Visual Style Analysis: The Godfather, Part II

Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Part II carries the story of The Godfather both backward and forward in time, beginning in 1901 in Sicily where the young boy who will become Vito Corleone is orphaned by a vendetta (Wakeman, 1988). The boy emigrates to America where he is seen as an adult in New York City, battling the Black Hand and emerging as a power in his neighborhood. The film ends with his "respectable" son Mich'l in a position of unassailable power and dominance within the Mafia but without a wife, his brothers, friends, or any evidence of common humanity (Wakeman, 1988).

The film essentially functions as a companion piece to its predecessor and not a sequel. To that end, the character of Mich'l Corleone (played by Al Pacino) is presented in an almost totally unsympathetic light (Biskind, 1990).

Analogies to 'schylus and Greek drama are used in an examination of the tragic undercurrents of America's criminal underworld (Sultanik, 1986). As an American tragedy, the film underscores the theme of familial betrayal (e.g., Fredo's collusion in the attempted murder of Mich'l and in Kaye's abortion of Mich'l's son).

Juxtaposition of segments featuring Vito Corleone as a young man and present-day incidents involving Mich'l Corleone are used to illustrate the transformation of the family. Wakeman (1988, p. 231) states that "if Vito as a young man has something of the Robin Ho

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in his study, and the garroting of Luca Brasi and Frank Pentangele are similar. Visual Structure and the Themes of the Film The visual structure of the film as scripted by Puzo and Coppola (1973) was developed to express the themes and narrative curve of the film. The movement from the past which occurs at the outset of the film to the present, beginning with the First Communion of Mich'l's son and then on to the party at the Lake Tahoe estate helps to develop the continuity within the Corleone family. Throughout the film, Coppola moves from exterior shots in which action occurs to interior shots that are more reflective and intellectualized. Additionally, exteriors are often filmed in daylight, though Puzo and Coppola (1973) "write" and Coppola filmed the murder of Fredo in twilight perhaps to underscore the betrayal of one brother by another. Other interior shots, such as those taking place in Cuba on New Year's Eve, are filmed in bright light, marking the transition from the Bautista dictatorship to the revolutionary chaos that will be seen outside. Coppola's use of space, particularly in scenes such as those taking place in a crowded Congressional hearing room, emphasizes Mich'l's isolation from others. Visually, M

Category: Film - V