According to legend, Richard Castellano (Clemenza) had been getting on Coppola's nerves, so he was ordered to climb the stairs for several takes. When Clemenza looks out of breath at the top, he really was.
Michael lost his humanity when his wife was blown up in front of him. From then on, everything he did was coldly logical and calculated. If someone crossed him, it didn’t matter who they were, they would be killed. He took emotion completely out of everything he did. Which is why he didn’t make the same kind of mistakes Sonny did, but also why he was never loved and respected like Vito, who played by a set of moral rules Michael abandoned in favour of utter ruthlessness.
@@balabanasireti difference between a godfather and the godfather is not obvious. Many people wouldn’t even understand what he means. So shut the fuck up.
Seeing Apollonia blown up right in front of him killed whatever humanity was left in Michael. We're left to imagine for ourselves the grief he went threw over that and the impact it had on his psyche.
The actor who played Appolonia gave an AMAZING performance; especially the way she looks at love-struck Michael for the first time; in that scene she does her acting using her eyes and facial expressions without saying a word.
@@MARK71965 The correct phrase is Right there and then'; not "Right then and there"; American-English is shit-English. The English need to invade U.S.A to teach you lot proper English.
As my Mom pointed out to me when I first saw this movie, part of what makes this scene so brilliant is how the clever the hits are. Michael was at his son's baptism with dozens of witnesses, which is a perfect alibi. They also had some element of surprise. Who would think of having several hits be carried out like that, simultaneously, on a Sunday, especially during his son's baptism?
Especially if I remember correctly from the novel, there is something that takes place, like a gang shooting early on, and everyone is disgusted that they did it on a Sunday. Michael gives zero fucks though.
The book says Santino never believed in Elevators and climbed up 8 stairs to go to Connies home (after she was beaten up by Carlo). Maybe it’s the same with the Caporegimes as well
Man the kills are just so iconic. Clemenza with the double barrel, Moe Greene in the eye, Willie Cicci and the revolving door, Rocco with the machine gun and finally Al Neri steadying himself to kill Barzini. Just great!
It’s just so operatic and so he perfect level of cheesy. Any man who says he doesn’t love this scene is no true man at all. My own favorite detail is the water pouring during the baptismal, the editing tricks you into thinking of the blood rushing from the people Michael’s just knocked off.
Nearly all the violent scenes are depicted in a realistic way; with the exception of where Moe Green gets shot through his brain via his eye, in which his head drops very slowly; but in real life the victim's head would drop in an instant not gradually.
@@PSYCHIC_PSYCHOidk, maybe the actor didn’t want to just drop his head like that, it works for the story though. Loud Moe Greene left this world with soft nod.
A traditional Latin mass baptism really is a beautiful sight. As a beautiful ceremony takes place, as does brutal murders. The way Coppola tied the two together is masterful, truly a genius
The baby, Sofia Coppola, later plays Mary Corleone in Godfather 3. I love the scene when an older Michael dances with her just like when he danced with Apolonia. I mean, he’s dancing with the baby actress that shared this scene. How time flies.
Al, the hitman cop, was so good he didn’t waste a single bullet he fired, nor did he hesitate, and also made sure he set himself in a good position to fire at the guy running up the stairs so he wouldn’t miss. True professional
This scene was wayy too epic when I first watched it. I couldn't believe my eyes when he managed to take care of almost all of his and his father's problems in just. One. Fell. Swoop.
He had to wait until his father passed away to. He would have never gone ahead with this as long as Vito was still breathing air. Once Vito was gone he pulled the trigger (no pun intended) instantly. Shows how much respect the Don Vito character had with not only his children but with the people under him. Both father and son did evil things but the father still had some humanity and morals.
@@brian-vz5hz if you read the book his father passing away was very unexpected. Both Michael and Vito had been planning the attack for years on end. The only reason Vito made the peace was so that Michael could come back safely. Michael learned the family business and gained the political and business contacts of his father because Vito believed having them was worth ten regimes.
