Attempted Murder: Camera Techniques Draw Interest

In the beginning half of The Godfather: Part II, Michael Corleone is being shot at through his bedroom window. The camera focuses on him entering his bedroom where you can see the layout of the furniture and miscellaneous items. It isn’t until from his perspective approaching the bed that we see his wife falling asleep, with a blanket over her that has their monogram stitched into it. Where Michael sleeps is a picture of a car with him in it, being chauffeured around. The camera zooms in on the question “Do you like it?” written in crayon at the top of page. His son, the artist of the picture, also sketched two check boxes for ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ A still shot is taken of him as he walks to the dresser to presumably choose his answer, he asked by his wife why the drapes were open. The camera moves away from her in the middle of her question, allowing for off-camera dialogue to transpire. Based on this, the audience begins to focus back in on Michael, standing blankly with a half-smirk. He begins to gaze outside until his eyes widen instantaneously and he drops to the ground. The camera shots start to become more scattered as they follow the bullets damage to the bed, the wall, and the other furniture. In a cloud of debris, Michael becomes the focus. In a still shot, he is shown crawling along the floor and within a few seconds, his body is guarding his wife. The firing ends and the two of them lie on the ground. Seconds past as the viewers begin to question if either of them are hurt, but Michael answers this by clarifying he’s fine and asking his wife if she is too. It doesn’t take long before Michael is outside ordering his men to not let his shooter escape, and the scene comes to a close when Michael paces in his living room with his children, wife, and mother all around him. His wife and him exchange a look, but all we can infer from this scene is her anger from allowing things to come this far.

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