Why did Sollozzo and Bruno kill Luca Brasi? This is a microcosmic view of what Kay's life will be from now on - that big black car, Michael's work, will be with them wherever they go. It works, and once Michael has confirmation that he has good reason to make his sister a widow, he gives the order to kill Carlo. One such aspect that's outside those bounds of the family's dealings was finding out about Carlo's bitter feelings toward his father-in-law. He bought off one of Michael's bodyguards there, Fabrizio, who planted a bomb in Michael's car. Tessio was a smooth and savvy enforcer, who many of the junior members of the family saw as a mentor. However interested he may be in restoring the peace, Vito is hardly a pushover, so it is somewhat puzzling to Tom Hagen (and the audience) why Vito would be so quick to roll over and promise to not seek vengeance in the murder of his eldest son. A cross-fade then occurs to the beginning of the horse head scene outside Woltz's home, as opposed to where this scene is placed in the final film.In the video game it's Rocco that does it. Tattaglia accuses Corleone of refusing to share his political connections, but Don Corleone voices his belief that the drug trade is going to ruin their way of life. Clemenza's family Michael told them to wait, to which Clemenza reluctantly agreed, but Tessio did not and made a deal with Barzini, which resulted in his death. During the meeting, Sonny, the family underboss, expresses interest in the deal, but Vito refuses the offer as he finds narcotics too much of a "dirty business". I had the unspoken support of the other Family dons. Tessio understood immediately that it was merely to prevent the two from plotting against their boss and complied. Following the baptism, Michael ties up the rest of loose family business. Connie gets a call, presumably from Carlo's mistress. Clemenza makes a joke of it. The Godfather study guide contains a biography of director Francis Ford Coppola, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Immediately, the Corleone family began to experience difficulties, not only because they were outnumbered, but because their assets were out in the open (loan sharks and bookmakers). What Barzini doesn't know, however, is that Michael is aware of his plans. Kay (Diane Keaton) asks Michael if it's true, but he denies it. Francis Ford Coppola. On his father's advice to "keep your friends close and your enemies closer", Michael made Carlo think he was going to be named the new underboss once the family moved it's interests to Nevada, in a ploy to make him vulnerable. Most Mafia Dons of the era represented in The Godfather (mid-'40s to the late '50s, the time-frame altered slightly from the novel) were unknown to the general public and even the FBI was unsure of which individuals actually ran the rackets and who answered to whom.Also, the very hierarchical structure of the Mafia was largely unknown until major figures turned federal informants decades later. Vito's goal in bringing the Commission together is to bring an end to the war in the hope of allowing Michael to return safely to America. Of course, no matter how Connie acts in the film or novel, dutiful or not, Carlo continues to beat her and eventually uses his abuse as a ruse to entice Santino to leave his compound without protection which is when he was murdered on the causeway. The very pregnant and emotional Connie gets angry and starts to throw a tantrum giving Carlo an "excuse" to beat his wife knowing full well that she will call Sonny and tell him that Carlo has beaten her again. A few weeks after McCluskey's death, newspapers began running stories involving him with Sollozzo. Barzini decided to interfere because his family was stronger than Tattaglia's and they decided to side with Tattaglia by having Sonny whacked. What was Michael's rank as a Marine? In this case Michael still needed to extract information from Carlo. In the novel, Puzo makes mention of the boredom that Michael feels at having to wander Sicily. The novel was published in 1969. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Two powerful officials in the garment unions were killed, officials who were members of the Corleone family. ( or ) Forget about it.Sollozzo: What happened to your father was business. Edit, Most likely it was Stockholm Syndrome after being abused for so many years that Connie truly believed she deserved it and that Carlo still loved her. He decides to bluff to get the frightened and cowardly Carlo to admit to his role in Sonny's assassination. Why is there no Clemenza His regime included soldiers Nick Geraci, Momo Barone and Eddie Paradise. Barzini bookmakers were put out of business and two of the highest-ranking Barzini enforcers were shot to death in an Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street. Michael tells Kay that he wants to make the family business legitimate and asks her to marry him. After the murder of Sollozzo and McCluskey, the New York Police Department sent out the word that there would be no more gambling, prostitution, cigars and deals of any kind until the murderer of Captain McCluskey was caught. Leave aside all this nonsense.Michael: How do you say? Best not to be present at a cop killing. Instead, the bomb killed Michael's first wife, Apollonia. Tom wouldn't have wanted to take this course of action & would likely offer poor advice or have tried to stop it. Edit, The movie begins in 1945, Vito Corleone was born in 1887. (These stories were based on information supplied by Tom Hagen which he later distributed to Norm Felichelli.) Just because there is a new guard coming into