Posted on 03/25/2025 3:05:28 PM PDT by nickcarraway
pls don't put the mafia on to me
It's highly impossible to exist in the American cultural landscape and not have at least heard a passing reference to The Godfather. For me, that reference came while watching You've Got Mail, which is, funnily, the most antithetical you could get in terms of genre. For a year, all I could remember was Tom Hanks' character imploring Meg Ryan's to "Go to the mattresses!" and thinking, what?!
In the name of research, I forced my friend to watch The Godfather with me. Despite the fact that it has a glowing Rotten Tomatoes score of 97 percent, is Francis Ford Coppola's magnum opus and cemented the Coppola family as a Hollywood dynasty, I have to say...I didn't love it.
TBH, I Was Just Here for Marlon Brando
The TL;DR of The Godfather for anyone still living under a rock: The film follows the Corleone family, helmed by patriarch Vito (Brando), as they come under threat by a rival crime family after Vito, styled Don Corleone, refuses to invest in a narcotics business. At the center of the drama is Don Corelone's son, Michael, who at first rejects the "family business" but soon becomes more enmeshed than he'd ever planned.
As an admirer of the Golden Age of Hollywood, I'll readily admit that my main curiosity (aside from understanding the You've Got Mail reference) was Brando. I couldn't be a self-professed lover of 20th-century cinema if I'd never seen him in a movie, right? The Godfather was a good introduction to the legendary actor, who played Don Corleone with a bewildering dichotomy between the cold and senseless mob boss and doting father and patriarch. Oh, and discovering what Al Pacino looked like in the '70s? Priceless.
This Is the Epitome of Toxic Masculinity
I'll admit that I'm often the first to roll my eyes and say, ugh, men. But, I do pity them—we live in a society where sometimes, it feels politically incorrect to be a dude. Despite their foibles, they do have many good qualities. Unfortunately, they're perpetually in the shadow of toxic masculinity. And for that alone, I'm risking my life to drag The Godfather through the mud.
My friend and I had high expectations for the nearly three-hour film. For something that was demanding the time that amounted to almost half a workday, I expected new revelations into the male psyche. Instead, my main takeaway was kill people who piss you off. Also, avenge the family honor at all costs! Sadly, these things were not new ideas.
Even if you think Coppola's film is the greatest movie of all time, I think we can agree that it employs senseless violence. Machine-gunning someone in front of the camera for almost 30 seconds feels gratuitous—ten seconds would have sufficed. Practically speaking, it's impossible to stay standing after being hit by bullets for even three seconds, I'd surmise. (Not speaking from experience.)
All the Women Are Written Off
My main beef here is the way Michael dotes on his girlfriend, Kay Adams (Diane Keaton), only to remorselessly MARRY ANOTHER WOMAN when he flees New York to Italy.
This Italian wife's only credit is that she's beautiful. This girl manages to be captivating without uttering a single word...and she remains silent for the duration of their relationship until she is killed, brutally. And what does Michael do then? Finally return home to New York to hit up the girlfriend whom he ghosted.
I'm not saying that the problem was depicting these situations—among many others. As a writer myself, I do believe that the purpose of art is to allow us to explore all the touch points of the human condition—including the ugliness. My qualm here is that every single woman in this film lacks agency. They are literally extras in this film—even Kay Adams, who has more lines than most. You could argue that "this was just the time period and the culture," but please. Women have always wanted more, even if they weren't able to get it. (See the works of Jane Austen for many examples.) Depicting them all as meek and powerless is to write them off completely.
Objectively Good Art, But I Can't
I think that art can be objectively good and that you can also still hate it. That's The Godfather for me. After 175 minutes, I can't say I was any more enlightened to the male brain than I had been previously. If anything, it only reinforced my perceptions. In one aspect, I supposed I did glean something. Tom Hanks was right. Ladies, if someone is giving you trouble, you have to go to the mattresses. Who's the Godfather now?
Your two responses probably nail it for me.
The Godfather and Part 2 are sophisticated films for intelligent, deep thinking adults. If you are looking or need to be “entertained”..or need “action” in your movies, these 2 masterpieces are not for you.
Yes. 1968.
I also read the book later after seeing the movies.
As far as Godfather, Coppola is not as bad as Scorsese but they’re similar in they are excellent movie makers but their “classic” films aren’t much more than glorified “edgy” soap operas.
I never saw the Harper movies.
Scorsese makes the same movie over and over.
Never got the popularity of Casino after Goodfellas. Sharon Stone was so stereotype.
“ This Italian wife’s only credit is that she’s beautiful. This girl manages to be captivating without uttering a single word...and she remains silent for the duration of their relationship”
Think that one all the way through sweetheart
****I forgot Cool Hand Luke****
My favorite movie of all time.
‘Car Wash” was my choice.
do any women like the GF ?
I think it’s safe to say a lot of them do. My mother loves it.
I never saw The Conversation.
I never saw it until a few years ago, and I couldn’t believe how good it is. It’s 80% Gene Hackman, and he is amazing. Fredo, and Tom Hagen are in it. Terri Garr and Cindy Williams are in it. But most of it is Hackman.
“Scorsese makes the same movie over and over.”
Yes. And it’s Mean Streets.
Kundun was a nice effort.
I saw some of it in long clips after Cindy Williams died.
Yes, the Three Stooges. To this day, I still love the Stooges. I’ve yet to meet a gal that likes them.
Why?
Why do men like them? Never really tried to analyze it.
Maybe because they are just, really funny?
Young females seem to approach life only from a female perspective. Makes them boring as heck.
Fact is, for men, The Godfather (parts I and II) is some of the finest cinema ever produced. The character of Michael Corleone is what every man aspires to be.
Now my wife would say the same about movies like "Gone With The Wind" and "Titanic". I will watch them with her and I appreciate those as well.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.