Around this time, the aging capo developed symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Another aspect of the novel, that's not very well-explained in the film, is that Carlo is deeply and angrily resentful that he wasn't given a higher post in the Corleone family, e.g., a lieutenant's rank like Clemenza or Tessio. Why Did Michael Assassinate All the Heads of the Families In The However, when the Don is unceremoniously gunned down in the street by drug dealer Virgil "the Turk" Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) after Vito refuses to back him in his fledgling heroin operation, Michael is drawn into the family business. When Sonny refuses to enter the heroin trade after his father survives the attempt on his life, Barzini secretly conspires with the Tattaglia, Cuneo, and Stracci families to wage war on the Corleones, forcing them to make peace and open up their territory to drug trafficking. 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. Sonny has just been brutally murdered, and the war has gone on long enough, with heavy losses on both sides, both in resources and personnel. An emissary from the other families asked the Corleone family if they were prepared to give up the murderer, but they were told that the affair did not concern them. No matter how deserving. A notorious fixer of trotting races was also killed as he returned home from a winning night at the track. When it became known that Vito Corleone had risen from his sick bed to retake command of his family, the heads of the rival families made frantic efforts to prepare a defense against the bloody retaliatory war that was thought to follow. As soon as the war started, the Tattaglia, allied with the Barzinis, along with Stracci and Cuneo families went straight to the mattresses, hiding out in various venues. 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). Why does Sonny destroy the guy's camera? When the big meeting takes place between Michael, Clemenza, Tessio, Tom and Carlo where Michael 1st announces his desire to move the Corleone family to a legitimate business status, he talks about "negotiations being made that are going to answer all of your questions and solve all of your problems" in answer to Tessio's and Clemenza's frustration over Barzini moving in on their respective territories in New York. Francis Ford Coppola - The Godfather Scene 10 | Genius Edit. User Reviews And how was the special effect with the glasses & blood done?? Why didn't the Don do anything to stop Carlo from beating Connie? It's explained in the novel that McCluskey aimed for that spot very deliberately because that area of the cheek has a nerve bundle, so the blow was very painful and damaging. Was the horse's head a real horse head or a fake one? 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. Moe Greene walks into the suite, sleek and confident, and takes a seat across from Michael, who gets straight down to business. 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. Why did Michael Corleone go through the trouble of assassinating Stracci and Cuneo, too, instead of limiting the bloodletting to just Barzini and Tattaglia? The war began after the murder of Virgil Sollozzo and police officer Mark McCluskey by Michael Corleone at Louis Restaurant. Chamberlain felt that Hitler's territorial ambitions could be contained with minor concessions and, after Munich, declared that they had achieved "peace in our time". In hopes of holding on to what he still had, Tessio made a deal with Barzini, in which he agreed to set up a peace summit on Tessio's turf in Brooklyn, at which Michael was to be assassinated. The FAQ items below may give away important plot points. Don Tomassino is part of the old guard, like Don Vito Corleone, and Michael, Sollozzo, and Bruno Tattaglia are the new generation of mafia leaders - who do not have the same connection to the Old World and the tenuous code of morality that has allowed business and family life to co-exist. Edit, Yes, but the scene didn't make it into the final version of the film. Thus, to "go to the mattresses" is to begin a war with the other Families. On their way to the peace summit, Tessio was surrounded by several of his own button men and was taken to his death after an unsuccessful attempt to get Hagen to intercede. Barzini heads one of New York's Five Families, and is the second most powerful Mafia don in the country after Vito Corleone. Couldn't they have done it sooner, say when Sonny was sneaking into the city to carry on his affair with Lucy Mancini? This plan was kept secret from all except three rising stars in the family, whom Michael had selected as future capos Rocco Lampone, Aldo Trapani and Al Neri. The book was later developed into a trilogy of films, including The Godfather Part II (1974) (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990) (1990). Emilio Barzini is based on several real-life mobsters. Edit, Vito, as the Don of the Corleone family, was against allowing his people dealing narcotics. From there, he managed his soldiers and was very well-connected throughout the borough. 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. They published proof that McCluskey had received large sums of money in cash, shortly before his death. If your father were in better health, without his eldest son running things, no disrespect intended, we wouldn't have this nonsense. Don Barzini first appears as a guest at Connie Corleone's wedding. So the other families felt they needed to separate themselves from the Corleones, and that included Stracci and Cuneo. 