A family tragedy

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 1998)

Most filmgoers who rhapsodize over this wonderful film probably place an inordinate stress on the violence and the politics which connect not only one family, but several, in this sprawling tale of post World War II America. With apologies to those of Italian heritage, I think the tragedy of the Corleones is less a matter of ethnicity than their ruination by blood which is set in motion by two evils: greed and a lust for power. The film is one which sets off the family or clan, [the neighborhood as victim] against the larger, unforgiving American society. The characters are wonderfully realized and splendidly acted. They appear as if drawn to life for the first time. The sinister atmosphere of the film, from its great opening sequence to its frightening close, is a nearly three-hours-long treatise on the disintegration of a family. The Corleones are revealed as equal parts melting kindness and merciless vengeance. The Godfather's turning point is Captain McCloskey's unnecessary assault upon Michael. The meanness of the violent act unhinged the human ideal in the Don's young son. From Michael's understandable love and need to protect his helpless father in an unguarded, creepy hospital emerged his irrevocable decision to cast away any desire to become successful in the eyes of legitimate society. The slow, sure gestation of the plan to assassinate both Captain McCloskey and Virgil Solozzo is one of the major rewards for anyone who loves this film. The seamless transition of Michael Corleone from a patriotic, dutiful, obedient son into a cruelly vengeful and malignant weapon is terrifying portrait. The title of the movie applies to both Don Vito and to Don Michael, with the son slowly eroding the warm and loving family, painstaking built by the father, into a loveless, cheerless collection of individuals adrift on a sea of loneliness and treachery.