Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Moe Greene is shot through the eye in a massage parlor. Similarly, Michael sends Fabrizio to get his car, and at that moment, he is concerned about getting his wife to safety and mourning the loss of his brother - losing focus on the cycle of vengeance that he has been sucked back into. Michael and Vito are talking in the garden after Michael has taken over as the Don, and Michael says "You gave your word that you wouldn't break the peace. Chapter 1: I Believe in America - Chapter 4: Tom Hagen Goes to Hollywood, Chapter 5: Meeting with Sollozzo - Chapter 7: Luca Brasi Sleeps with the Fishes. The longshoremen's union locals had gone over to the rival families. Why did Michael fire Tom Hagen as Consigliere? In the books, Sonny is described as being a kind and loving man to both his wife and children. All Rights Reserved Connie gets a call, presumably from Carlo's mistress. When it became known that McCluskey had been killed while in the company of a notorious heroin pusher and that he was suspected of involvement in an attempt on the life of Don Corleone, the police desire for vengeance faded and some semblance of social order was restored. Liberty State Park. This is very similar to earlier in the film, at the big meeting of the five families, when Vito vows that he would not be the one to break the peace (again, Vito was technically honest; it was Micheal who implemented the murders of the Mafia bosses, despite that fact that Vito clearly helped orchestrate them in advance before his death). But, after Vitos death, the remaining heads all had motivation to come after Michael. Tom wouldn't have wanted to take this course of action & would likely offer poor advice or have tried to stop it. By the time Vito Corleone called for a meeting of the Five Families to negotiate a truce, it was four families against one. The rival families and the Corleone empire were in stalemate. He had been the best soldier in the Corleone family. But once Connie made up her mind and got married to Carlo anyway, Vito decided to allow the abuse as a means of saying "I told you so" about Carlo being abusive and violent. We will stop fighting until your father is well and can resume bargaining. Why was Fabrizio's death relegated to a deleted scene? First of all, he presents his desire for legitimacy in the reunion scene between him and Kay. During the meeting mentioned above the Don tells Tom, "I advised Michael" (on Tom's ouster), and further says, "I never thought you were a bad consigliere. If there was trouble of any kind, Sonny's men could call other Corleone men to action at the site for protection if an enemy made a move against Sonny. A cross-fade then occurs to the beginning of the horse head scene outside Woltz's home, as opposed to where this scene is placed in the final film.In the video game it's Rocco that does it. Before he died, the elder Corleone had explicitly warned his son that the family's enemies would attempt to kill him in exactly this manner at a supposed peace meeting with whoever approached him with the proposal unintentionally exposing themselves as a traitor. The war between the Five Families had been over for a few years and peace had generally been reigning for about that long & Tom might have tried to convince Michael not to commit any more violence. Sollozzo hoped those people could be influenced, coerced or bribed to be lax on the trade of illegal drugs, but Vito refused. Tessio thought more of Vito's younger son Michael than Clemenza or Tom Hagen did, but never believed he was powerful enough to keep the family going after he was named his father's heir. By this time, Clemenza and Tessio were feeling the pinch, and begged Michael for clearance to strike back. Carlo's bad habits of battering Connie and cheating on her ultimately diminish into almost nothing. All family bookmakers were given bodyguard teams. The second was the Corleones assassination of the police captain, which brought the police down on all the families. How did Barzini and his crew so successfully set up Sonny's assassination? When they shot the scene, however, the head was indeed a real horse's head Coppola got at a dog food factory. 1890s Sicily There are several characters that are based on or inspired by real people, such as Moe Greene (Bugsy Siegel) and Johnny Fontane (Frank Sinatra). The final scene to the classic film shows Michael taking out every . Moreover, Michael's answer of "no" to Kay's question is technically correct. They decided to pursue a "rope-a-dope" strategy, deliberately allowing Barzini to chip away at the Corleone interests, hoping he would be lulled or lured into a false sense of security. The suite empties out and Michael asks Fredo about Moe Greene. On his father's advice to "keep your friends close and your enemies closer", Michael made Carlo think he was going to be named the new underboss once the family moved it's interests to Nevada, in a ploy to make him vulnerable. Also, Lucy's apartment was likely in a neighborhood of New York that lay within the Corleone territory, providing further protection. Tessio then asked Tom if he could get him off the hook for "the old times' sake". Edit. Edit, Michael had achieved the rank of captain, indicated by the silver bars on the shoulders of his uniform.According to Wikipedia, Michael was awarded the following medals:Navy CrossSilver Star (later upgraded to the Navy Cross)Navy and Marine Corps MedalPurple HeartEuropean Campaign MedalAsia Campaign MedalWorld War II Victory Medal Abusive and dysfunctional relationships don't often abide by rational thought processes. Why was Fredo so overlooked as a 'proper' Corleone? On their