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. Emilio Barzini is based on several real-life mobsters. So Barzini would rely on intelligence reports from his men to eventually figure out a pattern that would allow him to launch an attack.Barzini must also have been crafty enough to have his spies monitor other aspects of the Corleone's dealings: how often they moved shipments of black market goods, where there men were stationed throughout the city, whom the Corleone's higher ranking lieutenants would meet with and when. You must understand that I helped the Tattaglia family and once I make a deal, I seek nothing but peace. Why did Michael tell Carlo he was being sent back to Vegas, and he would tell Connie what flight # - then have him killed in the car? Tom wouldn't have wanted to take this course of action & would likely offer poor advice or have tried to stop it. Who does Clemenza kill? This is specifically addressed in a deleted scene. Dissolve to establishing shots of the Las Vegas Strip in 1955. Tessio was visibly upset, saying that it threw off his "arrangements". But soon after, the enemy chiefs promptly disappeared underground and were seen no more in public. Carlo bought into it and admitted his betrayal and revealed who hired him. Because of this, his son Aldo swears to one day take revenge on the Don. Connie gets a call, presumably from Carlo's mistress. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The game picks up where the film leaves off: Willie Cicci drives Tessio to the Embassy Club, where Aldo Trapani is to execute him. After the outbreak of war in 1939, Chamberlain was widely criticized for failing to stand up to Hitler at Munich. However, a few months before his death, Vito warned Michael that Barzini might try such a move, and whoever approached Michael with a deal would be the traitor. His desire to take complete control of the New York Mafia is inspired by Vito Genovese, who made a similar attempt in the 1950s that ended with the disastrous Apalachin meeting. I mean, why were they considered a threat? But, after Vitos death, the remaining heads all had motivation to come after Michael. An international crisis ensued and a major conference was held in the German city of Munich to resolve the issue. Think of Tom as the US President's chief of staff in that regard; a person who acts as both an ambassador to and organizer of the President's top advisers. In the novel, Puzo makes mention of the boredom that Michael feels at having to wander Sicily. The Godfather essays are academic essays for citation. He reveals that he has been back for over a year. Edit, If he was standing guard out front, he may have ran off once he saw his boss and McClusky gunned down. Edit, Clemenza mentions the 1938 Munich Agreement when he talks to Michael about the impending war that will occur right after Michael assassinates Sollozzo and McCluskey. One of them kisses Michael's hand and calls him 'Don Corleone.' Dissolve to the Don's office, a few years later. Realizing that Michael has found out about his treachery, Tessio asked Tom to tell Michael that it was "only business" and he always liked him. 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. 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. Just because there is a new guard coming into the business does not mean the rules have changed. Carlo tells Connie to shut up, Sonny tells Carlo never to say that to her, and Sonny's mother quietly tells Sonny "don't interfere." These instances are representative of the fact that no matter how hard Michael tries to make the family legitimate, no matter how much Don Vito tries to keep talk of business off the dinner table, the world they are engaged in is a brutal one. There are likely many more such models for other characters in the movie and its sequel. The novel was published in 1969. Are any real, historical figures depicted (i.e. Sonny, who was absolutely enraged at Carlo's brazen defiance, made a big mistake in racing out of the compound without waiting for his body guards. 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. Trapani carries out Tessio's hit contracts on Tattaglia family key members and the two men become good friends. 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. Meanwhile, Michael tells Johnny Fontane that Don Corleone and the family are proud of him, and now they need a favor. These safe houses are apartments, the majority of whose rooms are filled with mattresses for soldiers to sleep on. 