to Don Vito, is Sonny Corleone - played stunningly well by James Caan. I do not mean stunningly as if I doubted James Caan, as he is another performer whose talent is very apparent to those who watch. What I do mean is that Sonny is another "Trap Character", where his inherent nature for being a 'bonehead' and a little slow and hauntingly volatile could have absolutely led to a dud performance. James Caan, however, provides clear emotional reactions when appropriate, and is able to express with facial expressions and words Sonny's character motivations. The character depth for Sonny was not entirely necessary - and thus was not included to a concentrated extent - but what was required and more was done by James Caan, who poured his heart out as Sonny.

Brooding Al Pacino as Michael Corleone

Finally, the youngest in the Family is Michael Corleone - played by a young, relatively unknown Al Pacino - and he is far and away the most complex character of the family. I will not delve into "spoiler" detail, for if you have not seen the movie, you must. I still maintain that this is Al Pacino's greatest performance - both here, and in "Part II." He explores the psyche of Michael Corleone, who begins the film as a war-hero and graduate of an Ivy League institution. His apathy for the "family business" begins as overwhelming, but eventually wanes and wanes. He cares about his father because he provided for Michael and the rest of the family - despite the awful, unspeakably horrific acts often done to do so. It is through Michael that we, as the audience, see the theme of the films: Family Comes First, no matter the cost (i.e. a brilliantly successful, legitimate life for himself and any family he might have had, given his record & nature in the times before "The Godfather"'s plot begins) Al Pacino was brilliant, and despite a prestigious career after his breakthrough in "The Godfather" saga, it absolutely is his best performance; his cold, calculating, menacingly gentle Michael is among the greatest characters in the history of film.

AS honorable mentions, Diane Keaton was wonderfully (albeit on the "annoying" fringes BUT annoying was necessary for the character, though, and she is the straight-laced, idealistic character) innocent to the horrific details, and Talia Shire was awesome as the sweet, unassuming younger sister (Connie Corleone) of The Family who falls in love, and whose wedding provides the beautifully accurate opening sequence of Italian jubilation and celebration. I found this to be ironic, as a wedding embodies innocence & purity, and despite this, business is conducted by the Don; it is, essentially, another "front" (like the dozens of storefronts) for him to conduct (minimal) business.

Coppola's masterpiece was, of course, accompanied by Nino Rota's famous waltz and brass-driven romantic score, but it is his suspenseful pieces that truly stick out in seemingly morbid scenes. It is a brilliant score that maintains the gradual pace of the film. This, with the brilliant script by Coppola and Puzo, brought characters to life using so many different emotions - joy, love, sadness, fear, and even exasperation. There IS plenty of humor, too, which automatically gives the film a "+1" meaningful(less) numerical upgrade.

The Family at Connie's Wedding; The OPENING SCENE

In summation, if you have not seen "The Godfather" Parts I & II, you really must. It is an experience, if absolutely nothing else. I have provided a very bare-boned summation of only a few of the literally dozens of elements that make the film so monumentally groundbreaking, and a true watershed moment in film. Additionally, I mention Francis Ford Coppola only a few times; this was done purposefully, as I can only do so sparingly so as to avoid sub-post within a sub-post about the genius and work ethic of Coppola. His vision was what truly made the film great, and in addition to the performances, the atmospheric changes throughout, the score, the script, the cinematography, and even the scenery make this film my own personal favorite, and, arguably, the greatest ever.

NEXT UP: "The Artist" (2011) -- THEN Hitchcock

For my next post, I'll be writing about "The Artist" (2011), the 2012 Best Picture Academy Award Winner, and the first silent film to accomplish such a feat since Buster Keaton's awesomely hilarious masterpiece "The General" (1927) in 1927. I have decided that each month will have a theme, with certain days being dedicated to said theme each week (FOR example, if a famous actor who I love was born in a certain month, every day of the week that actor was born, I will attempt to provide insight into a movie/show/music video/movie blog that actor has done)
Thank you guys again for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed what HAS happened thus far!

**[If you have any comments, feedback, or questions for me, I would love to talk with you - whether it be about movies, acting, comedy, or just life! As mentioned previously, my Twitter tag is Chris_0Reilly , and feel free to leave comments down below - I will do my best to read and see all!]