(UPDATED) The Godfather

1)

Establishing shot- A great establishing shot is in the death scene of the Godfather. When we are first lead to this scene, we see a tomato garden with a cheesecloth over it. The white sheet could be a symbol for what is about to come in this scene. The God Father will die from a heart attack. The white sheet could be a symbol to show the Godfather underneath the ground.

Tracking shot- In the second wedding scene Tom is being followed as he moves throughout the wedding. This is an example of a tracking shot. The viewer can get a sense of the Corleone family. The Corleone family is a tradition big Italian close family. They are having a good time fellowshipping with each other as the wedding is going on.

Continuity cut- When Michael goes to Los Vegas to there is numerous clips showing of how gets to the hotel. In Los Vegas business is being handled for the Corleone family. This connects back to the theme of family.

A jump cut occurs when the scenes jump from the first to second wedding scenes. These wedding scenes are a very important part of the movie, they show the Corleone family. At the wedding the family is trying to incorporate their Italian roots, they even sing a couple songs in Italian.

Cross-cutting- One of the most famous of all time cross-cutting scenes occurs at the baptism. Michael is becoming the Godfather of his sister child. While this is taking place Michael is having the head of each families killed. By killing the head of each family, Michael thinks this will protect his family more. Michael is also showing how much he cares about his family because he is taking the time to become his sister’s child Godfather.

2) The film is structured around family. There are many different things that each of the family members go through. The wedding scene shows the Italian family. The family is very close. The Godfather will not even take a family photo until Michael has arrived. Throughout the film there are favors being made for the Corleone Italian family. The Godfather is trying to protect his family from outsiders. The Godfather does this by taking care of anyone who disrespects the Corleone family. The Godfather gets shots and has to stay at the hospital for a period of time. Michael steps up at the hospital not even thinking about the consequences to protect his father. The Godfather now has to retire from the family business. This is now making Michael the Godfather of the family. Michael steps into this role as the Godfather and the new protect of the entire Corleone family. Michael has the head of the five family killed along with his sistr’s husband. Michael has to protect his sister as well. The woman in the family want answers now. In one of the last scenes Michael lies to Kate which shows how this family works.

3)

Scene 1- The hospital scene has ambient sound in it that can relate to the theme. These sounds can relate to the theme because Michael is trying to protect his father. The theme is about family. While him and the nurse are moving the Godfather there are a lot of ambient sounds. The ambient sounds included the squeaky bed that is being moved to another room. The footsteps of that unknown person coming down the hall. These all contributes to the ambient sounds of this scene.

Scene 2- The wedding scene has musical score in it that can contributes to the theme. They are playing post war standard music. There is Italian songs being played and some are even song in Italian. The family tries to incorporate their Italian roots into the wedding. This shows that the Corleone’s care about their family roots.

4)

Marlon Brando- When the Godfather finds out that Sonny is dead he seems to have tears in his eyes. There is also a heaviness on his voice as he talks about setting a meeting with the head of the five families. The Godfather loves the Corleone family but most importantly his children. This killing of Sonny hits close to home for the Godfather.

Al Pacino- Michael loves his father. When he finds out that his father is at the hospital alone he steps up to make sure he is protected. Michael has a cloudiness in his eyes that can convey his passion about his father. Michael puts his life in danger in order to protect his father. This shows Michael not only is stepping up to protect his father but the rest of the Italian family.

Diane Keaton- Kate is the only woman who tries and her role in the family. In one of the last scenes Kate asks Michael did he kill his sister husband? Kate has sadness in her eyes because she feels bad for Michael’s sister. Michael gets mad at Kate for asking. Kate persist that he tells her so he finally tells her a lie of no. Kate is so relieved that she looked like she could even cry. She  This is an important scene because Kate shows her role in the family.

5)  There are many possible themes in this film. In my opinion, this film is based around family. In the very first seem we see someone coming to the God Father for a favor. This is an example of the Godfather protecting his family. The Godfather talks about the relationship of this guy and his daughter which is the Godfather’s God daughter. This shows a relationship between the two guys and his daughter. The next scene we have a big Italian wedding. They play a lot of original Italian songs at the wedding and even sing them in Italian. This shows how they feel about their Italian roots because they try to incorporate different Italian traditions into their wedding. The family waits on Michael for the family picture. This shows that the family cares about one another. The family photo wouldn’t be complete without Michael being in it. The baker even teaches Michael what to put into spaghetti sauce. This is a traditional Italian recipe and meal. When the God Father comes home from the hospital there is the big Corleone Italian family again to welcome him home. There is almost not enough room for the Godfather to even come into the house. They also have a big tradition Italian dinner. At the death of the Godfather he is there playing with his grandchild. This shows how important family really is the Godfather. The Godfather is enjoying playing with his grandson. Michael sister asks him to be her child’s godfather. Most godparents are someone who is outside of the family. This shows that this family wants to stay together. There are many examples of the theme of family in this film.