Analysis of The Godfather: Part I & The Godfather: Part II

The main link between both masterpieces, The Godfather: Part I and The Godfather: Part II, is ironically not the fact that they were both directed by Francis Ford Coppola, but rather the similarities between the literary and filmic devices in each film. To accentuate our understanding of a tale being continued in The Godfather Part: II, Francis Ford Coppola repeats many filmic devices, such as: lighting, symbols, and motifs.

Lighting is one of the main links between both films. Essentially, audiences see the same style of lighting in both films: indoor lighting, outdoor lighting, and lighting that really exemplifies a character's inner thoughts and emotions.

Outdoor lighting in the second installment of The Godfather series is bright and illuminating. Not only does it bring a tone of happiness and tranquility, but perfectly exemplifies some of the various motifs in the film. Outdoor lighting focuses on the public side of the mafia, or the side in which they seem strictly sophisticated businessmen. These business have a respectful and somewhat intimidating image. They seem as if they find their daily bread from working hard, and finally making it big in America through honesty, integrity, and respect. What this means is that the outdoor lighting really brings out the black and white of the film. There is, by no means, any shades of grey in outdoor lighting; meaning, there is no uncertainty in the images of the men that secretly work for an organization full of black money and Americanized games of Russian Roulette. These men look like respectful business out in the open, and to the public. There are no means of doubting that; and if there is, there is almost absolute certainty that nobody would speak of their suspicions of these "businessmen" out in the open. This connection can be made with the first installment of The Godfather as well. We can connect the scene in which Connie gets married to her husband, Carlo in the first film, and the scene in which Michael gratuitously donates money for the betterment of the State of Nevada, in the second film. Both scenes are illuminated by warming sunshine, bright lighting, and decorations consisting of cooler tones and colours. Essentially, both films start off in the same way: with warmth. Nobody suspects anyone, nobody comments on anything "unusual". In fact, if audiences didn't know what kind of organization was behind closed doors, in a closed house in New York (for the first film) and a closed house in Nevada (in the second one), we would've been easily convinced that both celebrations were hosted by billionaires that made it big from scratch; working their way up from basically nothing by means of integrity and honest, humble work that causes harm to nobody. 

But what about harsher, darker lighting? In both films, Francis Ford Coppola manages (very successfully) to create a tone of mystery, suspense, brooding, and secrecy with the darker colours he uses to illuminate areas in which the mafia makes deals. The darker colours are a staple in mafia-related scenes, as they aid the audience in essentially understanding what is happening in the film, and more importantly, gives audiences the initiative to guess what's going to happen in scenes to come. What also creates a link and helps us understand the deeper motives and intentions of the mafia (in specifics, Don Michael Corleone, and before him, Don Vito Corleone.) The darker lighting is able to hide the faces of each member of the mafia. One could look at this in two different ways. The first way is the thought of essentially not being able to understand what's going on in each character involved in the mafia's head. This means that there is a huge uncertainty of the outcomes of each meeting and trading deal. However, one could also look at this as a way of illuminating the awareness of the audience. Not only is the audience able to see that something important (and perhaps a struggle for the character) is going on within each member's mind. Meaning, this helps us understand that something big is about to occur; and it can happen any time soon.

The Godfather: Part II contains the same basic elements of direction as the first film does. This is very effective, as Francis Ford Coppola really does make it seem as if the second film is a continuation of the first, rather than an artist's point of view of events.

How Does Kay Adams Represent "the Scarlet Woman"?

Kay Adams, who is Michael's long-term girlfriend, and second wife in "The Godfather: Part II" represented the Scarlet Woman just until Michael came back from his journey to his "innermost cave" in Sicily. But why did she suddenly stop representing the Scarlet Woman?

This question relates entirely with Michael's experiences in Sicily (and specifically, Corleone.) Michael himself had grown to know who he used to be, and understand who he was becoming in Sicily himself. What needed to be known was that Michael was moving on from his old life. He could not be the Michael he used to be, after murdering a police chief (McClusky) and a drug dealer (Sollazzo.) He was now heavily a part of the affairs of the mafia. This is what drove Kay and Michael apart. He was changing, and she continued speculating from afar. 

Kay, being in New York City, and Michael, being in Sicily, were so far apart physically and emotionally, that it was hard for Kay to be able to interfere with her boyfriend's affairs, and speculate over his business and family. Kay was also one of the strongest ties to his old life, the one he lived before crossing the threshold. Kay fell in love with a very simple, independent man; a war hero. That war hero had transformed into one of the main men of the Corleone family mafia; almost a complete polar opposite of who he used to be. This being noted, Kay was nothing but a distraction from reality, and a desire, rather than a need to Michael. She wasn't able to help Michael at all, but rather, cause harm, because, again, she was that sole connection to the Michael before the family business interfered with his life.

After the year Michael spent married to Apollonia, he went back to Kay in New York. But in the first scene that viewers saw Kay and Michael together in, after a very long time was drastically different from the previous. Kay was seen in a very dull beige trenchcoat. But why was she wearing a colour other than red?

