Tag: The Godfather 2

The Godfather 2 not only describes how the Vito Corleone became a mob leader but also juxtaposes Vito’s rise with the demise of Michael Corleone’s life as Michael becomes more engulfed in the mob business rather than his family. One scene that shows Michael’s demise is the scene where he argues with his wife Kay.

Before the scene begins, there is a seven-second shot showing the entrance of the hotel where Michael and Kay are staying and the street. Including this shot prior to the actual scene allows the reader to be aware of the setting. The grayscale shot also shows how normal this day by showing how life is “dull and gray.” The shot serves to foreshadow how this normal, common day will actually be the day where Michael loses everything.

The scene begins with Michael talking to Rocco, one of his associates, and soon, Kay enters, asks Rocco to leave, and then begins to discuss their family life with Michael. While Kay is talking to Michael, the camera focuses on Michael rather than her, showing how Michael’s reaction remains neutral since he tends to be more focused in his own thoughts, which results in him having a blank face. Pointing the camera at Michael allows the viewer to see his movements as well, which show that he does not care for Kay’s words and wishes she finishes speaking quickly. However, when Michael is speaking, the camera focuses and zooms in on him as if to show that his words have more impact than Kay’s.

During the argument, the camera switches the scene from Kay and Michael to their children in the hallway. Their daughter is running around in the hallway and talking to her grandmother, whereas their son is leaning on the wall, staring at his feet, and barely showing any emotions. Their son, Anthony, in this scene, begins to resemble his father through their shared personality. Anthony secludes himself from his family. Michael also isolates himself since he constantly plays the mob game in order to protect them instead of interacting and genuinely living. Anthony’s actions also that he is reserved and lost in his thoughts similarly like his father, who always seems to be lost in thought.

When their argument starts to develop, the camera angle switches to include both of them, showing how they are both part of the marriage, but they do not view it in the same way. Also, during this scene, there is a major color contrast; Michael is dressed in black and white and standing next to the bleak window, whereas Kay is dressed in browns and blends into the sepia theme of the room. This contrast shows how much the two differ, while also showing how Michael is isolating since he is engulfed by bleakness. The window in the scene also serves as a metaphor, since Kay wants to escape the marriage, yet Michael is blocking her.

Their argument then shifts to Kay telling Michael how he is blind, since he does not realize that her miscarriage was actually an abortion. During this part of the argument, the camera focuses and zooms in on Kay, showing that she was in control of her choice and how she now has control over the future of her family. While Kay is explaining to Michael why she aborted the baby, the camera uses a reverse shot technique, but this technique is not employed in the typical way. Instead of looking over the listening person’s shoulder, the shot ocassionally focuses a few seconds on Michael. Each time the camera switches from Kay to Michael, he becomes more and more enraged. This anger eventually turns into domestic abuse which finally pushes his wife to leaving.

The final shot of the scene still incorporates the color division that is present. Once again, Kay is blending into the sepia side of the room, whereas Michael is on the more contrasting black and white side. However, this time around, Michael’s side is actually in the next room, showing that the differences between them are so great that they are better off being apart in two separate rooms than together.

 

At the 53:00 mark in “The Godfather II,” Vito Corleone loses his job at a grocery and later commits his first robbery – an action that will serve as the foundation for his status as a crime boss. When the owner of the grocery store tells Vito the bad news, the camera is at an eye-level angle. The shot reverse shot technique is used, and we see the reactions of both men at different points in the conversation. Vito is forgiving but is no doubt worried, as he has a wife and son to take care of at home. When Vito leaves the store, a dolly shot is used to establish setting, and we see what a typical 1920s New York street looks like – busy, dirty, and crowded. Vito chooses not to tell his wife about his job, and the next day he agrees to commit a robbery with his neighbor Peter Clemenza.

As Vito and Peter walk to the house they are about to rob, a locked down shot is used. Vito and Peter are still on screen, but slowly disappear into the street, and setting becomes the main focus. Upbeat Italian music plays in the background to match the pace of this busy New York street – there are people of all ages on the block, some haggling at market stands, others just passing by. A small girl can be seen playing with chickens and dogs, presumably while waiting for her mother to finish shopping. When Vito and Peter arrive at the house, the upbeat music fades out, and for the rest of scene there is no music, only dialogue and background noise. Vito is visibly hesitant when breaking in the house and moving around the furniture. He is unsure of whether or not he really wants to be a part of Peter’s robbery, although this crime is much less cruel than the murders he commits later in the film. During another locked down shot, Vito tries to only be a witness to this crime, standing off to the side and making sure he doesn’t touch or move anything. With Peter’s prodding, however, Vito begins to get more involved in the robbery, and even stands by as Peter is ready to draw a gun at a police officer checking in on the house. The police officer eventually leaves, and there is no bloodshed. Vito and Peter successfully commit their first crime together, and the upbeat Italian music follows them as they carry the carpet to Vito’s apartment, triumphant and happy.

Vito’s apprehensiveness in this flashback is a sharp contrast to the Vito Corleone most people know from the first Godfather film. In the next scene, Vito looks on lovingly at his wife and young son as they use the carpet he just stole. We are reminded of the strong familial bonds Vito is committed to, and the actions of his son Michael later in the film contrast Vito’s beliefs.