"The Godfather II"

“The Godfather II” is very similar to the original film, “The Godfather”, as Francis Ford Coppola uses many similar techniques and concepts to keep to audience engaged.  

While this is a continuation of the first film, the movie starts in the past with a scene about Vito Corleone arriving to America.  The Statue of Liberty is seen in the corner, indicating that this is America, but also that this is the land of dreams, freedom and opportunities.  Similarly to “The Godfather”, “The Godfather II” focuses on the American Dream.  The audience views Vito grow up into a young man making a name and living for himself.  Continuously, Coppola showcases Michael in the present being the Don and striving for the American Dream.  Both Michael and young Vito are striving for success, but Vito is just starting while Michael is continuing his fathers dream, but also making his own path.  

As Coppola goes back and forth between the past and the present, the audience is able to clearly see both men strive for prosperity and power, but the Heros’ Journey is also clearly displayed.  Young Vito and Michael go through the Heros’ Journey, and follow the stages together.  For example, when Michael was in New York he was in the “Initiation” stage.  Simultaneously, Vito is shown overcoming obstacles, like being fired, while his transformation into a criminal mastermind is beginning.  Throughout this scene, Vito was in the “Road of Trials” stage of the “Initiation”. This concept of the Heros’ Journey  was used by Coppola in both films to keep the audience engaged and interested, but also to characterize Michael and Vito.  

Michael and Vito are characterized as powerful and intelligent men in both films. Coppola uses the same character traits from the first film, to further develop both characters.  As time progresses, Michael and Vito are seen more as powerful and respected characters, similarly to the first film.  

While “The Godfather” has a different plot than “The Godfather II”, they both share similar concepts, such as the American Dream and Heros’ Journey.  Coppola also used these ideas to characterized Vito and Michael.  While the two films are different, they are also similar in many ways.  

The Human Condition - Belonging

Humans have the condition of being wanted, loved, needed, accepted.  All humans want to belong, wether it be in high school clique, in a family, or in the mafia. “The Godfather” explores the human condition of the need for belonging.  Coppola expresses this by the creation of Michaels character and the hero’s journey which he follows through the film. 

All humans want to be loved. Abraham Maslow created a hierarchy of human needs in 1943. The need for love and belonging is located on the third level of the pyramid.  Humans have this need to be accepted and to fit in, and Coppola is using this for the viewers to connect with the characters.  

Michael has the desire to fit in and be part of his family.  His want for his father’s love and respect is what is driving him to be part of the mafia.  The want of acceptance is a key part of his hero’s journey which he is currently exploring.  The human condition is all about what makes humans similar and this need for acceptance and belonging is a need that all humans have.  By using the human condition, Coppola is exploring the idea of human psychological needs.  Coppola is using this human need, the viewers can form a connection with Michael and can also gain a deeper understanding of the story, and of life. 

Archetypes - The Second Scarlet Woman

When Michael first sees Apollonia, she is dressed in a purple/ red dresses similar to the color scarlet.  She has this power and control over Michael even after their first encounter he was speechless and wanted to marry her.  Coppola almost made this symbol of the scarlet woman too easy for the audience to detect.

Michael was in awe at his first encounter with Apollonia.  He was unable to speak, or do anything.  One of his body guards said to him “in Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns”, but Michael didn’t care.  He was hypnotized by Apollonia and he had to have her; he had to marry her.  

Apollonia is characterized as a goddess.  Her name is similar to Apollo, who was a greek god.  She also “struck [Michael] like a thunderbolt” (Coppola).  Only a god or goddess could have that much power to hit somebody with lightning.  This is similar to how Apollonia mesmerized Michael and how she had control over him.

The control Apollonia had on Michael at their first encounter, was similar to how the scarlet woman rides the devil.  The scarlet woman is knows to have power and manipulate the devil, who in this case would be Michael. Fabrizio, one of Michaels guards, even said Apollonia “would tempt the devil himself”.  This statement is applying that Apollonia is a temptress and plays the role of the scarlet women and the black goddess in Michales journey.  

The black goddess is know for distracting the hero during his journey and for leading him astray. I think that Apollonia has distracted Michael but not majorly.  Michael was hiding in Sicily when he happened to find Apollonia who he married and she joined him in hiding.  Apollonia didn’t cause any troubles to Michael in regards to the mafia and Corleone family.  I think that the death of Apollonia is going to distract Michael.  He has lost his wife and now I think he is going to focus more on revenge then the actual task of settling his family’s business. 