In the previous post about the "Scarlet Woman", she was described as a desire, a lust, and an abomination. Perhaps, before, Kay wasn't a necessity to Michael, but more of a mere desire. She did not make him a better and stronger person. After the death of Apollonia, it is evident that Michael needs the support of another woman. This is where Kay comes in. Because she is no longer a mere desire to Michael, but a lifeline, she is not considered a "Scarlet Woman." She does not distract Michael from what he needs to do.

Kay Adams is a very interesting and complex character in the story. This is because the audience, and I myself, are able to connect with her more than we are able to connect with the rest of the characters. Kay is a mere speculator, fascinated by the cat-and-dog chase of the mafia. But what is even more interesting is exactly how much she grows as an individual, and how important she is to Michael, throughout the second half of the film.

Light and Dark in "The Godfather"

One way Francis Ford Coppola manages to accentuate the film, "The Godfather" is through the use of lighting.
In general, Coppola sets the film in two different tones: light and dark. Bright colours and light in the film are generally used in scenes in which the whole Corleone family is together. Viewers are able to see what the Corleone family is like, all business aside. Not only is bright lighting able to help audiences first see that the Corleone family is all in all, united (ie. at Connie's wedding,) but they are able to bring out a typical warm, fuzzy, welcoming feeling from the viewers. It is almost as if the lighting is able to manipulate the viewer's feelings and thoughts, and help the audience focus on connecting with the new, large family they've been introduced to. The bright lighting in the film accentuates the fact that the Corleone family does have a peaceful family life, aside from the daily business the men attend to.
The use of darker lighting is used either when the mafia is discussing business, or during crucial, ominous turns in the film. In example, the office of the Godfather, Vito Corleone, always had minimal lighting. So, whenever meetings were called, and deals were struck, they were always done in the dark. I think this was done on purpose. I believe Francis Ford Coppola wanted to add an ominous and mysterious touch to the scenes in which gruesome deals were struck, to bring in the attention of the audience, and continue to fascinate viewers.

Another key concept to note is the usage of light and shadows. Usually, in the film, the shadows on a character's face help viewers understand what is going on in the character's mind. It also helps the audience empathize with the characters somewhat, as viewers are able to see the internal struggles of characters clearly on their faces. An example of the exceptional use fo shadows in this film is when Tom Hagen was being persuaded to strike a deal with Sollazzo, after hearing about his father's "murder." As he did not know that his father was still alive, it was clear to viewers that Tom Hagen was in a dilemma of whether or not to trust Sollazzo.

I believe that the lighting in the film has helped me not only empathize with and understand the characters better, but also advanced my learning and understanding of the events unfolding throughout the film.

Character Foils: Santino and Michael Corleone

Michael and Santino Corleone are two men that were raised by the two same people: Vito Corleone and his wife. They've grown up with, what seems a typical brother-brother relationship. However, whatever the values and principles Santino and Michael might have been taught were, there is still a huge factor that separates both brothers: their personalities and way of thinking.

Santino Corleone is more of an impulsive man. Although he is Michael's elder brother, and the Don's son, he has managed to keep his own personality. Santino is a very flawed character. He has no control over his temper, and has little or no respect for his wife, as there are clear fidelity issues between the two of them. Another key thing to notice about Santino is that he does not put family first. He's more of a power-hungry man, than a family man. Although family is a huge deal for Santino, he finds it troubling to keep the family away from the actual family business.
This serves as a huge problem, as family is one of the most important factors to the story. Completely eliminating the unity of the family would not only make the story less interesting, but take away from the emotional content of the tale.

Michael is more of a independent, level-headed person. He thinks things through and speculates. He makes decisions based upon his experiences and his own perceptions and opinions. What makes Michael so different from Santino, is that he is able to resist impulse. He does not cheat on his long-term girlfriend, Kay Adams (until later on in the film) and keeps his family at close proximity (despite his very different set of values, opinions, and outlook on life). He does not long for power, but rather longs to do what he sees is a right decision (such as avenging an attack on his father.)

If we were to compare two small scenes in the film, "The Godfather," we'd be able to see fine details relating to Michael's and Santino's personalities, that we might not have noticed otherwise.
In one scene, we see Michael walking in a Sicilian park on a warm, sunny day with his first wife, Apollonia. What makes this scene even more special, is that they have the family [of Apollonia] walking behind them. This highlights the fact that Michael is a compassionate, family man. He always keeps the ones he loves with him, and because of this, they choose to follow him and guard him with love, respect, and loyalty.
In a short scene right after the previous one, we see Sunny walking in a dark hallway alone, followed by backdoor dealers and thugs. This scene signifies that Santino, is in fact, a passionate man that longs to work as a leader.

The character foils of Sunny and Michael help us understand the difference between compassionate and passionate. Passion is generally a very raw and powerful word that can describe negative traits just as much as it can describe positive things. Rather than being a compassionate man, we can see that Sunny is more of a passionate person, with limited time for family, and more time and interest in his work. Michael, also being interested in his work, has equal respect for his family and values each and every person.