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. The Question and Answer section for The Godfather is a great Michael has a bruise on his cheekbone under his left eye from when he was punched at the hospital. Don Corleone, though, was able to see through the niceties and handshakes in order to discover the identity of Sonny's killer - Barzini - a piece of information that he will use strategically. | Most federal investigators considered Tessio the smarter and savvier of the two capos, though he had mellowed considerably in the decade of peace since the Olive Oil War. Cuneo was one of those men who loved children and carried a pocket full of sweets in the hopes of being able to pleasure one of his many grandchildren or the small offspring of his associates. A little later, Michael is informed of the sequence of events that took place on the day of Sonny's murder by Vito, Tom, Connie and others which as follows:A mystery woman phones Connie and Carlo at his home. Chapter 8: Michael goes to the Hospital - Chapter 10: How's the Italian Food in this Restaurant? Then the Corleone family loan sharks were barred from the waterfront piers as were the Corleone family bookmakers. Making him 58 at the start of the movie. ( or ) Forget about it.Sollozzo: What happened to your father was business. As such, Michael wanted Tom to have plausible deniability regarding any involvement in the mass killing he and Vito were planning. It was an somewhat obscure cover by Mike Patton's band "Fantomas". So Luca had to die. Immediately, he and Vito began making plans to eliminate the other New York Dons and break Vito's vow. Although not the biggest threat to the Corleone family, Stracci is in league with Barzini, Vito's main rival. Barzini's mannerisms and management skills, as well as his skillful machinations and influence over the Five Families, are inspired by Frank Costello and Lucky Luciano; all three men served as bosses of the Genovese crime family. The meeting itself contains language that one would hear in any corporate conference room. 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. 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. | Given how many shots were pumped into Sonny with Thompson machine guns, it must have been an incredibly difficult process for Bonasera, which is why the Don says, "I want you to use all your powers and all your skills" Also, such a job probably would have cost the Don tens of thousands of dollars, even at that time, and Bonasera's "favor" must have also included waiving his fee or at least reducing it greatly. Metacritic Reviews. The Corleone group depended on gambling for most of its income, and was hit especially hard in its numbers and policy branch of operations. Though it turns out that Carlo Rizzi plotted with Barzini to set Sonny up, Michael and Vito probably believed that Tom didn't do enough to stop Sonny from leaving the safety of the family compound that day to find Carlo. Similarly, Michael sends Fabrizio to get his car, and at that moment, he is concerned about getting his wife to safety and mourning the loss of his brother - losing focus on the cycle of vengeance that he has been sucked back into. The Five Families War was a major conflict between New York's Five Families. Clemenza was probably scouting locations for their men to stay in but it was still a convenient way to eliminate Paulie, who believed that he was being given an important task to complete for the impending war. 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. 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. Edit, There's no identification of the man or men sent to kill Moe but it's not really necessary to know anyway.As for the lens and blood, the FX crew rigged the glasses Moe was wearing with two small tubes. Corleone bookmakers all over the city were threatened to persuade them to change their allegiance. Edit, Michael had achieved the rank of captain, indicated by the silver bars on the shoulders of his uniform.According to Wikipedia, Michael was awarded the following medals:Navy CrossSilver Star (later upgraded to the Navy Cross)Navy and Marine Corps MedalPurple HeartEuropean Campaign MedalAsia Campaign MedalWorld War II Victory Medal Why is there no Clemenza In reality, Michael had fled to Sicily, while the police and rival families assumed he was hiding in the Corleone mall or compound. Edit, From the beginning, Carlo was never a trusted member of The Family, as evidenced by his low position as bookmaker (aka: "bookie", i.e., running a gambling office and not being given a higher post in the family's crime dealings) and Vito's instructions to Tom to allow Carlo to earn a living but to never discuss Family business in front of him. Then, when he comes out of the Olive Oil offices, the Don stops to buy some fruit and, for a moment, he is just a kindly patriarch bringing home fruit for his family. Then he had to spend about a year hiding out in Italy and leave the woman he loved, Kay, behind with no explanation or chance to say goodbye to her. However, it left the family hungry for revenge and lead to the successful murder attempt by Michael. Michael wonders why, and Don Tommasino shares the news of Sonny's death. He has worked long and hard in Las Vegas to get to a point where people no longer treat him disrespectfully, as Fredo emphasizes to Michael. He lies to her because he knows that if she was told the truth, she wouldn't want to stay with Michael. So Connie is left powerless without the support of her father.There's another brief moment during the lunch scene right after the Don returns home from the hospital: Carlo tells Connie to shut up, Sonny tells Carlo not to talk to his sister in such a harsh tone and their mother tells Sonny "Don't interfere." What are some typical characteristics of "Mob" movies demonstrated in The Godfather"? Shortly after they're married, they plan to move back to America. Many of Barzini and Tattaglia's capos crossed over to the Corleones. Why were all the heads of the 5 families