Godfather | |||||||||||||||
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| Name of Work | Godfather | ||||||||||||||
| Production Date | 1972 | ||||||||||||||
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| Media Types | film | ||||||||||||||
| General Notes | This ArtGrok artwork entry is only: Godfather Part 1. This is a psychological horror movie as well as a physical horror movie. It is the first, because through the movie you see the destruction of a person (Michael Corleone) who goes from a war hero to a ruthless killer. And it is a physical horror movie (not in the sense of supernatural or other weird horrors) but in its unremitting presentation of the horror of being in the mafia and living a life of violence and animality. Thus this movie is reminiscent of Dostoyevsky's novels in the excellent presentation of the psychological degradation of humanity, and in the dramatic way in which it is accomplished. Unfortunately it is a deeply ugly movie (spiritually speaking) while being a deeply beautiful movie, physically speaking. | ||||||||||||||
Description
"Don" Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia "family", oversees his daughter's wedding. His beloved son Michael has just come home from the war, but isn't part of his father's business. The business of the family is just like the head of the family, kind and benevolent to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family. An up and coming rival of the Corleone family wants to start selling drugs in New York, and needs the Don's political influence to further his plan. The clash of the Don's fading old world values and the new ways results in vast bloodshed, especially from Michael -- all for the sake of the family
Theme
Behind beauty and success lies corruption and death.
Emotional Sum or Sense-of-life
Life demands death; life is a horror of killing and retribution. Life is tragedy and malevolence
Tags
gangster, mafia
Discussion: Godfather
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Other aspects of this movieOther aspects of this movie worth noting:
The world of appearances is lovely and beautiful, but underneath is evil and ugliness and death.
Also, these sub-themes are evident in the movie: All men of power and responsibility are corrupt and killers. and You're either a puppet or a controller.
These are both substantive metaphysical value judgments about the nature of life.