From: ELGFROEHRER@PSUCES.BITNET
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.cinema-l
Subject: Re: Searching for Coppola
Date: 12 Nov 92 18:25:00 GMT
Reply-To: ELGFROEHRER@PSUCES.BITNET
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Organization: Penn State University / CES & CE
X-Envelope-to: CINEMA-L@AUVM.BITNET
X-VMS-To: IN%"CINEMA-L@AUVM.BITNET"
Comments:     Warning -- original Sender: tag was ELGFROEHRER@PSULIAS


                  I N T E R O F F I C E   M E M O R A N D U M

                                        Date:     12-Nov-1992 12:49pm EST
                                        From:     Ellen L. Gfroehrer
                                                  ELGFROEHRER
                                        Dept:     Independent Learning
                                        Tel No:   (814) 865-5403

TO:  VMSMail User _IN%"CINEMA-L           ( _IN%"CINEMA-L@AUVM.BITNET" )

CC:  _AUVM.BITNET"::IN%"AFCOLYER@PSULIAS.BITNET"
CC:  _AUVM.BITNET":: IN%"BAO@PSULIAS.BITNET"
CC:  _AUVM.BITNET":: IN%"ELGFROEHRER@PSULIAS.BITNET"
CC:  _AUVM.BITNET":: IN%"TJMCKENNA@PSULIAS.BITNET"

Subject: RE: Searching for Coppola

Re: Realism vs. Romanticism - I would not describe either Talia Shire or Diane
Keaton as "very beautiful women" -attractive maybe, but very beautiful, no.
And yes, the men in the Godfather movies did all seem to get their way - at
least the ones in the Corleone family.  That's the way the mafia works, the
most powerful family wins.  It is also how most Italian American families of
that generation worked.  The men get what they want, period.

I think both The Godfather and Goodfellas   had a mix of romanticism, realism,
and highly stylized (albeit different) filming techniques.  I enjoyed both
films.  The Godfather was unusual in that it was released at a time when there
was tremendous fascination with the mafia.  There was a great scramble for
power among the five New York families and it was played out on the pages of
most New York newspapers.  Almost everyday you could count on reading that some
soldier or capo from one family or another was hit usually at a neighborhood
restaurant.  And of course, a few days later you would read that someone else
was hit in retaliation.  The Godfather was probably the first movie to
effectively explain the mafia historically and (relatively accurately)  show
the Italian American culture and the mafia with its contradictions (the Baptism
of Michael's son, while he is having his brother-in-law "hit") its splendor,
and its atrocities.  I think that that makes it stand out from the other mafia
movies.

To some extent maybe these movies do make romantic figures out of mobsters, but
I think that that is a cultural thing.  Americans need heros.  Also, there is a
certain mystery conected to the mafia - the code of silence, etc..  It is
forbidden and therefore intriguing.  I also think that in order to make a
character believable, you must make him sympathetic to some degree.  As a
member of the audience, you must find something about a character (no matter
how despicable he/she might be) that is redeeming or else you won't care about
him and therefore won't care about the movie.

Anyway, just my two cents.

Ellen
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU