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Two Questions About The Godfather

posted 2 years ago by wt1963 (7)
10 replies | jump to latest

1. Was Michael's transformation plausible? He starts the movie as the clean-cut All-American who served in the war and wants no part of the family business...to the point of emphasizing to Kay "that's not me". By the end he is the cold, calculating head of the family who has no qualms about killing anyone who gets in his way, including members of his own family. We also see that Vito in fact had not planned for Michael to go down this path. Could a person with Michael's reluctant personality EVER make that change? While it makes for a great character, I'm unsure that such a dramatic transformation is even possible, and my thinking is that in real life he might have stayed out of it and left it to others for revenge.

2. If this has been answered elsewhere, I apologize....but why did Tessio turn on the family? Was it the rejection of his request to go off on his own until after some time had passed? I always wondered about that, and while the other deaths are more graphic, I find the most haunting death to be Tessio's. One minute he thinks he's on his way to a meeting, then literally moments later he realizes on a fine sunny morning he's living his last day on Earth, and they lead him quietly away to meet his fate.

[–] almonigal (1283) 2 years ago

1. It was plausible because of Apollonia's death.
2. Tessio thought the Corleones are finished(and rightly so, from all information he had it was the right conclusion) and he betrayed Michael strictly to protect his family's interests. Making a deal with Barzini was the only smart thing to do, both by him and Clemenza.

[–] buzzlightbeer (1904) 2 years ago

yours was far better than mine, AND shorter! bravo

[–] kwestmo (4385) 2 years ago

good answers especially 2

[–] Whom (528) 2 years ago

Good answer, but also — the assasination attempt on Vito and Sonny’s death too.

Also, you have to look to G2 and the parallel story of young Vito. He held an honest job and wanted to live an honest life, until he saw Don Fanucci strongarming his neighbors. That combined with the memory of his parents death lit up a fire inside him. Michael had the same fire in him. It was in the blood.

[–] Jeepster (1146) 2 years ago

Clemenza never did, so you’re in error there.

[–] buzzlightbeer (1904) 2 years ago

1
michael was transformed due to his father's death. and it wasn't instant, it was quite prolonged. he did the hit at the diner but then he hid out in italy for a long time, i think it was years, where they killed his wife. my thoughts are he grew into his new posture in that time of reflection in italy, topped off with the death of his wife. (a sort of accentuation of his already held transformation to embrace his 'dark' side)

2
from wikipedia:

"At Vito's funeral, Tessio asks Michael to meet with Barzini, signaling his betrayal. The meeting is set for the same day as the baptism of Connie's baby. While Michael stands at the altar as the child's godfather, Corleone hitmen murder the dons of the Five Families, plus Greene, and Tessio is executed (offscreen) for his treachery"

your question was more as to why he betrayed them. i would need to rewtch since it's been a while. i do faintly remember there being some impetus, but i can't pinpoint it right now...

cheers

[–] marktayloruk (2502) 2 years ago

Tessio.thought that.Mike was letting everything slip and had been promised the Family.

[–] lud (5930) 2 years ago

Give a man power and you will find out their true identity. Michael Corleone is no different. He started as good guy,but slowly become greedy,cruel monster.

And ofc. nobody can change their parents. No matter what Michael try,people will always see him as part of Corleone crime family.

[–] riraho (129) 2 years ago

Regarding point 1 -- Michael thought he wasn't built for the 'family business' but two things changed:

-They tried to kill his father
-When he stopped them from trying again at the hospital he noticed that his hands weren't shaking like Enzo's were and he realized he was built for it.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

This is going to sound nerdy, but I'll try to explain Michael's arc.

In movies, there are various tropes and archetypes. One of them is the "Reluctant Hero," the guy or girl who is a born leader or warrior, is called to action but wants no part of it because he doesn't believe that he was meant to become one. In his mind, being called to hero feels like it came out of nowhere.

If you know this trope, Michael's arc becomes more understandable. He was made to be the leader of the Corleone family, but was called before he was ready to assume this position. It's not until the drama involving his family when he realizes that he was always the right man for the job, but that he didn't realize it.