Throughout the second part of The Godfather, the theme of the Mafia having two different lives was symbolically represented by the light and darkness of certain shots.
Light has a positive connotation: it can represent happiness, heaven, and goodness. Darkness symbolizes the opposite: sadness, death, and evilness.
There were many scenes during Tom Haggen’s trip to California where the theme of the Mafia having a double life was illuminated by the use of symbolism. When Tom Haggen first arrived at the film studio, he pulled Jack Woltz aside to have a private conversation with him. The lighting dimmed to emphasize the seriousness and the danger of the Mafia business. After the conversation, Tom walked outside into the lightness and Woltz remained inside the dark studio. The lightness outside which Tom walked into could represent the freedom the Mafia has when its not dealing under the surface.
The Mafia does have much action going on behind the scenes that others do not know about. For example, when Woltz took Tom into the stable to show him his prize house, it was dark. The darkness could symbolize the evil event which Tom was planning, where the house would be killed. After the conversation the men had in the barn, they walked outside into the lightness and it was almost as it the Mafia thoughts Tom had, washed away.
When Tom came back from his mission, he attended a meeting with the other Mafia members. At this meeting, Virgil Sallazzo was asking Don Corleone to help him with his drug business. The lighting in the room during the conversation was very dark, which could represent the danger and the suspiciousness of the deal being spoken about. This scene represented the other life of the Mafia; the hidden, dangerous and mysterious side that occurs beneath the surface.
The symbols of dark and light are repeated frequently throughout the film so far. They are used to represent the good and the evil; the hidden business and the public lives of the Mafia. The use of darkness and lights in the film contribute and illuminate the theme of the Mafia living a double life.
I agree with most of what you have said. You made great examples which I believe clearly illuminate your idea of light and dark being used to show the double lives of the mafia members. I also wrote about light and dark for one of my blog posts and I commented on many of the same things you have discussed in your post. As well, I talked about how the use of light in the film helps the audience understand more about certain characters.
ReplyDeleteIn the first scene in particular the Don has a halo of light behind him making him seem powerful and great. However, the rest of the room is very dark and the light coming from behind him makes his face very dark. I believe that the literal darkness on the Don’s face symbolizes that he has a dark side.
In your last paragraph you said that light is used to show good and evil. I disagree with this. Yes, the light is showing the two sides of the Corleones’ life - I do agree with that; however, the mafia side of the Corleone family is not necessarily evil. Marlon Brando did not want to ‘glorify the mafia’, so he did not initially take the part. But as we are discussing in class and I think we will see more of in the movie, the Corleones are not necessarily glorifying crime and they are not necessarily evil. They may do bad acts but their intentions are not to be evil.
-Alison