Where Vito was born with nothing, but died with everything...There is Michael who was born with everything, and died with nothing...One of the greatest trilogys of all time...
Alex :/ he died with millions of dollars. But he died without a close bond to his family. Without a wife. He watched his daughter murdered in front of him. He will die sad and alone- he has nothing
Al is so quiet and methodical when he speaks that it's unnerving. But it's even worse when he yells, because it's sudden, it's from out of nowhere...and it's the loudest thing you've ever heard!
Michael’s character development from start to finish is INSANE. Yet it was so smooth. He entered a world he thought he could never be in. He’s now rationalizing all his decisions no matter how dark they may be. Man. Al Pacino is incredible.
Tragic becoming of Micheal Corleone. He is an Anakin Skywalker turned Vader. You pity him... Convinced the only way do save he whom he loves is turn to the unnatural and dark path. Don Corleone is one of the most ruthless and terrifying of all cinematic villians.
Autumn Wyatt I wish Al Pacino will take on a role like this again. Clenched, calm/cool/cold, smooth & calculated.. Not loud expressive ones though those are good too!
He starts out as a happy and somewhat innocent guy who seems embarrassed by his family's criminal activities, and doesn't want to get involved in them. But because of the attempts on his fathers life, the assassination of Sonny and losing Apollina he loses his innocence with every tragedy and eventually becomes a hardened serious man who has to think multiple steps ahead and never shows his emotions to be the most effective in his business so he doesn't have to lose more loved ones. He never wanted to be the Don unlike Sonny and Fredo, but he had to, because he was the most capable to run the family. He doesn't even look like he is enjoying his position as boss but treats it as his duty.
Autumn Wyatt Micheal NEVER WANTED ANY OF THIS. He makes this CRYSTAL CLEAR from THE BEGINNING. He wanted to marry Katy and live a good life. When Vito died and Mike took over the realization of all that power dawned on him, it seduced him making him everything he despised, costing him everything, even his own daughter
@@nothosaur Actually the art of usuing shadows and lights in the GF is very strategic. Theres a whole video about the cinematography of light in the GF. As the movie progresses, you can see the difference. For example, in the beginning was the wedding, it was very bright, cherry and happy, except when Don Vito was meeting with people, then it turned dark. Then you have Michael when he was in Italy, again, he was happy, in love and enjoying life there, thus the scenery is very bright, open and inviting. Then you have scenes like when Michael was talking to Carlo, when Michael got beat up by McClusky outside the hospital and when Michael excommunicated Fredo (GF II), all of which were very dark, gloomy moments, thus the lighting reflected that.
saganist your right, short and passionate lived life’s are often felt the most.. sunny died coz he had a good family nature and he ddnt think In the heat of the moment. We’ve had people in history like this who’ve come and gone and there remembered more then people alive today, this isn’t the case for Sunny coz Michael was the most resilient but it’s a lesson in it self
saganist when you live a peaceful life your biggest enemy is your self and your biggest successor is also your self. Just depends which route you take, realisation at a young age is the most powerful tool but only a few young people are lucky to possess it otherwise you just pick it up as you get older..
A video about Michael Corleone without showing Sicily is a disservice. His time in Italy showed him his roots and made him a man. He understands what he was supposed to do and who he was supposed to become. Appalonia was his true love. Kay could never be what Appalonia was for him.
Had Apolonia lived and come to America with Mikey, she would have been his wife and Kaye would have been relegated to gommah status.It may have worked.
Idk she would have just got dragged down into the shit with every one else around him. Michael Corleone was a vortex of desolation. Everything he touched turned into shit. True Ta'Veren.
Appolonia was his true love. He married Kate, because she was his girlfriend before he go to Italy. When you feel deep love, than you don't look to another person...
Michael Corleone learned a lot from his old man but missed one charm “a man who doesn’t spend time with his family, can never be a real man” which makes Vito Corleone The GOAT.
Couldn't disagree more. Michael wanted nothing more than to spend time with his family. But his fathers life decisions has ruined his entire family, mainly Michael.
About Michael Corleone he was quite ruthless the neat thing in Godfather II is it a phase back to when he was idealistic young kid who joined the Marines I want to change
What made him intimidating was that yes he was calm and strategic but he only said things once, and sometimes not at all, and after he said it, if you disobeyed him, he just killed you without saying a word, he really never let emotion get to him. All this ruthlessness though caused him to loose everything he loved
The thing Al does better than any actor in history even Brando or Cagney or De Niro was his eyes. The way his eyes move or widen or squint or show his emotions at any moment or be cold as ice. That's why he will always be my favourite actor of all time.