the business does not mean the rules have changed. The final scene to the classic film shows Michael taking out every . How did Michael know about Carlo and Sonny? The situation degenerated into a deadly guerrilla war that both sides found themselves losing a great deal of revenue and lives to no purpose. While this savage blow established Michael's reputation, it took another year before he firmly re-established the Corleone family as one of the most powerful Mafia families in the nation until their disbandment at the hand of DeVazzi family, when Carmine DeVazzi personally killed Michael. However, it left the family hungry for revenge and lead to the successful murder attempt by Michael. I want no act of vengeance. The Godfather Chapter 16: Apollonia's Murder - GradeSaver The summit was to be held on Tessio's territory in Brooklyn, where Michael would supposedly be safe. Portrayed by Such a move would be too risky for any enemy to make.Such a move by Barzini was years in the planning: they had to lure Carlo over to Barzini's side -- not that hard since Carlo was so disgruntled with his shabby treatment by the Don. Later, Michael asks Fabrizio to fetch his car. Edit, "This Loneliness" by Carmine Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola's father. Tessio, before being led away to his death. Michael appoints Carlo, who is seated on the sofa, as his right-hand man because he is from Nevada. Similar to the Carlo situation, it's just too convenient that Paulie was out sick on the day of the hit; therefore, they got rid of him. These include Barzini, Tattaglia, Cuneo and Stracci. However, Vito informed the two men not to meet together socially, telling them it was a security precaution. Chapter 8: Michael goes to the Hospital - Chapter 10: How's the Italian Food in this Restaurant? Fabrizio is found working in a pizzeria in Buffalo, New York and is shot by a Corleone operative. Don Barzini first appears as a guest at Connie Corleone's wedding. It's not explained in the film but they likely, out of respect for his years of loyal service (The Godfather Part II (1974) reveals that he has been working with Vito and Clemenza since the late 1910s or early 1920s) to the family and Vito, took him somewhere they could kill him quietly and dispose of his body in a non-messy fashion. When Fanucci was murdered, both Tessio and Clemenza realized that Vito had killed him, but never mentioned it. Whenever he did, he had at least a dozen Corleone operatives with him for protection.When Connie called Sonny, his famous hair-trigger temper was instantly ignited and he rushed out to help her without thinking about it. Salvatore Tessio Edit, The film is mainly a representation of how Michael, the only honest son of Vito and Carmela, who at first does not want to enter "the family business", becomes a ruthless Mafia Don, a murderer and a liar. Part of that meant cleaning out the old guard, so that he could negotiate with other up-and-coming mafia leaders who would be more open to establishing peaceful and profitable terms with the Corleones, rather than simply trying to muscle them out, as the older, more experienced dons would have likely tried to do. The rival families and the Corleone empire were in stalemate. Francis Ford Coppola wrote in his notebook that the meeting of the heads of the five families is "a scene of SUBTEXT; everything everyone says is at the tip of the iceberg: in actuality, they are curious to see how worn or strong the Don is; who seems to be allied with him; where the loyalties and cooperations lie" (Jones 183). Clemenza, Rocco Lampone, and Paulie travel to New York to inspect some of the apartments and to begin the process of buying the actual mattresses to stock them with. Actor John Marley's reaction was also real, as he had no clue there would be a real horse's head in his bed. The Parents Guide for The Godfather can be found here. Metacritic Reviews. In the first scene of them after their wedding day, Apollonia is driving Michael's car around with her new husband nervously directing her from the passenger seat. The Most Awesome Men's Entertainment Site On The Internet. In the novel, Connie goes to her parents a few times to tell them how abusive Carlo is but her parents, especially the Don, are very coldly unsympathetic to her plight and tell her to go home and learn how to be an obedient wife who won't be physically abused. Edit, Because of an old Italian tradition which was also practiced throughout the Old World IE, Europe: parents, no matter how powerful they may be, will not interfere in the married lives of their children.There's a scene in the novel that explains Connie's parents' position: she goes to them to complain that Carlo is beating her and they coldly tell her to go back and learn how to be a more obedient wife to Carlo. Then the Corleone family loan sharks were barred from the waterfront piers as were the Corleone family bookmakers. It was 1972, so we can rule out CGI. I'm sorry, this is a short-answer literature forum designed for text specific questions. The Godfather Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Also, in terms of the film, it could be said that not everyone gets their comeuppance. The two tubes were carefully concealed in Rocca's hair and ran behind him to the FX crewmember(s) who triggered the effect. A Sicilian born youth raised in New York, Tessio married his wife Lucille in 1908. Because the war could go on for months or years, the apartments would be outfitted with mattresses for the men to sleep on. I know them.Sollozzo: You do? In a wide shot, Michael, as the new Don, informs the two men that they