way to the peace summit, Tessio was surrounded by several of his own button men and was taken to his death after an unsuccessful attempt to get Hagen to intercede. Meanwhile, Michael tells Johnny Fontane that Don Corleone and the family are proud of him, and now they need a favor. He looks straight at Moe Greene and tells him that he is going to buy him out, which of course sends Greene into a frenzy. These things gotta happen once every five, ten years.Peter Clemenza to Michael Corleone. Instead, the bomb killed Michael's first wife, Apollonia. All the other men around the table burst into applause. No vengeance will be taken. Tessio was a smooth and savvy enforcer, who many of the junior members of the family saw as a mentor. However, when the Don is unceremoniously gunned down in the street by drug dealer Virgil "the Turk" Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) after Vito refuses to back him in his fledgling heroin operation, Michael is drawn into the family business. So he ventured out rarely, like he would to carry on his affair with Lucy Mancini. I have much respect for your father. He then drove fast and far enough ahead of the men Tom sent after him that it cost him his life at the toll plaza.In the end, Michael gets Carlo to admit he only started the fight with Connie to lure Sonny away from his protection. Barzini, Greene, Tattaglia, Stracci and Cuneo were killed in rapid succession by Corleone button men while Michael stood at the baptism ceremony for his nephew, Carlo's son, betraying Vito's peace submit vow. He was intelligent and always one step ahead of his enemies, whilst rewarding those who did him service. Vito is a very traditional man and had no intention of intruding in his daughter's marriage, even if it meant that Carlo (Gianni Russo) was abusive and unfaithful. This was used to the family's advantage several times. Life and death are reduced to forms of currency. Soon after, he arranges for his associate, drug lord Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo, to meet Don Vito Corleone with an offer to join the Barzini and Tattaglia families in the narcotics trade; Sollozzo in particular is hoping to gain access to Vito's political connections. His limo pulls up and Kay gets inside with Michael. One could still argue why he wasn't killed right away in the house after the confession, though. After the outbreak of war in 1939, Chamberlain was widely criticized for failing to stand up to Hitler at Munich. Edit, "This Loneliness" by Carmine Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola's father. Mr. Coppola is playing the song live in the scene. The Most Awesome Men's Entertainment Site On The Internet. Part of that meant cleaning out the old guard, so that he could negotiate with other up-and-coming mafia leaders who would be more open to establishing peaceful and profitable terms with the Corleones, rather than simply trying to muscle them out, as the older, more experienced dons would have likely tried to do. This is why the FBI regularly stalked Mafia members at public events, which were considered "civilian" family events by the families, and off-limits for business and crime dealings, which would have added to Sonny's frustration at their privacy being invaded. However, Paulie (John Martino) calls out sick on that day, forcing the semi-incompetent Fredo to drive Vito and knowing that Fredo is incapable of defending Vito during the hit. Two button men of the Corleone family were also killed, as they peaceably ate their dinner in a small Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village by Cuneo men. His criminal interests are in narcotics, gambling, and prostitution, and he is looking to expand his empire to Las Vegas to take advantage of the Mafia's lucrative casino rackets. When Kay leaves the room to fix some tea, three of Michael's capos enter. At the end of this meeting, Vito asks Tom more info about Woltz, and then finally says "All right - send Luca Brasi to me. Why is there no Clemenza However, Hitler in March 1939 violated his promise and occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia, while Hungary and Poland received more Czech territory. What happened was unavoidable. As soon as the war started, the Tattaglia, allied with the Barzinis, along with Stracci and Cuneo families went straight to the mattresses, hiding out in various venues. Short answer: just as Michael tells him, Tom is not a wartime consigliere. Moe Greene walks into the suite, sleek and confident, and takes a seat across from Michael, who gets straight down to business. At Don Corleone's funeral, Tessio arranged for Michael's assassination at a peace summit set up by Emilio Barzini, who had become the strongest Don in New York. The bankers were told to go out of business. Edit, When they are about to kill somebody they want to be sure that he doesn't suspect anything. Tessio seals his fate by relaying Barzini's deal to Michael. Why didn't the Don do anything to stop Carlo from beating Connie? Michael will drive himself to Siracusa, and plans to send Apollonia to her father's house so that she is safe. All this cost the Corleone family a great deal of money and very little was coming in. Michael realizes what's about to happen, but it's too late. Confessions of a Man Who Has Never Had Sex With His Wife. Edit, After the meeting of the Five Families, Vito expresses to Tom his conviction that the Barzini family is running the narcotics operation and that they were behind Sonny's death, Tattaglia being too much of a "pimp" to "outfight" Santino during the Five Families War. Michael wonders why, and Don Tommasino shares the news of Sonny's death. After Sonny beats him up, Carlo