Task 1d Research on The Godfather

The Godfather Trilogy 1-3

The Godfather - 1972

Cast

Al Pacino – Michael Corleone
Marlon Brando – Vito Corleone
Robert Duvall – Tom Hagen
James can – sonny Corleone
Talia Shire – Connie Corleone
Diane Keaton – Kay Adams Corleone
Joe Cazale – Fredo Corleone

The Godfather Part II – 1974

Robert De Niro – Vito Corleone

The Godfather 3part III

Andy Garcia – Vincent Corleone
Sofia Coppola – Mary Corleone
Franc D’Ambrosio- Anthony Corleone
Joe Mantegna  - Joey Zasa

I chose to base my project on (The Godfather) because the characters within the movie contain a particular retro style which is related to the 1930s – 50s, the formal clothing and slick hairstyles cannot be misinterpreted for a different era.

The movie is set in 1940s New York and Vito Corleone is the head of a mafia family, his son Michael Corleone is a free thinker he defies his father by enlisting in the army but returns home for his sister’s wedding. A few months later Vito Corleone survives an assignation attempt after he turned down a drug trafficking rival whose request was for help from Vito Corleone’s political connections. While his father his recovering Michael murders the family’s rival and must escape to Sicily while he is gone a gang war erupts costing the life of His brother Sonny and Michael’s wife.

This movie gives a detailed image of how one of the most powerful mafia family in New York works, it shows the kinds of risks they take on a daily basis but one of the most powerful moments is when they refuse to get involved within the drugs business this shows that even though they are a criminal entity they still have limits which they refuse to cross no matter how rewarding it may be.

The facial expressions on some of the characters is dull and emotionless this is very important because it allows the viewer to understand the motives behind why they act the way they do, do they value life? A lot of questions can be asked just by analysing their facial expressions.  Moreover Gordon Willis was the Cinematographer his style is to create shadows and often not to allow a characters eye to be seen clearly.

The slick back hairstyles are connected to the 1940s during this time it was popular not only within crime families but normal people in society. Trilby hats and suits were also worn in all walks of life whether you were a businessman or taxi driver it did not matter all new Yorkers wore the same style of clothing 

Crime families like the mafia owned legitimate businesses alongside criminal activity this allowed them to money launder and disguise their main source of income for example within the movie the Corleone’s own an olive oil business based in Sicily, The Godfather was based on a real crime ring not only in New York but in other parts of the continent like Las Vegas.