have to wait until the Corleone Family moves to Las Vegas. Though Vito dies before the massacre takes place, he was alive long enough to help Michael plan it. This is slightly alluded to in the film. Don Corleone, looking significantly aged, tends to his fish while Michael and Tessio argue off-camera. Apollonia skips away, and the Don tells Michael that for his safety, he must move to a villa near Siracusa. We will have peace, but your Family should interfere no longer. Barzini then approves Sollozzo's plan to have Vito murdered in the hopes that Sonny, as his father's successor, will accept the deal. He leads Michael and Tom Hagen into a hotel suite, where there is a polka band and showgirls seated at the dinner table along with Johnny Fontane. Edit, Because Sollozzo and the Tattaglia Family knew that Fredo was only a harmless and incompetent man. [1] Tessio was initially the more trusted of the two capos during the war with the Five Families, as the family had to figure out whether the traitor in the family who allowed Don Vito to get shot was Clemenza or Paulie Gatto. He visits Carlo, having learned of his involvement in Sonny's murder, and gives him a plane ticket to Vegas. How does Vito know that Barzini was behind Sonny's death? Corleone enforcer Al Neri, disguised as a police officer, lies in wait for the Don outside of the New York Supreme Court building at Foley Square on the pretext of writing a parking ticket for Barzini's car. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Probably all the other families will line up against us. Clemenza tells Michael, "They shoulda stopped Hitler at Munich." The Godfather essays are academic essays for citation. The killer indentifies Fabrizio by an elaborate tattoo he had on his chest. Making him 58 at the start of the movie. Michael told him about the ticket and that he wouldn't widow his sister like that. This war stops now.Don Vito Corleone after he hears about Sonny's death. Mr. Coppola is playing the song live in the scene. In turn, this let him become a much more calculated and ruthless Don. However, the whole task was partially a ruse designed to throw Paulie off so they could take him to a remote location and kill him. In reality, Michael had fled to Sicily, while the police and rival families assumed he was hiding in the Corleone mall or compound. Edit, Don Vito was suspicious of Sollozzo. Caporegime Also it should be remembered that Michael is a World War II Marine Corps veteran who had killed men in combat prior to his career as a mafioso. A Don can never appear as weak outside of their family.Vito never wanted Michael in "the life". So Sonny kept himself well-protected. Tessio seals his fate by relaying Barzini's deal to Michael. Edit, There are many events in this film that cause him to take such a turn, the first being that he felt he was forced to join the family in order to help keep his father from being killed, e.g., the incident at the hospital. It was a testament to just how powerful the Corleone Family was and Sonny, in particular, as the Corleone field general that they were able to take on the other four families and still limit their losses enough that they could still call for a meeting to end the bloodshed. During the meeting, it is Barzini who repeatedly reprimands Vito for refusing to share his police and political protection to the drug operation. The "Commission" acts as a kind of mafia board of directors or mini U.N. to ensure that all of the families stay in line and avoid actions that might be dangerous to organized crime as a whole.It is mentioned in the novel that Anthony Stracci's crime organization operates mostly in Northern New Jersey & on Staten Island. The Corleone group depended on gambling for most of its income, and was hit especially hard in its numbers and policy branch of operations. Edit, The scene of Micheal firing the lupara at Fabrizio was possibly deemed too far from the main storyline to be included in the final film. Sollozzo had previously made two attempts on the life of Vito Corleone, both unsuccessful. Why did Barzini want Michael dead, after the five families had apparently made peace? Being older than Michael, wouldn't he be next in line after Sonny rather than the youngest and arguably the most reluctant of the brothers? The police force got the word that McCluskey had been on the take from Sollozzo for several years and that one of his sons went to Fordham together with Bruno Tattaglia, Don Tattaglia's first son. They're gonna be scared of you, believe me, so don't worry about nothing. This could have been meant as a foreshadowing of Sonny's reign as Don; it shows that he'd rather just act on impulse and have a member of his crew killed without any concrete evidence that he did betray them. Why didn't the Don do anything to stop Carlo from beating Connie? But, its alright. Fredo was not a major member of the Corleone Family and would never take on a position of power, so Sollozzo decides to have his men kill Vito and kill Fredo only if he poses a real threat to them, as killing Fredo would only cause additional bad blood and make Sonny even less likely to agree to a truce and commit further violent actions against the Tattaglias. While Tom is skilled with legal maneuvers, basic intelligence gathering and diplomacy, a wartime consigliere needs also to be ruthlessly skilled at things like espionage and counter-espionage. In the tracking shot where Michael and Kay walk down a quiet, residential street, Michael's bodyguards follow them closely in an imposing black limo. The Godfather Scene 10. | It was in fact Luca Brasi that did it but certain sections