A Review of The Godfather Part I: The Elements of Film and a Message of Morality

The Godfather Part I is one of the highest grossing, most critically acclaimed films ever produced. While utilizing stunning cinematography, relatable characters, great acting, and fantastic musical accompaniment, the Godfather Part I will continue to be one of the most quoted, well-known movies of the twentieth century. Throughout the film we witness the constant struggle and downfall of one of the most powerful families in the business of crime. The film practically defined the meaning of the Sicilian mafia in the minds and hearts of Americans. With the conflicting ideologies of family, religion, and a highly flexible sense of morality in the business of crime and murder, The Godfather Part I captures every aspect of what it could mean to part of a mafia family, such as the real-life John Gotti and Gambino family. Viewers of The Godfather Part I witness the transformation of one particular family member, Michael Corleone, as he is groomed to be the next Don Corleone in order to save his family and his family’s way of life. As Michael witnesses the grimy and murderous complexities of his family’s business, he slowly loses all sense of morality in order to save it. Through captivating acting, music and cinematography, a not-so clear cut message is relayed to the audience. The message contained within the film via the elements of the film is this: do not lose yourself in the whirlwind of lost morality in order to appease the ones you love and care about the most; doing so can have dire consequences.

First and foremost, the acting in The Godfather is arguably the most important aspect of this critically acclaimed film. The actors portray the spectrum of human morality that is relatable in ways that are disturbing and genuine. It can be both fascinating and appalling to the viewer when they witness the actions of the Corleone family, whom fight to hide any emotion that could show weakness in any way. Throughout the disturbing conversations Don Vito has with his accomplices, the actor never smiles or shows obvious affection for anyone until he meets his death. Michael’s character shows less and less emotion as the film progresses. He loses all sense of morality that he may have had in the beginning of the film. Reluctantly, he takes over the family business and even convincingly lies to his wife in the end, depicting a man no longer conflicted about his character as he truly embraces the moral-less man he has become.

Additionally, the women in the film are portrayed as irrational and submissive, which replicated views towards women in the 1940’s and in 1970’s Hollywood. The characters played by both the male actors and the female actors reiterate the loss of morality and the mental compromises that humans make in stressful situations. The females choose to ignore the wrongdoing of their husbands for both love and security purposes. The men choose to not show any emotion or signs of weakness in order to hide any feelings of love or sadness in order to reassure the safety of the family business as well as the safety of the Corleone family. The acting is what makes the characters in the movie the most disturbing as well as convincing. The acting successfully captivates the audience and even allows the audience to identify with family members and characters that are both disturbing and relatable.

Additionally, the majority of great films use intriguing film scores as another fine artistic form that contributes to the commentary of the film. The starkness of the music in times of sadness is emblematic of the harshness of the grimy and complex plot of the movie. The joyful music played in satirical fashions throughout the various montages signifies the conflicted nature of the film and what the audience experiences through the acting as well as the cinematography. For instance, in the scene when Michael guns down Sollozo and Pulasky in an act of vengeance against the Trattaglia family, a montage follows showing press releases and family dinners that stimulates a sense of illusory peace within the family and within New York city crime business. The music creates a false sense of hope, keeping the audience engaged as well as potentially confused. This false sense of security is emblematic of a conflicting sense of morality, which is the cornerstone of the film, and the ultimate message that can be extrapolated. The acting and the music contribute to the overall theme of shaky moral character as well as the lesson that one should not neglect all sense of ethics and morality in order to appease the ones they love and to maintain any form of social status.

Lastly, the ultimate message could not have been as effectively portrayed without the artistic use of cinematographic strategy and the visual collaboration that contributes to the film’s greatness. For instance, in various scenes, the assassins and the Corleones are filmed walking as moving shadows through darkness. The camera angles and the lighting in these scenes contribute to the dire feeling that something terrible is about to occur in the shadows and in the dimly lit rooms of empty restaurants and bars in which all morality is lost. The strategic cinematography utilized, such as the various angles at which we get to view the speakers faces, the transitions from dark and serious scenes to those of joy and love, and the ways in which the audience is required to observe the subtle changes of the expressions on the actors faces, the audience can recognize the loss of morality. The portrayal of characters and their loss of morality as the film progresses could not have been effectively done if it weren’t for stunning and captivating cinematographic strategy.

It is clear that the various intricacies of the film embedded in the acting, the music and the cinematography contribute to the film’s greatness and the countless ways in which it can be interpreted. The Godfather blurs the lines of right and wrong when it comes to the particular subjects of crime and murder. In society, it is generally assumed that crime and murder is morally wrong. The Godfather demonstrates that this is not always the case. However, The Godfather, through the various elements of the film, communicates to the audience a message of internal and external conflict. One should not condemn oneself to a life of evil in order to appease the ones they love the most.

Work Cited

The Godfather. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. By Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo, Gordon

Willis, William Reynolds, Peter Zinner, and Nino Rota. Prod. Albert S. Ruddy. Perf. Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. Paramount Pictures, 1972.