At 40 Years Old, 'The Godfather' Has a Profound and Complicated Legacy

NorthJersey.com ^ | SUNDAY MARCH 18, 2012 | JIM BECKERMAN

[Perdogg]

ping

[re_nortex]

And I always felt that Cazale’s performance blew away everybody else’s in the Godfather movies.

I'll add Lee Strasberg to that list. His portrayal of Hyman Roth was just right.

His lecture to Michael Corleone, "This is the business we've chosen", is a masterpiece of monologue. I realize that former Ronald Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan has lost her bearing but her analysis of Roth's speech, "as he stood, weak and furious, before cold-eyed Michael Corleone", is a worthwhile read, a portion of which is excerpted here:

It is simple, unadorned, direct, declarative. There isn't anything in it that is "eloquent," and yet taken as a whole it is deeply eloquent: It tells you something big in an unforgettable way. There is in it no obvious, signaled rhythm, and yet if you read it aloud you will find in it the beautiful, unconscious rhythm of concentrated human speech. There are no phrases that seem to attempt to conjure up pictures, and yet when you hear it you imagine a Moe Green and see the dusty nothingness of early Las Vegas.

It is simplicity that gives the speech its power. Each word means something and each seems to inevitably follow the word that precedes it and summon the word that follows. And so a kind of propulsion is created: It moves forward, and with good speed.

[M1903A1]

I reckon the difference was that Fredo was caught off guard in the assassination attempt on Vito, while he was actively involved in trying to get rid of Michael. And he decided on his own to eliminate the two gunmen, in order to cover his tracks while looking like the hero.

[wtc911]

Goodfellas is definitely closer to what I have seen.

Two more tidbits...

The Tom Hagen character in TGF had a real-life counterpart. His name was Sheridan and he lived two doors away from Gambino in the cul-de-sac (mapquest Club Drive in 11758 I lived on Exeter - Seinfeld on Riviera).

There was a guy named Cardinale a few doors up the cul-de-sac. Just by being there he had to be a made guy. I had an old '58 Buick (this was in '70). I was driving up from Sheridan's house (I knew his kids). Cardinale came running down the driveway waving for me to stop, like I was Mister Softee. I did, because, well, it seemed the prudent move. He said, "Hey, what's this, a 58? Come'ere, I got somethin' to show you...". I followed him to his garage where he had hundreds of brand new tires of all kinds...I found a couple of snows and paid him ten each.

A made guy, living in what is now a $1.5 million house, hustling hot tires to a kid...that's the Mafia I know.

[allmendream]

Someone once asked Mario Puzo who he based Don Corleone on - and Mario said “my mother.”

“Whenever the Godfather opened his mouth,” the author later wrote, “in my own mind I heard the voice of my mother. I heard her wisdom, her ruthlessness, and her unconquerable love for her family and for life itself, qualities not valued in women at the time. The Don's courage and loyalty came from her; his humanity came from her.”

Asked how a sweet Italian woman could be compared to a gangster - he supplied this little anecdote.

Mario had just been paid an advance of $500,000. The largest book advance (at that time) in history. He called up his mother to brag about a half a million dollar advance on a book he hadn't even written yet.

To his surprise, family members started calling him to congratulate him on his “$50,000” advance. He called up his mom and said “Mom - it was $500,000 - NOT $50,000!”.

And in a calm clear voice his mother told him she didn't want to tell people that!

The code of silence!

[Hot Tabasco]

I always admired Vito Corleone. In the first movie, he seemed to be above it all. He focused on his family, was clean living, generous to friends, full of life-experience

Excellent analysis.......and don't forget to add that he was also against drugs.

I have my favorite movies and most of them, if not all, are science fiction. But The Godfather is at the top of the list......it's the only movie that I've been willing to watch more than twice.....

[jocon307]

LOL, page 75!

No, really, this is very fresh.

It’s really how he beats the cr*p out of his sister’s horrid husband. I hate it so much how that gets used against him.

He’s a pretty good actor, James Caan, I also always remember that scene in “The Gambler” (I think that’s the title.)

He’s a compulsive gambler and he loses the big bet that going to get him even, rage and self-loathing are then on full display.

A very depressing movie but well done.

[Little Bill]

I hung out in an old Industrial City in Mass. The mob boss was a guy named Russo, ran a plumbing business and the best Italian restaurant in the city.

The bookies were all Polocks, even Artie the Greek, went to jail on a bank scam. A local thug, a barber, started selling dope and porn out of his shop, he was a Greek. The locals mostly Irish went and saw Russo and told him do some thing about this or we will.

Russo felt that this would be bad for business and the barber got a couple of broken legs, Artie got his head busted by a cousin of mine for booking out of his Bar, before he went to Jail, Artie, and peace reigned in the land.

[M1903A1]

Sounds like a friend’s story...he lived down in Chicago, and his family knew this one fellow down the block who didn’t appear to have an actual job. The guy and his wife were always offering my friend and his parents earmuffs, gloves, other general merchandise...but they always had grosses, caselots and the like spread out on their dining room table, not just a few!

He finally figured out this guy was likewise in charge of moving stuff that “fell off the truck”.

[Yardstick]

Glad I clicked the link — that’s some great stuff from Peggy Noonan.

[tang-soo]

This is interesting. The Godfather and Oranges
here.

[yarddog]

I liked Hyman Roth’s little speech too. The unspoken nuances such as despite his saying that the murder of Moe Green was just part of the business they had chosen, deep down inside, he was going to get revenge and he couldn’t quite hide that feeling.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Plus he was nailing Meryl Streep in her prime.

I was going to mention that myself.

My wording would have been a little different.

[dfwgator]

I was going to mention that myself. My wording would have been a little different.

I always assumed then, since it was around the time the Holocaust mini-series was being filmed, Meryl was dating James Woods, their chemistry in that series was very believable....I never would have guessed she was with John Cazale.

[GOYAKLA]

“prime”? Anatomy?

[GOYAKLA]

Ever wonder about the song “ I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now?”.

[dfwgator]

{SIGH} I am IN LOVE with James Caan in that movie. Still, to this day, just head over heels in love with him.

I still think of James Caan as "Brian Piccolo" from Brian's Song.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Romancing.

[Fester Chugabrew]

......it's the only movie that I've been willing to watch more than twice.....

And here I recently watched "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" twice.

[jocon307]

“I still think of James Caan as “Brian Piccolo” from Brian’s Song.”

I’ve actually never seen that movie, but I remember it and the book too. What big hits they were, but to me it was a boy’s story so I never read/watched it.

Wasn’t that one of the first made for TV movies? Or was it just one of the first good ones?