killed? : r/TheGodfather - Reddit I know them.Sollozzo: You do? Later, . Edit, Indeed there was. Dissolve to a wide shot of Michael and Kay walking along a quiet New England street, with Michael's limo following close behind them. Local Negro free-lancers were allowed to take over the operation in Harlem, the richest territory, and they operated in such scattered fashion that the police found it hard to pin them down plus these were racist times. During what years does 'The Godfather' take place? Male At the end of this meeting, Vito asks Tom more info about Woltz, and then finally says "All right - send Luca Brasi to me. He may have also become suspicious that someone like Luca, who had a reputation for being a fiercely loyal Corleone enforcer would so easily betray them for some money. Lucy Mancini, who it turns out has a congenitally loose vagina, is able to deal with the size of Sonny's penis and thus they start an affair. Barzini, Greene, Tattaglia, Stracci and Cuneo were killed in rapid succession by Corleone button men while Michael stood at the baptism ceremony for his nephew, Carlo's son, betraying Vito's peace submit vow. More books than SparkNotes. The event was, of course, a private one and the Corleones had hired their own photographers. Not only would he have a few men in his car with him, but there would probably be at least one other car following them. Because of the general politeness at the meeting, and the presence of food around the table (note the ominous oranges), this could easily be a boardroom. Why was Connie angry hysterical about Carlo's murder when HE committed adultery, scourged her verbally and physically, and ordered her brother Sonny's murder? Before his death, Tessio again reiterated that his betrayal was only business, he also pleads Aldo to spare his life and also says "Let me go, we were friends". As Don Corleone says, "Times have changed - it's not like the old days where we can do anything we want". Why Did Hyman Roth Want to Kill Michael in 'The Godfather: Part II'? Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. He believed that the politicians and judges that did business with his family, enabling them to become as powerful as they were, wouldn't be willing to continue to do so if his business was drugs. (The scene also serves to introduce us to Sonny's famous hair trigger temper.) In the beginning of this section, when Don Tomassino has to inform Michael that Sonny has been killed, he says, "young people don't respect anything anymore - times are changing for the worst." As Vito rose to prominence in the Mafia underworld, Tessio and Clemenza rose with him, each eventually settling into the Caporegime roles. In this case Michael still needed to extract information from Carlo. A Sicilian born youth raised in New York, Tessio married his wife Lucille in 1908. Edit, After the meeting of the Five Families, Vito expresses to Tom his conviction that the Barzini family is running the narcotics operation and that they were behind Sonny's death, Tattaglia being too much of a "pimp" to "outfight" Santino during the Five Families War. They're gonna be scared of you, believe me, so don't worry about nothing. 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. Actually, in the novel, Michael did only hit Barzini and Tattaglia. Who shot Moe Greene?? Michael realizes what's about to happen, but it's too late. Barzini decided to interfere because his family was stronger than Tattaglia's and they decided to side with Tattaglia by having Sonny whacked. Vito asks Bonasera (Salvatore Corsitto) to patch up Sonny's dead body so that he looks presentable for his mother at his funeral. 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. As for his infidelity with Lucy Mancini, there's an explanation for that in the book as well. Fredo was aware that Hyman was angry with Michael's aggressiveness in Las Vegas, and he simply allowed Hyman to attempt to kill Michael so that he could hopefully claim the title of Don Corleone. His death was attributed to the Barzini family, since Staten Island was their territory, which explained the death of Don Barzini at the same time. He learns much about the Mafia and its traditions as well as the frame of mind of men like his father. Of the five New York Families opposing the Corleones his was the least powerful but the most well disposed. Although it initially appears that Don Philip Tattaglia is responsible for organizing the anti-Corleone alliance, Vito soon realizes that Barzini is the true mastermind. His bottom line after failing to kill Michael is money, but even then he would probably someday have betrayed him if Michael had come through (and Batista hadn't been overthrown). Michael may have become aware of this; as in The Godfather Part III, he tells Vincent to go to Don Altobello and act displeased with Michael, but if Altobello asked him to betray Michael, to act offended, because that would be his trap to determine his loyalty. He was a ruthless killer in his youth, though as he mellowed over the years he was known for his warm character. The Godfather won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Motion Picture. But, its alright. All this cost the Corleone family a great deal of money and very little was coming in. Edit, The Godfather is based on a novel of the same name (written by Italian-American author Mario