@@EliotKiti I wonder why they chose Bach... since Bach only wrote one mass because he was a protestant, this piece almost certainly wasn't intended for the Catholic mass, so usually it wouldn't be played for something as sacred as a baptism
@@Wilantonjakov They probably chose bach because of his ability to bring out emotion. This piece is certainly not religious, it is made only to promote the counterpunktal writing.
The moment the baby started crying in the background as the assassins were about to do their business was one of the most powerful buildups in any film ever
The "cop" was Al Neri, Michael's favorite hitman and his most trusted friend. He had the Police uniform from his days as a cop before he was brought into the family. Quite interesting really
@@alessiodelcastillo1613 That's a dangerous game there. For one, there were cops that were not corrupt. Second, Al Neri was Michael's most trusted hitman so he knew he wouldn't fail. Three, Al Neri had a reputation for his reflexes which would be needed to kill Barzini and finally, Al Neri is extremely loyal to Michael. He would take multiple bullets if it meant he put one in Barzini's head...
@@everglow1012 Al Neri should remain his bodyguard then. Let someone else do the dirty work so there's not enough to link the murder. And if you offer a good amount of money, anyone will do you a favor. Even cops
@@alessiodelcastillo1613 Still, Michael payed everyone involved very hefty amounts of money and I'm talking 6 digits. I wouldn't pay that much to have someone I likely haven't met personally or even built trust with but hey, you do you...
I love how Rocco tells him "we got em all" and Michael looks surprised. To kill that many well protected, powerful men simultaneously is kind of absurd. I feel like this little moment kind of acknowledges that by implying Michael knew how improbable it was that they'd get everyone. Just another brilliant detail.
I don't think it looks like he says "excellent." I just looked at the script and it's no help. Apparently Coppola didn't think it was important enough to actually write down the dialogue. I guess it's just supposed to be obvious what Rocco is telling him and Michael's response is unimportant. The script just says "Michael kisses the baby. Kay carries Anthony out. Rocco drives up and goes to Michael, whispering in his ear. Michael responds inaudibly. Rocco pats him then exits."
I know we all know this entire scene is a masterclass in filmmaking. We can all agree on that. I just want more people to fully notice and appreciate the sound design here. With film we usually tend to focus on the visuals and the dialogue and the sound design takes a backseat role. The organ slides are super in your face but the slow creeping build up to that point and the use of silence during Michael's "I do renounce him" are just as worthy of discussion as Coppola's direction and Pacino's performance and Brando's performance and Puzo's screenplay and Gordon Willis' cinematography.
The acting is magnificent. Imagine how long Michael waited for the moment to get back at carlo for his brother sunny. This movie really shows how much you have to keep your cool and composure in any situation. Not to act on your emotions That is key. not show weakness and show anyone what you are up to in order to succeed. Keep them guessing is important. Get them comfortable in order to conquer. This is an amazing movie full of ups downs. Very important things to learn.
well said, just one thing (in case you didn’t know, It’s not sunny, its sonny and is the short for Santino that here in Italy is an old name. Santino is the holy card of some saint that old people carry in the wallet. The most popular are Michele, Giuda, Paolo, Gennaro and Francesco
Masterpiece of editing. The increasing melody of organ and the baby cry. After “do you renounce satan" question, starting murders and final point when priest says Michael Rizzi go in peace and may the lord be with you. Perfection.
The baby being Christened is Sophia Coppola, who later directed "Lost In Translation." She is the daughter of "Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola.
@@Stormborn_717 Because it's a baptism of blood...Michael verbally declares loyalty to God and Jesus., but he has in fact just declared loyalty (and sold his soul) to Satan
the guy who plays the cop assassin, is Michael’s personal bodyguard and top hitman Al Neri. Who in fact was an actual NYPD policeman, before he was convicted of manslaughter for killing a pimp and a drug dealer. Impressed with his skills, and in the need for a new hitman after Luca Brasi was killed, he is recruited by the Corleone family and becomes a made man. He eventually becomes Michaels favorite assassin, even ordering him to later kill (spoiler) Fredo in part II.