I think Michael will return back to America and want to kill all the other members of the Tatalia family.  The death of his wife, of his black goddess, has lead him astray to the wrong path.  He now wants revenge while his original aim was to end all the problems the Corelones were facing.  

Vito said that “this war stops now”, but I think Michael will continue the war until he can get over the death of his wife.  I think the death of Apollonia will bring about Michaels ‘downfall’ in the movie, or when he wants revenge over anything else.  

When Michael returns to America, I think he will reunite with Kay.  It is interesting that Kay is blond and Apollonia was a brunette.  The archetype of the white goddess states that she is a “good, beautiful, usually blond” woman.  The white goddess, who may be Kay in this movie, is intellectual and religois, accoding to the archytepe. If Kay is the White Goddess, then she may help Michael overcome his difficulties and continue his journey to become the Godfather. 

Class Act - Choo-choo! All aboard!

Michael Corleone is on a mission.  A mission to protect his family and save the Corleone business.  By trying to complete such a task, he is faced with many obstacles on the way.  One challenge which he had to overcome was killing the antagonist, Sallazzo, and his protecter, Captain McCluskey.  

Michael killed them at a meeting where they were supposed to make a truce and rekindle a relationship.  Michael was probably used to killing people, since he was characterized as a “war hero” (Coppola), but this was different.  Now he was part of the mafia committing this crime on behalf of he family.  He had jumped on the train and now his whole family was aboard.

The sound of a train was heard when Michael was in the bathroom collecting the gun, and again right before he shot Sallazzo.  The sound was very loud and very clear.  It was even louder then the special extra-loud gun Michael had used.  The train noise was heard when Michael was in deep thought.  The sound could possibly symbolize the conflict Michael was facing - wether to kill the men or not.  The noise also increased in volume and pace, similar to how Michaels thoughts and heart beat may have been.

The train sound was heard twice and both times is was recognizable and long.  Coppola obviously meant for the sound to be there, which hints to the fact that it may be symbolic.  Trains are a method of transportation, they can take people to a certain location, but they also can only go one way.  Michael has jumped on the one way mafia express; next stop, danger.  

Michael can from this point on, only go one way.  He can never turn back and return to his old life.  He is now on the same train with the rest of the members of the Corleone mafia business.  Michael’s ‘normal’ life has come screeching to a stop, similarly to how a train comes to a stop.  He is on the journey with the rest of his family, and right now they don’t know where the train is heading.  The train is going through a dark tunnel, and the Corleones can only hope that there is light at the end of it. 

All Aboard

Archetypes - The Hero's Journey of Michael

This hero's journey of Michael Corleone is based on what has happened in the film so far and my predictions according to Joseph Campbell's concept of the Hero's Journey.  

Class Act - The Scarlet Woman - Kay Adams

Throughout the film so far, I have noticed the way Kay Adams stands out “like a sore thumb” as Mr. McGuigan said. Kay Adams was Michael Corleones 's girlfriend.  She attended the family wedding with him, went Christmas shopping with him and was there when Mike found out about the death of his father.  

The idea of the Scarlet Woman was briefly brought up in class, but I did not understand the term which lead me to do some research.  According to the Collins English Dictionary, the Scarlet Woman is “a sinful woman described in Revelation 17, interpreted as a figure either of pagan Rome or of the Roman Catholic Church regarded as typifying vice overlaid with gaudy pageantry” or “any sexually promiscuous woman, esp a prostitute”.  Originally this term was used to a woman mythical goddess mentioned in the Bible, but by the 1700‘s “the term was being used more generally for a woman with loose morals” (“scarlet woman”).  The Scarlet Woman is introduced in Revelation 17 of the Bible: 

“There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

   BABYLON THE GREAT

   THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES

   AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17 NIV).

I think Kay portrays the Scarlet Woman in “The Godfather”.  In all the scenes she is in, she is wearing the color scarlet, and as we know three is a pattern.  When she attending the wedding she is wearing red, when she goes christmas shopping with Michael she is wearing red, and when she is on a dinner date with Michael she is wearing a red dress and jewelry.  The clothing Kay wears throughout the film matches up to the appearance of the Scarlet Woman described above. 

The Scarlet Woman is also characterized as an immoral woman.  In the first scene, Kay seems interested when Michael tells her about the Corleone’s mafia business.  She does not seemed appalled or shocked by the fact, but intrigued.  Her facial expressions and body language convey the message that she is interested in the mafia.  She may be more interested in mafia than Michael, or even in the “beast [which] she rides” (Revelation 17 NIV).  

