The Godfather, and the Birth of the Modern Gangster Epic
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- Опубліковано 10 сер 2023
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About this episode:
We are excited to announce our new series on Gangster Cinema through the decades. Over the course of 5 episodes, we will discuss 5 different gangster movies from 5 different decades, in order to get a better understanding of the deeper meanings and evolution of the genre; starting in the 1970s with Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather.
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Gangster films like The Godfather - especially The Godfather - are metaphors for America. The Gangster genre is a mirror.
I believe that The Godfather contributed to the gangster and violence film genre more due to its style. When you watch the violence scenes in the movie, they are so well executed, with the cinematography, soundtrack, and performances, that they become almost poetic. However, of course, this is a fictional portrayal, as real-life violence is gritty and devoid of any poetry. In my opinion, The Sopranos and The Irishman manage to handle this aspect more effectively.
I think someone put it wisely that the Godfather is how the mafia want to look, but Goodfellas and Sopranos is the reality of who they are.
I love your podcast! Every episode gives me a new perspective on a film. It's an approach I try to take when talking about movies as well.
Michael Corleone's transformation is so fascinating to me due to how many layers it has.
That scene where he commits his first murders is so interesting when you consider his military background. He's killed before (in war), no doubt, but this feels...different? He's not serving his country at that moment, he's serving his family. But is there meant to be a difference?
And then there's that fantastic exchange with Kay where she argued that politicians don't have people killed, which Michael pushes back against, showing how blurry the lines have become to him between the 'legal' government and 'illegal' mafia. Is there really a difference?
And that beautiful second act in Sicily is almost a twisted inversion of the heroes journey if you think about.
Michael (the 'hero') crossed the threshold by committing those murders in the restaurant, and now is in the new, exotic world of Sicily, where the criminalistic, non-American roots to his family lie.
And when he's returned from that special world (Sicily) to the ordinary world (America) he's a completely different man now, his time with tradition there now cemented in him.
Don't forget to also talk about The Sopranos in future episodes
I think the first one has this blockbuster quality and it is a classical well told story, quite simple really. It's very entertaining which is true for a lot of 70's movies. They are deep but first and foremost very entertaining. I think that is missing with modern indie movies which tent to focus on tragedy in a naturalistic way.
I know its TV but not covering The Sopranos would be a shame.
The Irishman film tried to convey the whole trilogy of The Godfather. It was fine but it wasn't great. Nowhere near them.
It's probably on your list already, but American Gangster might be the most iconic gangster movie of the 00s. I think that decade saw us wanting to strip away the myth of both the gangster and the good-guy cop and look at something we could see as more authentic.
Road to Perdition is also great.
I disagree about the point of Viro trying to maintain his power by saying no to the drug business. I think he was actually being genuine with that because he knows all the baggage that comes along with that.
For the 90s its gonna be a bit difficult in choosing either Goodfellas, or Casino. For the 2000s I'd go with American Gangster, but others might choose The Departed. This is just my opinion, just throwing stuff out there.
I wanted to dislike The Godfather.
I’d seen it in high school when my dad wanted to show it to me and I remembered it being long but weirdly good (I was into Star Wars/Harry Potter type movies at the time, Logan was the greatest movie I’d ever seen for years to provide context).
About ten years after that, I got more into “cinema” (ie Criterion Collection, best picture nominees, etc.). I knew the place of honor The Godfather held and strongly wanted to dislike it (partially because I didn’t want to be grouped in with its most fanatic fans).
Then I watched it, and had to admit, it was practically perfect. I have Red Dessert as my all-time favorite movie because it’s meaningfulness to me will likely never be surpassed, but The Godfather took the second spot easily and I’ll admit it probably is the best movie I’ve ever seen.
It also tricked me into thinking I liked gangster movies, so I kept trying them (including Goodfellas) and hated every one. I didn’t find it great because I liked the genre, I found it great despite hating the genre. That’s how much of a masterpiece it is.
I also find it interesting to compare to Apocalypse Now. In a weird way, Apocalypse Now is the more hopeful ending, where the main character rejects the opportunity to “rule in hell”. I think there is a real discussion to be had comparing the journeys of the two protagonists and their very different end points.
i got quite tired of all the praise the Godfather is given every time. it seems like and you said it in the episode that everyone likes it and ranks it top 10. maybe i just dont see it as epic as most of people. and i think this gansta violent family film is what in fact makes the film that popular and you said it as well. no one will stand against any critique to the trilogy but i would love to hear that party too
what
The Godfather's great, but I think its only so consistantly considered one of the greatest films because of the time it came out. I think the Apocalypse Now is better.
Could you give an analysis on why you don't like it? It might help you understand why people do like it so much. Sounds counter-intuitive but I think it would help.