Most underrated actor in GF: Robert Duvall. An Irishman who talks with the Italian cadence, he was simply terrific. Not to take away from Al Marlon and Robert, but he rocked.
The extraordinary thing about GF1 and 2 is that even most of the minor characters have an intensity and colour that other movies lack. Duvall's is only one of (at least) half a dozen utterly brilliant performances - Solluzzo, Freddo, Pentangeli, the Meyer Lansky figure - all were amazing. Other fine movies are dominated by one or occasionally two stunning performances, but this is a great ENSEMBLE piece.
Ken Oliver just a quick note, “the Meyer Lansky” figure was played by the late Great Lee Strasberg, one of the founders of The Actors Studio”. He basically trained most of the Brilliant Actors in this Film. Most of these fine actors were students of Mr. Strasberg and members of the Actors Studio. In my humble opinion, this cast was/is the All Stars of the craft of Acting, hence, the across the board high level of performance. Be well.
The Godfather is the best example of character development, namely Michael Corleone, who went from a US Marine denouncing the family "business" to becoming the most feared Don of his generation. What makes it so wonderful is the seamless transformation, literally from boy to man. The Godfather, to me, is the perfect movie. A masterclass in filmmaking.
@@zenleek2129 not as clear as someone from the outside might think; after Don Vitto death Michael was the only remaining piece for the total destruction of the family, everybody was after him his own brother, business partners, underbosses, sister and his divorcing baby killing wife and he had to remain strong even more than Papa Corleone for the sake of the family
To OP, to avoid confusion, but there are a dozen of characters in the background going through the very same transformation. While not primarily mediated through both acting and the direction, it's still profound in the script. Michael's is the most obvious arc, but everyone have their own arcs even if not on camera or depicted in any scene. While the novels sure brings some light on this further, it's still masterfully adapted for the motion picture medium in that it's always off-camera, in the background and clearly reflected via our main characters and their interactions with everyone else.
More like man to monster. He was a man when he was simply a WWII Marines war hero coming home to enjoy the lighter aspects of his family life. In love and hopeful of the future but rational all the while.
It has always amazed me that, despite Pacino being slightly shorter than the average Hollywood actor, when he's on the screen, everyone else just....fades. Even Brando. Pacino is just mesmerising in anything he does. And those eyes......
Michael was such a tragic character. He began as Don with good intentions and loyalty to Vito and the family, but in time the business made him resentful and paranoid. Pacino at his finest. Godfather I and II are among the greatest works of cinematic art.
He went through too much, disrespected as a veteran, betrayed by his brother, the love of his life killed, buried both his parents, his older brother killed by his stepbrother, betrayed by his brother, kids baby killed by his wife, asking other things. He did what he had to do, he remained strong for the family
I’m not so sure his story is tragic. He took over and acted in accordance to his nature to become top dog of crime in a whole country. Is that tragic? I don’t think so. All actions have consequences, and not much of it was beyond his control.
He did not yell at him irrationally. You should watch the complete scene again, it's true that Tom ignores his questions ever since he gets back. That's the power of don, he kept you in charge but develops only a minor attitude and instantly pays for it. Because Mike is very smart he notices it very quickly and puts him in his place. No disrespect to Tom though, he has stood by them through thick and thin.
Yeah Joel Grey got it that year for Cabaret - a worse movie I never saw. And he was pointless....it was all about sentiment for Liza Minnelli that year due to Judy Garland.
David Pierson it really is one of the most beautiful moments in all of cinema though. It is sad but the beauty is amazing and micheals face of just pure ruthlessness and brutality and his look of power. He really was a monster who took anything he wanted, and in the end that caused him to loose all that he wanted
A powerful tale about the corruption of one man's soul. At first he is a cheerful war vet intent on distinguishing himself from the wrongdoings of his family. By the end of the second film he represents the darkest times the family has ever encountered. Vito the whole time acted as a foil to Michael. Vito was a man of honor. He eliminated everything he hated in the bosses before him and ran crime "the right way" in a sense. Michael is cold, calculated and, by the end of The Godfather II, heartless.