The most epic scene in any of the three Godfather movies, in my opinion. Love how Michael says he renounces Satan as well as his works all while the heads of the five rival families are being murdered at his behest. Love it.
Fun fact: The priest who actually preformed the Baptism, WAS a priest. I knew it from years of altar boy servings the first time I saw this. FANTASTIC and most moving scene.
@@ted6607 Yes, I came here specifically looking for that comment time and time again, wondering if his ordination was valid concernig the fact that the movie was made in the 70s after the changes.
Rewatching this, hearing the baby cry (Connie’s son) makes this all the more ominous It’s been speculated that this was Vito’s plan all along, but it was Michaels to execute being that Vito swore to never actually break the truce. Vito ultimate kill shot from the grave.
Kubrick did have that one cut in 2001, with the shot of the prehistoric bone cutting to a futuristic spaceship. That was a pretty dope contrast as well. But yeah, you can definitely see the influence this movie had, I've seen so many examples that remind me of the energy this scene has, it feels pretty modern for a movie shot in the early 70's
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 become the next Godfather, but of course the character development is supreme tier, and his transformation is absolutely believable :) Edit 2024, this is still (in my opinion), the best movie of all time
Yessss. He went from a easy going young adult to a cold hearted killer. And the killing of his true love in Italy made things even worse for his psyche
I can't tell which one I love the most. For me it's a split between the cold-blooded professional of Al Neri taking a knee to gun down the fleeing Barzini, or the coolest cat Cicci who cleverly traps Cuneo in the revolving door and then mercilessly eliminates him at point blank range.
@@musyarofah1 in fact order 66 if it is inspired by this scene, but not completely, in fact there is a similar historical fact that soldiers kill their generals.
Michael Corleone is answering on behalf of baby Michael Rizzi. Remember the Big Dream of Don Vito: te be rich, influential and respectable with legit business. The new Godfather wishes that for Connies son, not to be a servant of the Satan. Corleone knows he himself is on the dark side.
I love that he gave Al Neri the hit on Barzzini. He who proves too be the most loyal carries out the hit on the man who killed his brother and later the hit on his other brother
Michael pledging in the beginning that stuff like this was his family and not him, and by the end of the movie turning into exactly what he swore he wouldn't be is just great storytelling
Michael is just like young Vito, as the second movie shows. Sonny couldn’t run it- too hot headed and quick to act on sudden passions, be it violent outbursts or sexual gratification. Fredo was weak- he watched his father get gunned down and didn’t do anything. How Michael dealt with Fredo’s betrayal would not have passed with Vito. Vito did everything for his family and Michael’s actions was a sure path to hell, in this life and the hereafter.
I disagree, but he is a hall of fame actor no doubt. In my opinion he wasn’t even the greatest actor in The Godfather. To me Marlon Brando gave the best performance, with Pacino and Caan close seconds.
I like how they save Tattaglia for second last and Barzini, for the end. Those were the two mostly involved in the plots behind Vito’s attempted and Santino’s actual assassinations with Barzini being the one pulling the strings.
What I find a bit ironic (and also a little confusing) about this is the fact that with one exception, all the assassinations are almost clinical in their efficiency using pistols or a shotgun -- "it's just business." The assassination which stands out is the one where the Don is surprised in bed with a woman -- canon says it's Tattaglia. This assassination is almost the polar opposite of the others both in terms of cleanness and efficiency -- the assassin uses a submachine gun. The fact that this assassination is much more violent than the others suggests that this one is almost certainly NOT "just business"...this one's personal, particularly since the use of the submachine guns and the fact that Tattaglia has no protector with him makes his death very reminiscent of Sonny's death. So here's my question...why did Puzo choose to make Tattaglia's death so similar to Sonny's even though Tattaglia turned out to be little better than a catspaw for the true villain, Don Barzini? At least in my opinion, Barzini's death (he's the one shot on the steps of the courthouse) is much cleaner and quicker than he deserves since he's the one who orchestrated the attempt on Vito's life and Sonny's death -- possibly even Apollonia's accidental death as well. We are never told who engineered it but it was most likely someone back in America rather than someone in Sicily. Michael already knows by this time that Barzini is the real enemy, not Tattaglia...so why did Puzo decide to make Tattaglia rather than Barzini the victim of this particularly brutal and vicious assassination?