of this scene, and also the following scene where Tom, Vito, and Sonny are meeting in the living room, that indicate this were cut from the final edit of the film. I mean, they were so minor and inconsequential. We will stop fighting until your father is well and can resume bargaining. Tom had the ability to advise the Don on what business dealings to secure, but violence wasn't his thing, at least in the later years of his being consigliere.4. They face an aggressive upstart with Sollozzo. It begins with Don Corleone's voice introducing all of the 5 Family heads, as the camera tracks around the table, revealing each one of the Dons. The man shot by Clemenza in an elevator is Victor Stracci, head of the Stracci family. Shortly thereafter, Barzini is assassinated along with the other conspirators. At Don Corleone's funeral, Barzini has his mole in the Corleone family, caporegime Salvatore Tessio, approach Vito's successor, Michael Corleone, with a request for a meeting, intending to assassinate him and break up the family. This was used to the family's advantage several times. Edit, Remember that Barzini is a very shrewd and crafty don; he's able to turn Carlo against the family he married into and betray Sonny. By these, they figure out that Paulie was the traitor. In Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of The Godfather, Barzini is portrayed by Richard Conte. Marlon Brando was 48 when the film was released. In the game, Aldo, rather than Al Neri, is the assassin who shoots Barzini dead on the courthouse steps. This is probably the point at which he turned into the Don he would become. Where was the driver? In this section, Michael starts to come into his own as the rising Don of the family, indicating the kind of leader he will prove to be. It was an somewhat obscure cover by Mike Patton's band "Fantomas". Tessio, and his dead co-conspirators were then brought to an abandoned gas station on Staten Island where he was executed by his former protege Nick Geraci, while Al Neri looked on. One tube shot a blast of compressed air to shatter the lens -- likely made of sugar glass, which is significantly weaker than real glass -- and the 2nd tube sprayed fake blood on actor Alex Rocca's face. He leans into the darkened kitchen, and Calo, face in shadows, says that Apollonia wanted to surprise Michael by driving the car herself. During this time, Michael learned that Carlo had helped set up Sonny to be killed. What is he talking about? Clemenza remained loyal, and personally assassinated Victor Stracci during Michael Rizzi's baptism. Carlo's treatment of his wife leads to further distrust by Don Corleone. However, when Apollonia - the picture of innocence - dies, Michael realizes that he can no longer separate his family's business from his personal life. Neri took over his old crew. The Godfather (1972) - Al Pacino as Michael Corleone - IMDb He looks straight at Moe Greene and tells him that he is going to buy him out, which of course sends Greene into a frenzy. In the book, Stracci sided against the Corleones, but apparently without physical opposition, while Cuneo had public persona to maintain, so any publicity related to the Five Families War would have been damaging. Don Corleone is giving a warning to the other men, letting them know that there will be consequences if they overstep their boundaries. I don't even remember their names. Tom's ouster was a favor, not an insult, though Tom still found it very disappointing to lose such an important position, especially after years of loyal service. The song is not on the soundtrack album but was on the LP "The Godfather Wedding Album" which is out of print and not available on CD. Clemenza kills Paulie Gatto. Union officials, who owed allegiance to the Five Families, were warned to stay neutral, and when the Corleone bookmakers and loan sharks were still barred from the docks, Sonny Corleone sent Clemenza and his regime to wreak havoc upon the longshore. Why did Michael Corleone go through the trouble of assassinating Stracci and Cuneo, too, instead of limiting the bloodletting to just Barzini and Tattaglia? Tessio thought more of Vito's younger son Michael than Clemenza orTom Hagendid, but never believed he was powerful enough to keep the family going after he was named his father's heir. The beating that Sonny gives to Carlo earlier on was very public -- it took place on the street, right in front of the bookie's office that Carlo managed for the Don. Roth is a serpent with a still soft voice. When they shot the scene, however, the head was indeed a real horse's head Coppola got at a dog food factory. The idea of the "Five Families" is based on real-life Cosa Nostra structure. But soon after, the enemy chiefs promptly disappeared underground and were seen no more in public. In the video game, Tessio utilizes the skills of up and coming enforcer, Aldo Trapani, who has recently saved the Don's life and driven him to the hospital after an assassination attempt. Moreover, Michael's answer of "no" to Kay's question is technically correct. One year after the peace summit, Michael was brought back to the United States and installed as his father's heir apparent. What Did Clemenza Say To Paulie? - Caniry Edit, For the rehearsals, the horse's head was fake. Barzini heads one of New York's Five Families, and is the second most powerful Mafia don in the country after Vito Corleone. Immediately, he and Vito began making plans to eliminate the other New York Dons and break Vito's vow. As such, Michael wanted Tom to have plausible deniability regarding any involvement in the mass killing he and Vito were planning.