The Scarlet Woman has been known to ‘ride the beast’.  In the “Godfather”, I haven’t seen how Kay has controlled, or ‘ridden’, Michael.  She hasn’t dominated Michael or the Corleone family yet, but she may in the coming scenes of the film.  She may seduce or interfere with Michael in the future.  In many other works of literature, there is a character who represents ‘the temptress’ or ‘black goddess’. This woman ofter brings about the protagonists,downfall.  I think that Coppola wanted to subtly show that Kay was not a good influence towards Michael and that she could have easily manipulated him by portraying her as the Scarlet Woman. I think Kay will come back and have a larger negative impact of Michaels life and role in the Corleone family. 

So far, I haven’t seen much of the Scarlet Woman but I am hoping to see more. I’m not sure how exactly the idea of the Scarlet Woman connects to Kay or “The Godfather”, but it is interesting to see how this idea is repeated in many works of literature.  

Bibliography: 

"scarlet woman." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 01 Dec. 2011. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scarlet woman>.

"scarlet woman." The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Houghton Mifflin Company. 01 Dec. 2011. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scarlet woman>.

"Revelation 17 NIV." Bible Gateway. Biblica. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+17&version=NIV>.

Image from http://www.gonemovies.com/www/Hoofd/A/PhotoLarge.php?Keuze=Godfather6Kay&Age=2&Sort=Volgorde 

Class Act - The Next Don

During the class of November 30th, we watched a section of “The Godfather”.  Throughout the part, there were certain scenes which lead me to think that Michael Corleone will become the next Don of the family.  Since Vito Corleone has been injured, Mike has played a larger role in the family, especially when he went to go visit Vito at the hospital.  Michael has also had a large presence in the Corleone household which is shown through the unique use of camera angles. 

There have been many signs that have lead me to believe that Michael will be the next Don.  For example, when Michael goes into Vito’s hospital room the camera pans into the door frame very slowly.  The camera focuses on the door and the number two.  I think Coppola wanted the viewers to look at the number and the door.  The number two could symbolize that Michael is the second Don and that he will be his father successor.   Coppola also panned into the door frame.  I believe that this symbolized a new beginning for Mike; when he stepped into the room he stepped into a new part of his life. 

The shot of the hospital room door was about sixteen seconds long and therefore I think its safe to say it was definitely purposeful.  Not only did the camera angles throughout the scene back-up the idea of Michael becoming the next Don, but so did the dialogue.  When Michael went to talk to his father he said “Just lie here, Pop. I'll take care of you now. I'm with you now. I'm with you...” (Coppola).  This line can mean that Michael is physically present with Vito, but I think it means that he has reunited with his family.  I think Mike means that he is now part of his family business (the mafia) and will be an active member.  Vito was very happy to see his son and also to hear that his son was going to join his team.  Vito did not say anything, but he shed a tear, and I think it was was a tear of joy. 

Without dialogue Coppola has conveyed the message that Michael may be the next Don of the Corleone family.  When the men are in the Don’s office deciding what action to take the camera angle pans into all three men; Sonny, Tom and Michael.  Coppola first pans into Sonny who is sitting in the Don’s chair.  During the beginning of the movie, Vito was sitting in the exact same seat and the camera angle was in a similar position except now there was no light surrounding Sonny; there was no halo.  Sonny’s face is also in a shadow.  The camera then focuses on Mike and Tom, whos faces are illuminated by the window.  There is a stream of light entering the room through the window right between the two men.  This brought the idea that these two men may end up fighting against each other for the position of the Don.  

Tom and Michael may fight for the position, but the next shot lead me to think that Michael will be Vito’s successor.  Coppola strategically panned into Michael who was calmly talking about what action to take.  Mike sat in the chair similarly to how Vito did in the first scene.  His tone of voice was very relaxed and he had a long monologue, similar to Vito when talking to Bonasera.  The camera angle panned into Mike showing how he has a sense of authority and how he is very powerful. 

Coppola empowered Michael in many ways throughout this part which has lead me to think that he will be the next Don of the Corleone family.  The camera angles and symbols, such as the door and light, illuminate the idea that Michael can be Vito’s successor.  Not only has Michael gained a lot of respect from his family since he has been home, but his actions also hint to the fact that he does want to become the next Don.