"Hey, everybody - c'mon, pay attention" - thoughts on GODFATHER, II 1941 flashback
04-02-07, 09:36 AM
#1
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Thread Starter
"Hey, everybody - c'mon, pay attention" - thoughts on GODFATHER, II 1941 flashback
This small scene seems to be a favorite amongst Godfather fans, and for good reason: Part II showed the decline of the Corleone Family. Michael's downfall was his coldness, much unlike his father or even his oldest brother Santino, who could be cruel, but also had a very big heart. Michael's heart was surrounded by stone, mostly because of his resentment of being put in the situation of having to handle the Family Business, against his will. His love of his father turned the tide in that respect, despite Michael's lofty ambitions. The short flashback scene, presented at the end of "Part II," showed the Corleone's together on the day of Vito Corleone's birthday - December 7, 1941, the day the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor - during happier times.
Without describing the scene in great detail, as this is being written for people who have seen the scene many, many times, I will mention that it shows the majority of the characters killed off in the first film - Santino, Tessio, and Carlo.
Myself, the first time I saw it was on a video tape my mother recorded off the TV, called "A Novel For Television," and when I saw this scene, I thought it was one of the deleted scenes. I didn't realize that it was a real part of "Part II," and when I did realize it, that made the scene even more special to me. Imagine bringing back dead characters for a sequel - I don't think that's ever really been done before, and I think it was genius!
My negative critiques about the scene are small.
-One post in another thread wrote that, according to the Godfather timeline, Connie would have been 14 in 1941. Would Santino really have brought Carlo around to hook up with his 14-year old sister?
-the makeup artists and hairdressers didn't look at the first film long enough to remember how they made up Carlo, Santino, Connie, and Tom to make them look as they would have in 1941. Firstly, the actor Giavani Russo who played Carlo apparently put on a little weight between 1972 and 1974, and didn't have the ambition to lose it for this scene. If you'll notice, his face is much puffier than it should have been, considering that he looked much thinner in the first film, which occurred four years later. Robert Duvall, who played Tom Hagen, wore a hairpiece in the films. The hairpiece he wore in the 1941 scene was too receded to be believed - he had more hair in 1945! That was just sloppy. Plus, Duvall looked absolutely exhausted in this scene - considering how terrible he looked, they should have given him a few days rest before filming this scene. My beefs with the appearances of both Connie and Santino have to do with their hair. In "Part I," Santino's hair had an almost effeminine beauty to it. In the 1941 scene, it was very nappy and bushy. Connie's hair in "Part I" was very flat, very mousy. In the 1941 scene, it had a lot of body, much like in the rest of "Part II," which didn't do much to make her appear "younger."
I thought the story arc for this flashback scene was okay. It helped establish Michael's self-aliennation from his family by joining the armed forces during the war; it showed how Carlo came to know the Corleones; it showed how Tom and Santino were really at the top of their game, even during this period of peace in their lives. The story for this scene could have been worse, I'm sure it could have been better, but it was okay. They had to change the birth date of Vito Corleone in order for this scene to make sense (in "Part I," his birth date wasn't December).
What are your thoughts on this flashback scene?
Without describing the scene in great detail, as this is being written for people who have seen the scene many, many times, I will mention that it shows the majority of the characters killed off in the first film - Santino, Tessio, and Carlo.
Myself, the first time I saw it was on a video tape my mother recorded off the TV, called "A Novel For Television," and when I saw this scene, I thought it was one of the deleted scenes. I didn't realize that it was a real part of "Part II," and when I did realize it, that made the scene even more special to me. Imagine bringing back dead characters for a sequel - I don't think that's ever really been done before, and I think it was genius!
My negative critiques about the scene are small.
-One post in another thread wrote that, according to the Godfather timeline, Connie would have been 14 in 1941. Would Santino really have brought Carlo around to hook up with his 14-year old sister?
-the makeup artists and hairdressers didn't look at the first film long enough to remember how they made up Carlo, Santino, Connie, and Tom to make them look as they would have in 1941. Firstly, the actor Giavani Russo who played Carlo apparently put on a little weight between 1972 and 1974, and didn't have the ambition to lose it for this scene. If you'll notice, his face is much puffier than it should have been, considering that he looked much thinner in the first film, which occurred four years later. Robert Duvall, who played Tom Hagen, wore a hairpiece in the films. The hairpiece he wore in the 1941 scene was too receded to be believed - he had more hair in 1945! That was just sloppy. Plus, Duvall looked absolutely exhausted in this scene - considering how terrible he looked, they should have given him a few days rest before filming this scene. My beefs with the appearances of both Connie and Santino have to do with their hair. In "Part I," Santino's hair had an almost effeminine beauty to it. In the 1941 scene, it was very nappy and bushy. Connie's hair in "Part I" was very flat, very mousy. In the 1941 scene, it had a lot of body, much like in the rest of "Part II," which didn't do much to make her appear "younger."
I thought the story arc for this flashback scene was okay. It helped establish Michael's self-aliennation from his family by joining the armed forces during the war; it showed how Carlo came to know the Corleones; it showed how Tom and Santino were really at the top of their game, even during this period of peace in their lives. The story for this scene could have been worse, I'm sure it could have been better, but it was okay. They had to change the birth date of Vito Corleone in order for this scene to make sense (in "Part I," his birth date wasn't December).
What are your thoughts on this flashback scene?
04-02-07, 11:04 AM
#2
DVD Talk Gold Edition
The final flashback was one of my favorite scenes from the movie. It recalls the warmth of GF I, when things were good for the Corleone family in their heyday. One could say that they were at their apotheosis at this point, too, as in the original film, the Corleones' power was waning with the changing of times and competition from the other families. Michael's idealism, which would eventually lead to his and the family's downfall is played with nice subtlety. His decision to join the Marines might have been a selfless act in Michael's perspective, but to use a cliché, it's really the beginning of the end. He begins distancing himself and to a point, becomes self-centered. Mike seems oblivious to his father's (legitimate) intentions for him, when in fact they both have the same goals. As established in the early sequences of the first film, Mike will always be a part of the family, but doesn't want to have anything to do with the family until the confrontation with Captain McCluskey.
I wasn't as nitpicky about the makeup. Considering the actors aged a bit from when they made the original, Dick Smith did a fairly good job at making them look as young as they did.
Godfather timeline, along with miscellany info (this one says Connie was born in 1923):
http://thegodfathertrilogy.com/timeline.txt
I wasn't as nitpicky about the makeup. Considering the actors aged a bit from when they made the original, Dick Smith did a fairly good job at making them look as young as they did.
Godfather timeline, along with miscellany info (this one says Connie was born in 1923):
http://thegodfathertrilogy.com/timeline.txt
