The Godfather: How Michael Corleone Evolves 

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To think he joined the marines to get away from the family business, but it equipped him with the skills to do exactly that.

"Did he choose this life or did life simply make him an offer he couldn't refuse?" Not gonna lie, that was gold

Al Pacino's eyes seems to completely change from a wide eyed doe to a dead eyed killer. The most convincing character transformation ever portrayed in a film, and it happens so gradually it's entirely convincing.

I always liked when Michael tells Carlo "you think I'd make my sister a widow?", and then immediately has him killed. Even though Sonny and Michael weren't best buds, Michael still avenged him and used his own ruthlessness

Life made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

A key scene at the hospital. When Enzo the baker tries to light his cigarette, he can't because his hands are shaking. Michael does it for him and he notices his hand is completely steady.

the crazy thing about his transformation not only how he carried himself, but also he physically looked different but it was subtlely done. the best change in a single character i've ever seen in just 2 movies.

This is the perfect villain arch in any movie ever made, because you don't see Michael as a villain. Amazing

The death of Appollonia killed any humanity left in Michael. After that he believed that the only way to protect his family was to become the most powerful and kill all of his enemies at once, the latter of which probably a leftover from his time in the Marines.

It always seemed like Apollonia was the only Michael's true love. The whole sequence in Sicily looked like a dream. Just beautiful.

I always viewed Sonny, Tom, Fredo and Michael as four different combinations of two things necessary to inherit their father and become a crime boss - intelligence (or you could say patience) and ambition. You need both to be worthy of the role. Sonny - ambitious, but unintelligent. He wants to be the boss all the time, but he does things on impulse. When you have a character that is so much exposed and yet not smart enough to play his cards well, you can expect him to die first and soon. Tom - intelligent, but not ambitious. Tom is a smart guy, but chooses to operate from the shadows. He's content to be an advisor. Perhaps it's because he was adopted, so he appreciates just being a part of the family without having to lead it. He's the polar opposite of Sonny. He's very intelligent, but never exposes himself or makes himself a target. When you have that kind of a character, you can expect him to live long and die peacefully, which is precisely what happened eventually. Fredo - neither ambitious nor intelligent. Fredo stays away from the spot because he's not interested in being a leader, just like Tom Hagan. He's a softie who wants to be left in peace. What makes him different to Tom, however, is his lack of intellect. He doesn't read people well enough and easily gets manipulated. It's natural to expect such a character to stray from the family the most and end up a traitor. That's why he's killed by Michael. Michael - ambitious and intelligent. Michael has both the ambition to be a leader and the intellect to make it happen. He's the true heir to his father. Because of his ambition, he's always a target, but he's strong enough to defend himself and defeat his enemies. In the end, it's his exaggerated care for the family and his lack of morals when fighting for what he wants that he gets alienated from the family and dies poorly and miserably. He lived long but not happy.

The way Michael facial expressions changed after becoming Don was incredible. Pacino is a Goat actor

When Vito was young, he didn't have anything. However, he had everything when he died. Michael, on the other hand, was born wealthy and died after losing everything. That story has always touched me. The Greatest Movie of All Time. This is indisputable.

Best role in history of cinema that didnt win the oscar.

What's tragic about Michael is that at no point in his descent are his motivations to become evil, he's motivated to protect the people he loves and to extricate his family from the world of crime. Yet to achieve these goals he has to cross moral lines from which you don't come back.

"A great man doesn’t seek to lead. He’s called to it. And he answers."

"We are all different people, all through our lives. And that's OK, as long as you remember all the people you used to be."

Even his facial features changed. In the beginning he had this round, pale, and innocent baby face. After his broken jaw, his face slimmed down a little bit, and he had a bit of an edge to his face. When he took over, the innocence in his eyes were gone, his face was more chiseled and tanned. He became darker, literally and physically, and sexier, too.

Vito was not a common gangster driven by selfish desires for power, money and control. He was a man of principle who weighed every decision he made against the best interests of his family. He wanted the best for his family.