Puzo [1920-1999]. The Godfather Scene 10. How did Michael know about Carlo and Sonny? Where was the driver? It was 1972, so we can rule out CGI. Instead, Michael goes along with the idea of having his own father be his consigliere because Vito had reigned over the family during previous conflicts with their enemies/rivals. By observing Mafia figures at weddings and funerals, the only public events the press-shy and camera-shy Dons would regularly attend, hints as to the ranks and strengths of the various families could only be ascertained by observing them in the public sphere. So much so that he had served on civic committees and had been voted as Businessman of the Year for the State of New York by the Chamber of Commerce. These things gotta happen once every five, ten years.Peter Clemenza to Michael Corleone. Here are a few ideas:1. A Don can never appear as weak outside of their family.Vito never wanted Michael in "the life". I have much respect for your father. Edit, In Italian/Sicilian tradition, a Mafioso's wife is not allowed to ask their husband about their affairs, so Michael was quite frustrated at Kay's inquiries about his affairs. However, Sollozzo noticed that Sonny was interested in doing business with him, so he arranged for a hit on Vito, which would place Sonny as the new Don and then, hopefully, a deal with the Corleones would soon follow. Despite their differences, the other men in The Commission know Don Corleone to be a man of his word, so when he swears that he will not seek vengeance for Sonny's death in the interest of ending the violence, the other heads of the Families believe that they will be safe from any acts of vengeance under Don Corleone's orders. During the meeting the Don tells Tom, " there are reasons why you must have nothing to do with what's going to happen", referring to the massacre that Michael was plotting to make the Corleone family the most powerful crime organization in New York again.2. Is he as bad a husband as he is a Don? When Vito was ambushed Fredo fumbled his gun showed no urgency to help Vito. Francis Ford Coppola. However, every family don of the five has ambitions to take over as much of the others' territory as they can, Barzini & Tattaglia being the two most ambitious and ruthless. When Michael Corleone escaped to Sicily in 1946, Fabrizio and his friend Cal, were assigned to protect him. He is determined to make the family's business legitimate - but it seems like he will lose his family (and his humanity) in the process. He tells Tom that Vito is most surely dead but he's wrong, which he finds out when he talks to his man while he lets Tom go. You gotta stop em at the beginning. The Don had convinced Michael that Tom wasn't up to the task of being consigliere anymore, especially when the tide was going to turn toward further acts of violence. Fabrizio, who had been hiding out in Buffalo, was blown up by a car bomb planted by the Corleones. He had been the best soldier in the Corleone family. He asks Johnny to sign a contract to appear at the casino five times a year, which Johnny easily agrees to. Why did Barzini want Michael dead, after the five families had apparently made peace? As Tessio and Hagen were preparing to attend the summit, Willie Cicci told him that Michael was coming in a separate car. Vito died a year later, and Michael formally succeeded as Don. In the novel, only after Michael starts to take over the family does Carlo get a better position. Additionally, this section offers more parallels between Michael and his father. The war between the Corleone family and the other families combined against them proved to be expensive for both sides. Marlon Brando was 48 when the film was released. 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. Edit, Because Sollozzo and the Tattaglia Family knew that Fredo was only a harmless and incompetent man. Salvatore Tessio The viewer feels like a part of this meeting, with Don Corleone teaching us how to navigate this world. But why the other 2 families? Sollozzo hoped those people could be influenced, coerced or bribed to be lax on the trade of illegal drugs, but Vito refused. In a fortress-like bank building on New York's Wall Street, we see Emilio Barzini over Don Corleone's shoulder. The scene itself feels very intimate. [citation needed]. Think of other movies in this genre that you have seen and describe at least three characteristics. While the Tattaglia and Barzini Families weigh pretty heavily into the plot, due to the tensions between their organizations and the Corleones, there is little mention of the Cuneo and Stracci families, who are mentioned only as part of the Commission "sit down" with all of the major mafia bosses from around the country. Massive raids began all over the city and all unlawful business activities came to a standstill. Tessio then asked Tom if he could get him off the hook for "the old times' sake". When Kay leaves the room to fix some tea, three of Michael's capos enter. Michael told him about the ticket and that he wouldn't widow his sister like that. Lucy has a much larger role in the novel, mostly due to an entire subplot, including several main characters not found in the film, including a plastic surgeon, who "repairs" her large vagina, his and Lucy's back-stories, plus their eventual involvement after her affair with Sonny ends (due to his death).