Under a mask of corruption lies the face unity

Rating: 10/10 (25 May 2007)

The Godfather, as so many before me, and so many after me will stipulate and emphasize is more than a family's way of life through crime. It not only projects the ironies, debacles, rises, falls and basic aspects of corruption but reveals the true meaning of family. Yes, it might seem odd and disturbing to allude to a people of invidious and ulterior principles to 'family', but when we characterize the word as an interface of love, commitment and connections through blood, no other type of portrayal is more symbolic than the Godfather. I will not bore and weigh my comment down through superfluous lines of the general story of the Godfather as so many others have done (and in better terms than I could possibly ever write). Rather, I will address a controversy which has spread amongst all fans of this enduring classic around the globe. In what way is the Godfather a reflection of family? Well.. to begin with the Corleones are family through blood. On a less literal level how does the Godfather epitomize the moral ethics of 'family'? The main component of a strong and progressive family is commitment. People may generally say 'Everyone knows that the most important part of a family is commitment', but this is where they are wrong. Most relationships in America are based on love or in a more ephemeral sense, infatuation. Commitment seems to be the more onerous and tedious part of love, simply because it is harder to sustain. In order to sustain a commitment one must be accustomed to routine. In order to get accustomed to routine it is imperative to have and hold an interest. Interest is where most love relationships break down because it simply cannot last. Most people are far too capricious to maintain an interest in anything (even as important as keeping a commitment in order to raise a family) for too long. This is where the forbearance of the Corleone family is outstanding. Through profitable business exploitation and singularly successful organized crime the Corleone's omnipotent infiltration of businesses often invoked anger in affiliate mafia groups seeking status elevation which ultimately resulted in the assassinations of Don Vito and Santino Corleon. Even at the breach of these two losses Michael Corleone readily steps up to the plate as the new Patriarch with rigor to supplant his former indifference. In just bloated proportions to 'ordinary' families in which commitment sacrifices time and money, commitment for the Corleones demands a greater sacrifice which is never too great for them to give. This is a sacrifice of life and security. Where the normal American family finds a sanction away from crime, the geography of their bounds is dwelled on by Corleones