Al Pacino’s performance as Michael Corleone is my all-time favorite. Can’t get it out of my mind.

I can’t get enough of this movie. The mythology, the characters, the life lessons.

"and did life simply make him an offer he couldn't refuse" God damn bro, you know how to end your videos, now don't you?

Michael still loves the version of him that exists in kay... that's brilliant.

You can see a hint of Michael's transformation in the scene where he proposes killing Solozzo. At the beginning of the scene Michael is slouching in his chair,, and Sonny was in control. By the end of the scene Michael is sitting straight up, legs crossed, focused on what has to be done. He's in total control of that room. And Sonny backs him.

"What's more personal than business when it's a family business?" That's a very astute observation; one which really encompasses the entirety of the saga!

It's a testament to the quality of The Godfather, that it's still discussed forty years later. What other movies is this still true for? Very few. A true piece of art.

The turning point, for me, was always Michael lighting Enzo's cigarette outside the hospital. The way he, for a moment keeps looking at his hands, perfectly stable and unshaken, tells so much with so little. A triumph of script, direction and acting.

How did you forget to mention the scene at the hospital where michael lights the Enzos cigarette and he sees his own hands so calm compared to his... this was the scene where michael learned who he was.

Pacino's transformation from Stage 1 to five is brilliant showing his world-class talent/acting skillset!

The fact that we are still talking about this movie shows how long lasting The Godfather’s legacy is.

man, I don't know if you gonna see this, but this video is a masterpiece. Thank you.

This was a great video. Michael Corleone's path started with him choosing to protect his father. He always loved his family despite their corruption. Once he realized that even the highest of police and politicians were corrupt he decided to do anything to protect his family. Michael was more or less a product of his surroundings.

Michael Corleone had the best character arc of any character in cinema history.

"Life made him an offer he couldn't refuse." The line gave me goosebumps!!

The concept of family is very interesting. Initially you take it for granted, but when you sense danger that it might disappear or take damage you either decide you are part of it and want to give your contribution or you jump out once and for all.

Al Pacino played Michael So perfectly I could not see someone play this role than Him.

In the third film, there’s a scene where Michael and Kay are in Sicily speaking to each other in private, and Michael kind of drives home this truth to Kay by saying, “I didn’t choose this life. My father was sick and he needed me, what was I to do?” then, as if on que, their conversation gets interrupted by their people asking them for vengeance for their assassinated don. This all just goes to show that he never really had a choice. Although the one choice he did have, ordering the death of Fredo, is what weighs down on him the most towards the end of his life.

Michael's life is summed up at the final scene of Godfather 2: The extreme closeup on his face, his eyes black pools, nothing behind them.

The Godfather and Godfather part ll are hands down two of the greatest creations of all time. I call them great creations as in my head they aren't really films, they transcend 'film' status; they are art! Just tremendous. I never get bored of watching them.

Al Pacino's portrayal of Michael is the best becoming ever put on film.

I watch this as I am alone watching over my dad in his funeral wake who has recently passed away. I feel the things talked about in this video in a much deeper level. I now have new responsibilities I need to handle. Thus, requiring me to change and evolve.

That baptism scene is a masterpiece

Al Pachino was born to play this role. His acting range is astonishing. He went from being an innocent outsider to inheriting the keys to the kingdom. Not by choice but because he had to. You can see his expression change from wide-eyed innocent to cold and calculating. He had to become cold to protect his family. I still don't excuse him for killing his own brother. that's something his father and mother would never forgive him for. Santino would of never gone that dark, but Michael goes there. So sad... 😢 but Al portrayed the role wonderfully.

Great analysis - really like the use of stages and characteristics to illustrate Michael’s descent into darkness. Speaking of which, I read a great article years ago which talked about how his dress changes to reflect the changes in his character. He starts out in earthy colours, brown etc., then goes to wearing those grey suits at the end of part 1/start of part 2, and by the time he is ordering his brother’s execution he’s wearing mostly black.

