The Godfather.

A couple of weeks ago I'd finally found out all about The Godfather trilogy. I'd always wondered what or who was this "Godfather" people kept talking about. Now I know why this trilogy is worth knowing...

The Godfather is about a powerful Italian-american family living in America during the mid 20th century. This family, called the Corleone family, is one of 5 powerful families who ruled the underworld at that time. Heard of the mafia? Well, The Godfather is in itself a mafia story.

How are they so powerful, you may ask? At that period in America, there were many underworld events happening which many never really knew about. Things like "blackmarket" businesses and illegal dealings were carried out by shady characters, always avoiding the public eye. Whenever a case leaked out in the newspapers, there will surely be cover-ups and eventually the matter will be silently forced into the background. So how do these powerful familes always manage to slip out of the hands of the law? Contacts. Poweful contacts. They gained power by networking with other prominent faces in society like lawyers, politicians, and the likes. The term "Godfather", in the movie, refers to the head of the family and the head of this "business" he is running.

In part 1 of The Godfather trilogy, Marlon Brando plays "The Godfather" as Vito Corleone. That was the first time I'd seen Marlon Brando act and I must say, he has a unique voice - very soft and subtle - which fits the theme song perfectly, "Parla Piu Piano", meaning "speak softly" in Italian. He personifies the role very nicely - the head of the powerful Corleone family in America's underworld at that time. Being the leader of his "business", people came to him asking for favours the legal authorities wouldn't carry out. And if granted, the deal came with a huge price, of course. Should someone break the deal, even in matters disconcerning money, the inevitable will happen: They will be killed.

The heads of powerful familes of that era usually put a strong emphasis on family. This doesn't just mean bringing up the children well, but having as many children as possible. The reason? Should one member die, there will always be "heirs to the throne". And since this kind of "business" is mainly carried out by men, males are always preferred over females. You might think it is pretty disadvantageous for a female child to be brought up in this kind of family, but seeing the type of work it is carrying out, I personally don't think a woman will feel safe either.

In part 2 of The Godfather trilogy, Al Pacino takes over the reigns of his father (Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando) who passed away at the end of part 1. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) becomes the new "Godfather" and continues running his "business" in the underworld. Since there are 5 powerful familes running it, their hunger for power couldn't be more obvious. Being the head of a powerful family is no easy task. You not only have to conduct illegal dealings and make contacts with the elite in society, you have to watch your back, too. Both 1-man shoot-outs and 10-men shoot-outs are evident as you watch the movie. And they always happen when you least expect them to. That's the turn on for The Godfather.

Part 2 of The Godfather also depicts the story of Vito Corleone (the first "Godfather") on how he came to America in the early 20th century and from there, set up his business in the Olive oil industry. All 3 movies also show many scenes of Sicily, the hometown of "The Godfather" himself. Part 2 also tells of how Michael Corleone goes under trial and eventually escape unharmed. Not forgetting his wife, kate, who already feels by now that she wants to leave him because of the work he engages in and regrets their marriage in the first place. She aborted the last baby they had and that made Michael even more furious...

In part 3 of The Godfather trilogy, Al Pacino still takes on the role of "Godfather", but is also in search of a suitable candidate to take his place. Part 3 was filmed in 1990 and therefore I must say that the movie is modern enough for the new generation of viewers to enjoy. The cast also includes Andy Garcia who plays Vincent Mancini, Michael's nephew, whose role gave the icing on the cake for the movie, and the beautful Sofia Coppola, who playes Michael's daughter, Mary Corleone. Together they created a love story that was forbidden by Michael himself.

Part 3 portrays Michael as a more mature elite in society, in terms of his new belief in non-violence. However there still seems to be a big cover-up in his dealings, having donated a large sum of money to The Vatican. He picks his nephew, Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), to be his right-hand man and eventually, made him the new "Godfather". The only price to pay for being in the highest and yet most dangerous position is to give up his relationship with Michael's daughter, Mary Corleone. And so the story comes to a close in the end. I shall not disclose what happened in the last few moments of the film; it would be worthwhile to see all 3 parts of The Godfather yourself.

And just like any other significant movie that was made in the past, The Godfather will remain in our hearts for a long time to come...