1) Relate what was
discussed in class or the text to the screening.
The Godfather was
released in 1972 and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is the iconic
gangster movie, and is also one of the most influential movies of all time. The Godfather tells the story of Don Vito
Corleone, the Patriarch and head of the Corleone family mafia. The Godfather
goes on to show how his youngest son Michael (played by Al Pacino), is put in
the middle of the family business when he returns home from war. The main story
line in the Godfather follows the Corleone who goes through hard times when
rival mafias threaten the Corleone family. Michael, who stated he wouldn’t join
the family business, ends up stepping up when his family needs him, becoming the
Don, and replacing his father.
2) Find a related article and summarize the
content.
“Michael comes out with
a gun and leaves the two men for dead. He walks out of the restaurant and
remembers his instructions – drop the gun. The music rises in triumph. Game,
set and match to the Corleones. But something else has happened – Michael, the
good boy in the family, the Ivy League student with a glowing military record,
the son Vito was hoping to save, has crossed over. He has come of age – he is a
made man. The Godfather suddenly reveals itself as not just a gangster
chronicle, or even a series of
magnificent set pieces, but the progress of
Michael towards evil.”
In his article, David
Thomson, dissects the scene where Michael is sent to murder two men while
taking them out to an Italian dinner. It is Michael’s first job as a part of
the family business and is also the turning point for the character. The plan
was, Michael was to go to the bathroom in the middle of dinner where he would
pick up a hidden gun, walk out, and murder the two men. As soon as Michael kills
the men, he begins to change from the role as the good kid of the family, to
the godfather.
3) Apply the article to
the film screened in class.
After reading the
article, I agree with David Thompson. For me, one of the most intriguing parts
of the godfather was watching Michael’s transformation, and the restaurant
scene represents the beginning of his transformation into the godfather. From
that scene on, throughout the rest of the movie we see Michael stray further
and further away from the respectable solider returning home we see at the
beginning of the film, until the baptism scene where we see him fully accept
his role as the godfather.
4) Write a critical
analysis of the film
The Godfather is the
most iconic gangster movie ever, and for good reason, it is known for
revitalizing the gangster genre, and has influence practically every mobster
movie or TV show. The reason it was so groundbreaking was because it wasn’t
just another gangster movie with a bunch of bad guys breaking the law and killing
people. Instead the Godfather exhibits family full of gangsters that we do not
characterize as bad guys, but as the protagonist, and the guy we root for. The
reason behind this is because at no point does one of these gangsters do
something out of greed, instead we see the Corleone’s family as respectable,
because every crime they commit is to protect the family.
CHECKLIST FOR
PLAGIARISM
1) ( x ) I have not
handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) ( x ) If I reused
any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly
explain that in the paper.
3) ( x ) If I used any
passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used
indentation and citation within the text.
4) ( x ) I have not
padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in
the text of the paper.
5) ( x ) I have cited
in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) ( x ) I have used
direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I
cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) ( x ) I did not so
over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) ( x ) I checked yes
on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and
ideas used in my paper.
Name: Robert
Moroz_____________________________ Date:
12/17/2013____________________________