That final shot of her looking into his office was perfection.

Vito Corleone via auto-generated CC: "I'm going to make them an awfully camera fuse."

An absolutely accurate analysis of the character, Michael Corleone. The reason many of us love this character is because we are sad about the tragedy that he was forced by circumstances to go from Stage 1 to Stage 5. Even in Part II, when he had Fredo killed, it was the correct decision to protect the family from Fredo's incompetence.

I have seen “The Godfather” movies countless times. They never get old, and neither do these observation videos. I love hearing different perspectives. 😃

Michael had chosen his path until his true path was revealed. The call of responsibility to family, especially to lead, is a powerful force that most are not ready for. Michael was not ready, but after taking out the heads of the other families, he proved himself capable. He became the man he didn't want to be and it cost him dearly

Michael Corleone evolved so much he became an entirely different person in III.

For the last question, I think it's a bit of both. Michael was the only one smart enough to protect his own family under-pressure... under his own circumstances, but on how Michael evolved as a character is clearly based on how life written itself, it definitely was an offer he couldn't have refused. He had his own intentions for himself but life initiated all the challenges he had to went to through to cause THE "transformation".

Had goosebumps at the end of the video on stage 5 of Michael's transformation. It is the best character arc, ever put to film in history. ❤️❤️

Amazing how its been 50+ years since this movie was made and still relavent today

This is a truly brilliant analysis. One of the best I have ever seen on the epic Godfather movies

I usually don’t comment on videos which analyze and translate what they may see in a film. My opinion on your own videos may be altered due to how much I treasure The Godfather, but I feel you do an excellent job summarizing key points and your eloquence meets the quality of cinema you choose to deconstruct. Bravo.

I've watched countless Godfather analysis videos. This was a PHENOMENAL breakdown.

It just goes to show you, every man's life in one sense or another is Edmund Dantes. We all start out smiling naive and illiterate to the ways of the world. Then our Chateau D'if comes as a hurricane kicking the shit out of everything we thought we knew, innocence slain. You gain wisdom, shade and scars, and maybe enemies too, wounds that never completely heal. We're better and worse for it at the same time. You learn to survive. Everything you have endured, means more you can endure. Wisdom only comes through great suffering.

What a great analysis! 👏🏻 You literally brought another 13:31 minutes of quality time to my life, thank you so much!! 🙏🏻

god this channel is so underrated, the vibe of authenticness and clean editing is just amazing. you maybe little but you pack a whole punch on entertainment.

Very nice synopsis. He was willing to sacrifice his personal ambitions to maintain his family legacy as was expected of a true man in his fathers eyes. He made his father proud.

9:03 - Fate giving us all the finger.

Brilliant analysis of the movie, every time I watch it there’s so much to observe from each character and learn about life. It’s completely unpredictable where life is going to take you but it surely is preparing you for something.

Literally the best line you’ve ended with for a Godfather video. I almost jumped with joy! I love this channel!

people who dislike the video are from Barzini family

Damn congratulations because that was done so well!! That final line gave me chills! Also I can't help but fawn over Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, he was a real fine gentleman in his prime!

The way you’ve put it all together, strategically, throughout the psychological depth and the language that you’ve used to create a personal dynamic shifting scenery is just outstanding! Thank you for such a precisely put picture of such a colourful character.

Michael did nothing wrong. His character is the proof that sometimes no matter what you do, it's never going to be enough. He had to lie to those who trusted him and was betrayed by those whom he trusted, because the world he inherited from his father had no room for honesty and trust anymore. Vito could be Vito and not lose his family because he had an oldschool wife in his corner, this was not the case for Michael and so when he did what he had to do, to be strong for his family, he lost his family. He knew that it was inevitable, too, because in his last conversation with his mother before she passed away he discussed the matter with her, and he concluded the discussion with: "Times are changing", basically acknowledging the fact that he can't have the family life his father had, because women like his mother don't exist anymore.

This is a very great analysis of a character transformation. The best I've seen on this platform. You deserve more subscribers!

