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We watched clips of it on YouTube since no one has time on holiday to watch 9+ hours of film. Thanks to our ability to quote The Godfather movies extensively, our kids started asking us about the plot of the movies. He has practically an encyclopaedic knowledge of the trilogy.
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We discovered that Andrew would probably be considered a super fan of the movies. We were in Sicily with Andrew, Brenda and Bailey Tolentino, the family from Dish Our Town. Explaining The Godfather Trilogy to the Kids It’s not personal, it’s business.ĭon Corleone is also the name of an art gallery in Taormina.
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On the other hand, the tourist shops have embraced the image and peddle tatty souvenirs related to the movie. Many Sicilians are less than thrilled that their country is associated with the Mafia. I realise that The Godfather image peddled by Hollywood is glamorised violence. Pretty much everyone in the main family is dead (or in therapy) by the end of the first three movies, so a bunch of random cousins we haven’t met yet would be needed to continue the family story.
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Frankly, I couldn’t see this story working as well because, at heart, The Godfather Trilogy was about familial relationships.
The godfather 1 explained movie#
The fourth movie would have been about Andy Garcia assuming the mantle of the Godfather and the direction he chooses to take the family business. Don Corleone had only an immigrant child’s memories of his homeland and, like other immigrants, that connection with the past shaped his future.Īlthough there was supposed to be a fourth Godfather, I am glad they did not do make that movie. Yet, the idea of their homeland is integral to how the characters see themselves. Only a small part of the 9+ hours of the movies are set in Sicily. Sicily itself is only peripheral to The Godfather Trilogy. Who doesn’t love The American Dream? I admire the movie for showing the seamier sides of the dream. The kid doesn’t even get to keep his last name but is given the name of his hometown by the immigration officials at Ellis Island. The kid who shows up with nothing and goes onto build a successful life in America. The movies are also about the immigration story in the USA. Americans will be reminded of the television advertising line “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”Ī man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man. Each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.Īt the end of his life, Michael dies alone (in a scene which turns out to be unintentionally comedic with Michael Corleone falling off his chair). The only one left with him at the end of his machinations is scary sister Connie and ruthless nephew Vincent.Īll happy families are alike. He has his brother killed, his daughter dies, his wife can’t stand him and his son with the artistic soul will need years of therapy. Michael, protected his family in his own misguided way, but only to lose them all at the end. The only wealth in this world is children.Īlong the way, the family is kept safe, but at what cost? Don Corleone may have fulfilled the American Dream but Michael Corleone’s hunger for power turns it into a nightmare.įor what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?