@@OreadNYC Barzini was the mastermind, but Sonny's war was with Tattaglia. The Tattaglias were bankrolling Sollozzo, who tried to take out Don Vito. Sonny retaliated by putting a hit out on Bruno Tattaglia (Philip's son); Sonny's death was reprisal for Bruno's. Barzini's plotting is within the rules. It's business, and Michael's preemptive strike is, in return, business. Tattaglia's real sin is his subservience to Barzini--Tattaglia is head of a family and should be subservient to no one. By making his family subordinate to another family, Tattaglia upsets the proper balance among all five. As Vito says, he's a pimp; therefore he is not to be respected. Because Tattaglia is no longer to be respected, any move he makes against any of the other families is inherently insulting. Tattaglia's death is not just business: it's also retaliation for Sonny, but perhaps more important thematically it's to make an example of him for his charade of masculinity as defined by the mafia code.
There is so much to this scene its amazing. Michael's nephew is named after him, and its customary for the Godparent to speak on behalf of the baptized. So while the baby is getting baptized into the church, Michael is going through a baptism of blood to become the head of the family. In that moment he becomes a Godfather in 2 ways. and thats just the surface of it
It's such an unimportant thing for most viewers but the fact Clemenza's shotgun actually shoots, with a pretty realistic amount of recoil has always left a strong impression on me.
On the outside: cold ice. His army: Carries the willing from the inside. From the inside: The fiery rage from Sonny and grief for Apollonia tempered by calculated action.
Loved everything about this scene. Michael literally took out all of his father’s enemies. They all did it to themselves. From there you truly see Michael’s character change after this scene.
Best moment in this great scene is Clemenza, with a hidden shotgun under his arm, stopping to wipe a smudge off his car. For him it's just another day at the office.
When my dad showed me this movie for the first time, he paused it after this scene and said: “You get it? It’s ironic! Do you understand!?” Yes dad. I understand.
@@user-zx4vj6ub8r The irony is that at the same time that Michael is in the church solemnly participating in his nephew's baptism service as godfather -- hypocritically swearing to renounce Satan, all his works, and all his pomps -- Moe Green and the Godfathers of the other Mafia families are being assassinated on his orders.
@@OreadNYC It's brilliant because he planned to get Baptised to wash away his sins. So in the clip as soon as the last man gets killed, he gets baptised. that is what makes this clip brilliant.
How many of you have dimmed the lights, put candles and just listen to the music from all of the Godfather movies? My grandfather was a huge big band era fan. This slow swing type of music, just before the house was shot up by an assassin. It will definitely relax you.
Who do you think has tempted all the people of humanity to do bad things? Guess who is the father of lies and crime, murder and evil in general? Yes, it is Satan
Organ pieces playing include: Passacaglia in C Minor by JS Bach during the lead up, and when the murders begin the finale to Bach’s Prelude in D Major is heard, incredible music for an incredible scene.
Fucking nauseating! Are you fucking kidding me?! You don't ever admit the existence of this thing, ever! What the fuck is the matter with you? whatsamattawithyou?
@@thesaint8400 Actually, I think it depicts the Mafia perfectly. For all their delusions of honour, family, grandeur and decorum and respect, at their core there's nothing but petty greed and violence. Of course, it doesn't stop people from loving the Mafia and thinking they're cool because of this movie, because people are idiots.
What's even more classic, that Michael Corleone worked it by the oldest book - timeless Sun Tzu war strategy - attack full force when enemy thinks you are at the weakest (Michael just agreed to meet with Barzini where he is to be slaughtered and Corleone family to be ended for good)
I always took it to be a grimace, because that is him making his bones. That is where he pooped his murder cherry so he wasn’t a calm, cool & collected Hitman yet.