Wow, this may be the single best piece of content around The Godfather that I've ever seen. Bravo

What a fantastic channel. So perfectly explained. I'm just rewatching the Godfather ,I hadent quite grasped some of the twists in the story the first time. Your synopsis is making all crystal clear, making it more enjoyable to watch. Thank you.

This was outstanding. Impossible to not assess your own parallels in life that led you to the the person who’s typing this today...

I'm a law student studying criminology. The godfather was my introduction to crime many years ago through the game. I watched this movie and found his transformation too radical, but you've definitely layed it out well and I over looked alot of things which would impact him. Great video and visuals.

This channel is gem, you can't refuse

I first saw this movie 25 years ago. Never really understood the whole movie because there were parts too long in the movie that I kept falling asleep thru them. This evolution definitely helped me understand now. Thank you.

Michael was the perfect Don, because he had the war experience + IQ. He was born to be Don. The dinner, where he admitted, that he is going to the army, showed that he was alone from the start. Only Fredo felicitated him, but at the end he was alone. This moment also shows, that he was the only hope for the family to survive.

Absolutely loved this. It has showed me to forgive myself for some of the mistakes I have made. Sometimes life isn't fair and pushes you down roads you otherwise wouldn't have gone down. Sometimes all you can do is follow the road in front of you.

This was a really good analysis! Michael Corleone is such an amazing character. Subscribed.

A well made video. I love the writing, especially the ideas that you discuss conspicuously by defining each idea with a certain stage.

One of my favorite movies of all times. I really enjoyed this explanation of Pacino changes as his character has been always my favorite specifically for his transformation. Well done!!

Michael's evolution encompassed in just 3 hours, compared to an episodic series on HBO, Netflix or Hulu is truly an amazing achievement in film.

Brilliant video! There's also an interesting similarity between Michael and Pacino himself. Just as Michael was viewed as an outsider and thought of as unlikely to belong and fulfil the role of Godfather, so Pacino had a hard time convincing the production team that he belonged in the movie. Thankfully the director Francis Ford Coppola fought for his part!

The legacy of this movie will live on for ages. Beautifully done video.

Such an in-depth analysis of one of the most loved characters in Hollywood

Life is Like a Pendulum Oscillating between the things we didn't choose. The details and works of your is "Just NOT an Observation'' but a complete Study. I wish you gr8 Success and I wish for myself to receive more in-depth analysis of other films too.

amazing analysis..crisp..categorical...straight forward..lucid..

Good analysis. The character development of Michael Corleone in the movie is second to none.

Interesting... gotta say I always love your music choice!

Thank you for the consistently thought-provoking and high-quality content!

"Or did life simply make him an offer he couldn't refuse?". Genius closing statement. I was glued to my screen. Much praise.

Great video bro. If there was an Emmy award for RU-vid, you’d win for this video.

As an absolute fanatic of GF 1 & 2 this is some of the best analysis I’ve ever seen online. Broken down to a T, serious kudos and keep up the good work.

That was a really good analysis Good job man , I swear this has got to be my favorite movie ever i could watch this over and over and never get tired. I wished they still made movies like this. Gotta say Al pacino one of the greatest in my books!

I loved the way you ended it you every point that the conveys . Youve done such a hard work for this . This video definately deserves a like here you go !

You are an amazing, entertaining, and thorough analyst. Bravo.

It's inevitable that someone will have to take that throne one day. Michael is perhaps that unlucky dude who is forced to embrace the dark side of it.

Fantastic video, keep up the good work!

As amazing as the sequel is, this is exactly why I will always place the original above it. The transformation Michael goes through is drastic yet so subtle, it's absolutely brilliant to watch and is my favourite part of the entire story. I am aware that Michael goes through further changes in TG2 but he was already on his way to becoming that man by the end of the first film.

I love this analization

Bravo, good sir. A fantastic breakdown that is simple, direct, and entertaining. Far from hollow, but not too erudite. Subscribed!