feels completely humiliated and seeks vengeance against Sonny. When it became known that Vito Corleone had risen from his sick bed to retake command of his family, the heads of the rival families made frantic efforts to prepare a defense against the bloody retaliatory war that was thought to follow. Fabrizio, who had been hiding out in Buffalo, was blown up by a car bomb planted by the Corleones. As fast the doctors could assess him and send him into surgery, it still takes time once he's there.What Sollozzo wanted to find out was if the Don was truly and finally dead. Abe Vigoda John Aprea. These are businessmen, circling their wagons, looking for a way to maintain their way of life and preserve their sources of income. Although he is most certainly a bad Don (something that his own father, even after Sonny's death, couldn't deny) he is a wonderful father and husband. Being older than Michael, wouldn't he be next in line after Sonny rather than the youngest and arguably the most reluctant of the brothers? The scene itself feels very intimate. Tessio gives instructions to Aldo Trapani. Massive raids began all over the city and all unlawful business activities came to a standstill. I see no evidence of this phrase in the novel, The Godfather. Clemenza's family Michael told them to wait, to which Clemenza reluctantly agreed, but Tessio did not and made a deal with Barzini, which resulted in his death. What is he talking about? Chapter 8: Michael goes to the Hospital - Chapter 10: How's the Italian Food in this Restaurant? The novel was published in 1969. Edit, It is more apparent in The Godfather Saga as there is additional footage shown pertaining to this. He was known to keep his business and personal lives separate, a fact that was hammered home when he plotted against Michael despite his fondness for him. He did not provide any visible support to the Corleone family. The Godfather Chapter 16: Apollonia's Murder - GradeSaver In this case Michael still needed to extract information from Carlo. Lucy has a much larger role in the novel, mostly due to an entire subplot, including several main characters not found in the film, including a plastic surgeon, who "repairs" her large vagina, his and Lucy's back-stories, plus their eventual involvement after her affair with Sonny ends (due to his death). In hopes of holding on to what he still had, Tessio made a deal with Barzini, in which he agreed to set up a peace summit on Tessio's turf in Brooklyn, at which Michael was to be assassinated. No matter how deserving. Tessio began with his friends Peter Clemenza and Vito Corleone as low-level hoodlums in New York City's Little Italy. When Connie further objects, the Don says "Not even the King of Italy would interfere in a marriage." Not only would he have a few men in his car with him, but there would probably be at least one other car following them. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola. External Reviews Couldn't they have done it sooner, say when Sonny was sneaking into the city to carry on his affair with Lucy Mancini? Edit, Fredo was considered weak. The rival families struck in an unexpected direction. There was no way any of the other families would look the other way. Vito called for a meeting at one of Corleone compounds in Little Italy, Manhattan, and not only did he invite the heads of the rival five families and their representatives, but also foreign Dons who were looking for a piece of the action, like Carlo Tramonti and Frank Falcone. So much so that he had served on civic committees and had been voted as Businessman of the Year for the State of New York by the Chamber of Commerce. In an unbroken over-the-shoulder shot, Michael asks Kay for the chance to make good on his promises and build a life with her. He had to act quickly to cut the heads off the hydra that was the Five Families of New York City, and that meant the end for Cuneo and Stracci, as well as Barzini and Tattaglia. Why was Fredo not shot along with Don Corleone? Was the horse's head a real horse head or a fake one? Michael also says, "you're not a wartime consigliere, Tom." What Was It Like To Be Shipped To A Concentration Camp? Edit, Awards Vito died a year later, and Michael formally succeeded as Don. plot explanation - Why did Michael fire Tom Hagen as Consigliere In the novel, Connie goes to her parents a few times to tell them how abusive Carlo is but her parents, especially the Don, are very coldly unsympathetic to her plight and tell her to go home and learn how to be an obedient wife who won't be physically abused. Immediately, he and Vito began making plans to eliminate the other New York Dons and break Vito's vow. The Godfather (1972) - Frequently Asked Questions - IMDb User Ratings Think of other movies in this genre that you have seen and describe at least three characteristics. Michael told him about the ticket and that he wouldn't widow his sister like that. not just mentioned) in this film? The FAQ items below may give away important plot points. Carlo, thinking his life was going to be spared, confessed that Barzini had approached him. Carlo's position as son-in-law was the only thing that allowed him to live as long as he did. He believed that the politicians and judges that did business with his family, enabling them to become as powerful as they were, wouldn't be willing to continue to do so if his business was drugs. He leans into the darkened kitchen, and Calo, face in shadows, says that Apollonia wanted to surprise Michael by driving the car herself. (These stories were based on information supplied by Tom Hagen which he later distributed to Norm Felichelli.) These things have to happen once every ten years or