Lucia Lopez
The final scenes of The Godfather Part II are quite interesting, especially in the camera techniques used. In a flashback, the Corleone family is seated at the dinner table ready to celebrate Vito’s birthday. This is also the day that Michael Corleone’s family discovers that he left college and enlisted in the Marines. Sonny, his brother who held onto the value of loyalty to family over loyalty to country very strongly, is angry and disappointed to hear about his enlisting. Hagen, the family’s consigliere, can’t believe the news and wonders why Michael would choose this path despite his father’s plans. Fredo, ironically, is the only one to support his decision to enlist as a Marine. Vito comes home soon after, and while the family goes to greet him Michael remains seated at the table alone. The film cuts to an earlier scene, where Vito and Michael are on the train waving goodbye. Finally, we see Michael sitting alone by the lake and the film ends.
In the beginning of the flashback scene, the camera is far back from the characters, showing the family as a whole as they prepare the table and talk. When the topic of dialogue turns towards the war and the military, the camera angle changes and the viewer finds themselves in the middle of their conversation. The camera flips back and forth from Sonny to Michael, which makes the viewer feel the intensity of their speech. When Michael reveals he enlisted in the Marines, the camera pans out to a view of the whole family again, showing their immediate disbelief. It goes back to the back-and-forth angle when Hagen tells Michael that his father had a lot of plans for him. When he claims he didn’t ask for any of his father’s plans, Sonny gets up to fight Michael. The camera only gets in the middle of the characters when their discussions are heated; it makes the viewer feel more involved and gives the viewer a closer look at the reactions of Michael’s family. The camera goes back out when the Sonny’s daughters in the background yell, “Mommy, Daddy’s fighting again!” This outburst shows the impact of the ongoing violence and aggressiveness would have on the children of those involved in the family business. Soon after, most of the family leaves the dining room, leaving Michael, Sonny, Fredo and Hagen seated. Fredo takes this opportunity to congratulate Michael and shake his hand, but Sonny slaps his hand away. Ironically, Fredo would betray Michael later on, and the camera angle from a distance shows the breaking of their bond as Sonny stops them from shaking hands. The camera goes back in the middle of the conversation as Hagen and Michael discuss Vito’s plans versus Michael’s plans, and returns to a farther angle when Connie tells them that Vito has arrived. Sonny, Fredo and Hagen leave the dinner table, leaving Michael sitting alone.
This scene where Michael is seated by himself shows that even from a much younger age, he was always different than his family. He is much more American and doesn’t share the same values as his family does. The camera being so far gives the frame a lonely feeling, and the noise Michael’s family is making in the background makes Michael seem even more isolated from them. It makes it seem as if Michael was destined to be alone from the beginning. The scene fades into a quick transition where a young Michael is on the train with Vito. Vito is waving Michael’s hand, and in a way Michael is waving goodbye to his old self. This scene is also a reminder of the innocence Michael once possessed. It transitions into the present, where we see Michael sitting alone by the lake. The camera goes closer and closer to Michael’s face, putting the emphasis on his eyes. He has sort of a dead look on his face that makes the scene quite sad yet powerful. The juxtaposition of the scene with his family and the scene where he’s sitting alone show how much things have changed since that happier time for the Corleone family. Most of the people sitting at the table would be dead, and it seems to make Michael think how differently things could have gone if he had listened to his father or stayed in college. His desire to be successful is what ultimately made him less successful than his father; Vito remained in the business while caring for his family and keeping his relationships, while Michael’s sole desire for power leaves him completely alone in the end.