That was the overriding change bought about after the mob flourished in America but then had to deal with the cold hard realities of American greed and corruption... MONEY made the mob rich but brought about their downfall!
Wardell Stephen Curry II Stan what’s so funny is I never saw Michael as heartless, but rather solitary. He takes control to help his family, but at the end of the story he has nobody left. The family he sought to protect is dead, and he’s left alone.
2 years ago we visited Sicily and the two towns where the Sicilian scenes were filmed....Savoca and Forza de Gro....I have a picture of my hubby and I sitting exactly where Michael Corleone sat outside of the bar Vitelli....it was an amazing trip....
@Titus Virilius Character implies a set of traits surrounding a well established personality. You could have a fantastic character who's defining traits would be their crippling vices. Michael knows exactly what he is, knows how potent the combination of his rage and shrewdness can be, and doesn't hesitate to keep using it. The few times he second guesses himself are the times someone very close to him plays the judas
@@LvoZee05 how is that bad mouthing. Poisoning the well much? Marines take orders and have no opinions. How is that not a fact. Salute to marines who defend peace. Not the others tho
@@TheDipset1233 They’re humans like us all. I’m joining in 2023. They aren’t machines. Maybe I came too aggressive. Marines do more than take orders. During a firefight or mission, an ungodly amount of obstacles could come their way. They improvise, adapt and overcome. They’re some of the smartest.
When Michael says "It insults my intelligence it makes me very angry" I felt that on a personal level and that is why Al is one of the greatest actors in history
Its Coppola during his drug era. Forgettable film. When I saw it in the theatre, I could not wait for it to end. An expensive mediocre film. And Coppola casting his daughter, painful.
"That's my family, Kay. It's not me."...this will always be the saddest line to me. He didn't want to get involved in that Mafia shit, but you can't escape that kind of life, once you've witnessed it. And the more you try to escape, the deeper it drags you in. It's like a dark pit.
Love this comment! I think that an actor can honestly say their best work is when you forget the actor is acting, because the character becomes real in it's own right.
You edited out one of the best moments in the Trilogy, when Keaton tells Pacino that she had an abortion. It is powerful and you cut it!, rendering that scene incomprehensible and messy.
I dint like the way it was directed. It should have been x suttle to go with Kay's character. The vengeance is in the suttleness. Just like the last scene in part 1 where she asks mc ... is it true... ? in that sense... I approve ... edit it out :)
theonlyantony That whole scene is amazing. The perfect acting, the amazing dialogue. And Pacino's commitment to the role (my God, did you see his eyes, bloody terrifying)!
Al Pacino, is one very powerful actor. Handsome, brooding, silently dangerous with enormous sex appeal and charm he creates a fantastic godfather.. besides this, his movies are always exciting.. A dozen red roses, to one of the finest actors to grace the movie screens.🌹
@@babalarassrah i dont know why everyone hates that movie; everyone ages and dies, he had aspirations like his father, then realized vincent was the only one who could stop their own family from being killed. they were too deep, it would be the worst vendetta.
@M B but the plot was so good, I know it was out of wack in a way but it made allot of sense that this life comes with many karma's especially when your trying to get out
@M B lol you mean Don Corleon. But if you ever knew anyone even close to that type of Life style that try to go clean and there past comes to haunt them you would see where I'm coming from, I'm still mad that they could have made that movie into the altimate Godfather movie but messed up like 80% of the movie, it's that 20% of classic in it that I love and can relate to
An attitude and delivery similar to "You straightened my brother out"? I love Green's reaction to that. He was flat out scared considering the family didn't have muscle anymore.
What's great about this movie is that you can never really tell the moment that Michael's morals and his inner character fundamentally change. He's a guy who believes one thing at the beginning of the film and then he's a guy who believes something completely different by the end of it. And you can't pin point exactly when it happened. You can just tell that it happened. It's all a gradual build up.
While it's true that it gradually happened I think that you can pinpoint events that changed him : his father being almost killed got him closer to his family again, him killing the cop made him a part of the criminal business of his family, his Sicilian wife dieing made him colder and fredo betraying him gave him the rest.