sogets rid of the bad blood. The war between the Corleone family and the other families combined against them proved to be expensive for both sides. In the game, Aldo, rather than Al Neri, is the assassin who shoots Barzini dead on the courthouse steps. Behind the scenes During the wedding at the beginning, Sonny's wife is talking with other women at the table and she holds her hands up in a "this big" pose and gradually holds her hands out wider and wider, much to the amazement of the other women. What is the piano composition played during the "mattresses" montage? The camera tracks around the conference table as Don Corleone thanks all the heads of the Five . In the novel, Puzo makes mention of the boredom that Michael feels at having to wander Sicily. Tessio, before being led away to his death. Why did Michael tell Carlo he was being sent back to Vegas, and he would tell Connie what flight # - then have him killed in the car? A Don can never appear as weak outside of their family.Vito never wanted Michael in "the life". Michael reveals that he is working for his father, whom he believes is like any other powerful man. Zaluchi stands up and speaks in support of Don Corleone. Barzini's mannerisms and management skills, as well as his skillful machinations and influence over the Five Families, are inspired by Frank Costello and Lucky Luciano; all three men served as bosses of the Genovese crime family. It is described in the book that Sonny Corleone has an abnormally large penis, so large that it actually gives his wife stomachaches. The Godfather Scene 10. After the meeting of the Five Families, Vito expresses to Tom his conviction that the Barzini family is running the narcotics operation and that they were behind Sonny's death, Tattaglia being too much of a "pimp" to outthink Santino. Corleone bookmakers all over the city were threatened to persuade them to change their allegiance. Carmine Cuneo operates mostly in the Bronx. Edit, There's no identification of the man or men sent to kill Moe but it's not really necessary to know anyway.As for the lens and blood, the FX crew rigged the glasses Moe was wearing with two small tubes. Later, in Las Vegas, Michael also has a dinner-table-business scene, similar to his father's gathering with the 5 Dons. Tessio thought more of Vito's younger son Michael than Clemenza orTom Hagendid, but never believed he was powerful enough to keep the family going after he was named his father's heir. During this time, Michael learned that Carlo had helped set up Sonny to be killed. The beating that Sonny gives to Carlo earlier on was very public -- it took place on the street, right in front of the bookie's office that Carlo managed for the Don. Tom initially thought the traitor would be Clemenza, but Michael was not surprised, since Tessio was always the smarter one. We know that in the movie, Michael did take out all four heads of the fellow Five Families members, and the reason he had to was, Michael had killed a New York City Police Captain, breaking a long-standing mafia tenet, which the other family heads could not condone, nor appear to support in any way, even if only by way of indifference. To that purpose he put into effect an elaborate system of surveillance of these leaders. What was Michael's rank as a Marine? What does that mean? Why the 3 hour holding of Tom? Don Corleone, though, was able to see through the niceties and handshakes in order to discover the identity of Sonny's killer - Barzini - a piece of information that he will use strategically. Michael steps out. The car explodes an instant later. Another aspect of the novel, that's not very well-explained in the film, is that Carlo is deeply and angrily resentful that he wasn't given a higher post in the Corleone family, e.g., a lieutenant's rank like Clemenza or Tessio. For a brief, fleeting moment, Michael and Apollonia are simply a pair of newlyweds enjoying each other's company. Fabrizio is found working in a pizzeria in Buffalo, New York and is shot by a Corleone operative. GradeSaver, 29 September 2013 Web. The apartments would be used to house soldiers that could be deployed to conduct "battles" between the families at a moment's notice. Actor John Marley's reaction was also real, as he had no clue there would be a real horse's head in his bed. In that speech, Vito is only making promises about his own actions, but he says nothing about his successor (Michael) being able to seek revenge later on. Sonny was angered at the fact that someone would try and violate his family's privacy, especially at his sister's wedding. It's not explained in the film but they likely, out of respect for his years of loyal service (The Godfather Part II (1974) reveals that he has been working with Vito and Clemenza since the late 1910s or early 1920s) to the family and Vito, took him somewhere they could kill him quietly and dispose of his body in a non-messy fashion. When Sollozzo offers his hand to make the deal, Luca doesn't accept it. When Michael returns from Sicily, he immediately begins learning the ropes from Don Vito, in preparation for the day when Vito would retire or die, and Michael would take over as head of The Family. Tessio was visibly upset, saying that it threw off his "arrangements". They might have given Carlo a date and timeframe to spark the fight with Connie. After the Barzinis began chipping away at their territories, Tessio and Clemenza asked for vengeance, but Michael ordered them to wait. Born Tattaglia accuses Corleone of refusing to share his political connections, but Don Corleone voices his belief that the drug trade is going to ruin their way of life.

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