camera angles

I feel that the use of camera angles in this film “The Godfather” are extremely well used because just the way that he uses the long still shots they make you feel as if you are in the movie instead of just watching the movie like most other movies which is another very important thing in “the godfather” that has probably helped with keeping it at the tops of the chats as the world’s best movie.

what is the american dream?

Many critics have noted the plot’s symbolic relationship to the corruption of the American Dream. In what ways does The Godfather comment on America and on capitalism in particular?

In order to understand this question you must first know what the American dream is. I feel that the American dream is that all men were built the same and all deserve to be treated as such. The don came to America by himself and poor but worked his way up the ladder of wealth and is now the head of a mafia family, with this being his history he understands how people feel when they are poor. The don does not believe that everybody should be completely equal because he had to work hard to get where he is but he does feel that everybody should be given a chance.

what is the human condition?

What is the human condition?

I feel that the human condition is how people everywhere in the world feel the need for respect, wealth and power, those things are not all necessities however, they are nice to have. I feel that it relates to Francis Ford Coppolas “The Godfather” because even in the first scene when he is talking to Bonasera he asks him he shows him no respect and that shows how important respect is to the mafia in general. Another time when the don shows how sensitive he can be is when sonny dies and he gets very sad even cries a bit but does not want his family to react with violence because he probably does not want them to react back and kill anymore of his family members

who is the hero?

Who is the “hero” of the film? What is Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey? How are myths similar to popular stories? Why do we like the stories we like? Are we psychologically/culturally predisposed to rate The Godfather as a top 100 film?

I feel that the hero of the film is Michael because even though he has not been really involved with the family and their situation of being in the mafia, he has been in the military and came back experienced and as a war hero. Since he has decided to take on the challenge of killing the head of the other mafia family and the cop which is a very risky move for somebody who does not really understand what they do.

Does "The Godfather" glorify the mafia or organized crime

I feel that Francis ford Coppola's use of wide panning and slow zooms make the film very intriguing and tense because when he uses those kind of camera angles it makes you feel as if though something horrible is about to happen, but it also lets you see the whole room and what is going on in the room. An example of a well-used long pan was the scene when the film director (Jack Waltz) was in the bed and woke up to the horrible surprise of being covered in blood only to find his prize possession's head at the foot of his bed. Another great use of long zooms are in the very first scene of the movie with Bonasera when he was asking for justice, that scene also really characterized the Don as being wise because before he just said yes to helping him he had to contemplate what to do even though he had to say yes to his request due to the fact that it was on the day of his daughter’s wedding.

Panning and camera angles

Marlon Brando initially refused to be considered for the role of Don Corleone, saying “I won’t glorify the Mafia.” Does The Godfather indeed “glorify” organized crime?

I don’t really feel that the movie “The Godfather” glorifies the mafia, although it does show the good side of the mafia to you. The reason that I feel “The Godfather” does not glorify the mafia or organized crime is because it does show you how bad they can be such as in the scene of when the film director (Jack Waltz) was in the bed and there was his prize possession’s head in the bottom of the bed, the mafia organized that act of aggression just to get one of their friends into a film which did end up to be the final outcome. It also shows you what happens if you disrespect the family like at the wedding scene and the FBI was in the parking lot taking license plates then sonny came out and got mad at him.