I feel like when Michael first told that story to kay about his father "making an offer he couldn't refuse" he thought she might be impressed by it. But upon realising she was scared by it, he took the path of "that's my family not me"
I always thought it was kinda weird that Micheal told his new girlfriend that his father was a criminal and murderer the very first time he brought her to meet his family......I mean, I don't know how men used to court women back in the 40's but today, that is a quick way to chase away a good women or find yourself stuck with a woman that's attracted to chaos and drama.
The scene at the end of part 2 where he sits alone contemplating about the past before getting involved with the family business, and then the zoom in and the ending music - gives me goosebumps in a good way every time
A noticeable difference between Vito and Michael Corleone's leadership is that Vito was a family man through and through. All that he did, all that he had to do, he did to keep his family alive and together. Michael was alone in his ambition and plans. He had no space for anybody else. He loved his family. But he loved his own ambitions more.
When he says "ill kill um both" i start laughing because i know they're going to start laughing, then we all laugh together! then next scene he shoots them and we stop laughing for the rest of his life,
The Godfather 1 & 2 The best movies to ever come out of America. Part 3 stunk. What I'm wondering is where did they find so many incredibly great actors that we'd never heard of. Just fantastic directing and acting. The old New York part was so good I have to watch it over and over.
Happy 80th birthday to the one and only, Mr. Al Pacino. I’ll be celebrating with The Godfather 1-2, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, And Justice For All, Scarface, Heat, Scent of a Woman, Glengary Glen Ross, Dick Tracy and the Irishman.
lots of time when I hear him shauting and screaming, my blood preassure rises and heart beats faster which I usually realise when he stops :D It hase the same affect like when someone shouts at you in person which is ridicolous, because its just a bloody movie, but he plays so well...there is no discusion over his talent. Love him
This movie is an example of how you build a story and character development, and of course Pacino is amazing......small stature, but really intimidating at the same time.....still better than any movies that have come out since ......
I think it's what makes his character so unique. I mean, Sonny himself said it at the end of GF2. "That droopy little thing over there's Michael." So he was a droopy little nobody going into the army the earliest we see him. And what did he do with it? Built an empire out of it! It's just, Wow! Frankly, it's inspiring in a way. Goes into the Army, Goes to Sicily, the birthplace of the Cosa Nostra. Michael's always going some place. Cuba, Nevada, etc. Always searching. Always seeking something greater.
Best character storyline ever. A young man who served in the military, went to an ivy league school, dated a pretty girl and was the one Corleone who would live a life not involved in crime, until he was given no choice, which led him to taking out Sollozo and officially joining. Then in Sicily, he has the chance to marry the love of his life, then she’s taken away, and the viewer meets the cold-hearted Michael who would eventually take over his father’s position. From that cold-hearted man, grew a killer, someone who after the death of his love, trusted no one, not even his brothers. Years after he killed Fredo, the business had become legitimate, and he just wanted a life away from it, Michael became a wise old man that oversaw his nephew overtaking the business after preparing him for the position, just like his father prepared him.
My favorite character. In any medium. Ever. His growth and changes as a character are so profound. It doesnt hurt that Al Pacino plays him. Just great acting and amazing writing. Can't ever go wrong with that.
Michael has one of the best character arcs ever in my opinion. He seems like among the very last people in the Corleone family to succeed Vito, but of course due to some of the best character development in cinema history, his transformation is absolutely believable! Michael would end up being far colder than his father, and that’s why Michael was more feared, but less respected.
Michael wasn't cold. He was intelligent and emotionally stable. " If he was any different he would be dead"....that is a sentence from the ending of the book/ final chapter which tells us why Michael behaved the way he did. Sentence made it into gf2 script
Vito was partially responsible for sending Michael down the path of bloodshed. At the end of Godfather 1, Michael made Vito his consigliere and together they planned the massacre of the other heads of the five families. Vito ultimately died before it was carried out but he was involved in setting it up. And Michael was operating in a different world and faced some challenges that Vito never had to face, like being betrayed by one of your closest relatives. That's why Vito is so sad and remorseful during his last scene with Michael, telling him he never wanted this for him. He knew in that moment that he had set his son on a very dark and violent course that he would not return from.
Those cold dead bottomless eyes. Love Al Pacino, and if I see him in Stratford upon Avon again, should he play at the theatre, I really will have to go Fangirl!
Diane was so gorgeous when she was young .... 😍😍😍😍😘 Cinematic masterpiece !!! Brilliant screenplay and acting .. It’s the greatest movie of all time without a doubt
