The Godfather saga, arguably the greatest story of all time, describes the successful yet decadent world of a powerful Mafia family. Not only is it a compelling drama and tragedy of "the Mafia," it is a classic part of American heritage in providing a philosophy of life. It has brought to the learned world a dark, Machiavellian and poetic lifestyle, which has influenced generation after generation. For those of you who have not yet experienced The Godfather, it is an epic about Don Vito Corleone, the most brilliant man to have graced written page and silver screen. Born Vito Andolini, the Godfather was forced out of Corleone, Italy, as a little boy, after a death sentence was put on him by the local Mafia. He fled to America, starting an olive oil company that grew into an entire syndicate of importing, gambling, prostitution and political influence. He was a man who realized that he himself could provide a greater service the people around him than any form of government - and through this realization came the formation of a Mafia, a collective group of employees whose purpose was to gain profits and to aid those within this brotherhood. His family, or organization, rose to the top of the underworld and achieved a magnificent reign of power.
The Godfather Part I details a great Mafia-war which brings forth the shifting of power from Vito Corleone to his youngest son, Michael. The successor turns out to be equally as cunning as his father, if not more so, and regains the family's status as top of the underworld.
The Godfather Part II tells the story of Vito Corleone's youth and his rise to power, and also the beginnings of Michael's command of the family. He is set on making the family legitimate in all business operations by shifting business ventures from New York City to Las Vegas. Though unsuccessful, he is able to plant thorough footing in Nevada and is able to quiet all enemies against the family.
The third and final Godfather movie skips forward in time, to an older Don Michael Corleone, still struggling to validate the family business. He faces other troubles with his rebellious daughter and nephew. In the end, the ultimate goal of making the family business legitimate is successful, but not without a dire sacrifice. Finalizing the series is the succession of Michael's nephew Anthony as head of the family.
The main theme of the Godfather movies centers on their superior masculine ideal, whose Machiavellian stop-at-nothing tendencies make them successful. This rule applies to all three dons. The ending to all three movies implies this exact point, with a slight exception in the third part, which will be explained later. The Godfathers' style, charm, charisma, serenity and above all, reasonability, became the epitome of manliness. To every single male, it screamed out: to be a real man, act like this! Never show your emotion to anyone outside the family, never make an idle threat, always reason with another and carry yourself with the resemblance of a don. Nothing crossed the line when it came to protecting business and the direct nuclear family.
Many skeptics, antagonists and just plain thickheaded people will argue that The Godfather is nothing more than the idolization of criminal acts, illogical endings and overrated BS. For these people, if they can be considered human at all, the rest of the intellectual world will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are either inbred or just borderline retarded.
The Godfather justifies the need for acts that are not necessarily immoral, just illegal and condemned by the overwhelming, disorganized and ineffective government. Within this seemingly chaotic world also lies standards. The family gained power through providing its customers with "harmless vices" such as gambling and prostitution. It became a political machine through its powerful lobbying and influential ability among their business partners and constituents. Its activities were for one motive:, to result in provisions for their future generations.
The organization provided a safe haven in a volatile world. Those within the community were protected from any outside dangers that encroached upon their interests. An ultimate goal of the Mafia was to establish set territories where unseen and unspoken laws were both observed and harked upon. These small communities would rid themselves of nonsensical crime because the family could provide for everyone in it. There would be no need for individual greed.
However, it is unavoidable to describe the family's practices without recognizing their true motivation - greed. But this greed leads to many other more beneficial habits, such as hard work, ambition and the struggle for perfection. As the Don explains, they do not want to continue this life forever, they do not want their children to follow in their footsteps, "for it is too difficult a life." They want to succeed in business so that their children may grow up in a safe and privileged environment: one day becoming doctors, lawyers, and politicians - all influential and legitimate occupations (with the exception of the last one.) If greed may be condemned as a parental figure wanting their children to have better opportunities and better lives than themselves, then let us all just become the most altruistic bastards ever.
With this benevolent mindset, let us turn to an explanation for the endings of Part II and III, which confuse many. Viewers and fans shockingly cry out in horror as they watch Michael kill his brother Fredo in cold blood. They ask, how can a man ever kill his own blood? The answer is simple: Fredo went against the family and the business. In the end, the Godfather must win - and in order to do so, he must eliminate all of his enemies (case in point, the ending to the first movie.) Michael won, he was the Don, he was the man; nothing could have been left standing in his way, including his brother.
The ending to the third movie is not as easily justified. Michael wins by assuming control of the International Immobiliare, a clean multi-million dollar company that made the Corleone family completely legitimate. The Godfather seemingly accomplishes his task, but not without sacrifice - specifically, his daughter's life. Though this act is figuratively out of his hands (though literally occurring in his hands), he is able to pass on the legacy of the family to Anthony and able to provide his progeny with the idealized and Americanized future. Once again, the end justified the means, though through harsh cruelty in this instance.
To adhere the male superiority theme, it is only logical to mention the feminine presence. or the lack thereof. The role of the female figures through Sicilian tradition was to cook, clean and care for the children. Business was never discussed with them. Men did not expect women to probe into matters, and the women did not expect much from men. There was a definite separation of the sexes. Indeed, even the focus of a sexual relation with a woman was not condoned.
Both the first and second Dons did not approve of the glorification of sex, because giving into this vice was a sign of a man's weakness. Nullifying the influence that a woman had over a man was supposed to lead to a more focused, invulnerable and productive person. Sadly enough, this is true hypocrisy that we live in.
The Godfather provides the ideal mold for the strong, astute and rational male figure. It teaches the valuable lesson that nothing in life is free; that hard work and dedication will justify the end result, no matter what the sacrifice. "For all men tragically great are made so through a certain morbidness," as Melville once said in Moby Dick, all great men must allow themselves a certain set of standards, however diseased to others, in order to succeed. This is the Godfather's template for life.
Or it could just be a cool movie.
