This is a deleted scene of The Godfather part 1, Michael and Vito talk about Sicily and their future plans. Hit like and Subscribe for more videos like this.
This scene would have been too “on-the-nose” and would have made the movie too “predictable” IMO and detract from the power of the Corleone vs Five Families. Including this scene would have positioned planning the five family murders as a traditional revenge scene, rather than allowing the audience to figure out that “I will not be the one to break the peace” were words that could be bent and shaped to benefit the Corleones. Including this scene would distance the audience from the shroud of secrecy that is organised crime and its discrete ways. It would reduce the baptism scene to a simple revenge plot that we saw coming miles away rather than the cumulative result of secrecy, power and family honour that the audience unravels as the movie goes on.
Absolutely right. The movie is a masterpiece. Alway wrong to second guess the editors. These cuts are interesting but would have interfered with the finished work. Coppola did “Apocalypse Now redux” and all the additional scenes detracted from the story, The Heart of Darkness. Leave great flicks alone. And we all know this is one great movie.
For a long time, I always thought this scene should have been inserted in between the big mafia meeting and Kay at the school. However, I think you're right. The last act of the film plays with much more mystery because you don't learn what Micheal's plan is until it happens. It's far more impactful that way. If I was the director, I would watch the movie with the scene in and with the scene out and finally decide to take it out for exactly the reasons that you described. It's not that is helps the pacing so much, as it doesn't allow us to understand Micheal until he takes action. His whole plan is to kill everyone, so why tell the audience that before it happens?
"We have a lot of time to talk about it now." This was Don Vito's being the wartime consigliere that Mike would need to eventually take out their enemies.
One of the first scenes Vito says "a man who doesn't spend time with his Family can never be a real man". This was the difference between Vito and Michael. Vito was more of a family man and avoided violence as much as he could. Michael on the otherhand welcomed violence and distanced himself from his family, becoming completely absorbed in being the Don. This was his downfall because he lacked the balance Vito had.
In the Old Testament King David did something similar, he had to make peace with some people and when he neared the end of his life he told his son Solomon to pay back those who did him wrong which he does
" Pop, what about Sonny, what about Sicily. If we don't respond isn't that gonna be sign of weakness ".... Not even mentioning her, not even saying her name let alone addressing her as his wife . He is worried about status of his family. I wouldn't behave like that if a dog with flees died bc of me or instead of me So what about Sonny? Well Barzini killed him What about Sicily? Well Barzini tried to kill him but he got away... Got away..... those are the words Michael used in a book when he was speaking about Sicily with his father Vito :" Why do you think Barzini tried that.Did he try to kill you before we made a deal or was it too late to stop it " Michael " Yeah but I got away "... That is how a man behaves when he buys himself a semiliteral goldigger and marries her just bc he had to since there was no sex before marriage in Sicily. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE.... MICHAEL after house got attacked in gf2 Kay didn't die but almost Michael sat on a train that very same night without even changing his clothes and went to NY to speak to Frank P. In that same house ,his old father's house this time screaming bloody murder... " Did you hear what happened in my home, in my home, in my bedroom where my wife sleep and where my children come to play with their toys. In my home. I want you to help me get revenge ".... Yeah when you care and love.
The Corleones are one of the five. The other four were Barzini, Tattaglia, Cuneo and Stracci. Moe Green operated in Nevada, so he couldn't be considered alongside the five New York families.
