How The Godfather’s opening scene lays the groundwork for this epic movie?[1/2]

"The Godfather" is widely considered one of the most iconic films . However, Many people cannot understand why it so classic.

It's not surprising as "The Godfather" is like an epic film with a complex storyline and a lot of information to take in.

Moreover, with the limited time of a movie, the director had to condense all the complicated character relationships and the starting point of all the subsequent plotlines into the first act. It was already a tremendous challenge to include all of this information in the opening half-hour wedding scene. Not to mention that the film also succeeds in portraying a clear story logic and the distinct personalities of its characters, which is why it can be considered a true masterpiece.

Today, let's take a moment to appreciate the first six minutes of "The Godfather" and reflect on how many details we may have missed.

The opening scene of "The Godfather" is remarkably calm and almost boring, showcasing a close-up shot of Bonasera, who has come to seek help from the Godfather, Vito Corleone.

In the first two and a half minutes of the film, there is only the monologue by Bonasera, while the camera slowly zooms out, the back of the Godfather reveal.

I believe in America，America has made my fortune

These are the first words spoken by Bonasera, and they reveal his attitude towards the Godfather, which is one of believing in America and not wanting to have any involvement with him.

In the original novel, after reviewing the guest list, the Godfather decides to meet with Bonasera last. The reason for this is clear: those who do not show respect for the Godfather will not receive his friendship in return.

But the Godfather still gives him the opportunity for a talk and even calls his eldest son, Sonny, to learn something by observing the meeting.

However, during the meeting, Sonny spends most of his time gazing at the bridesmaids at the wedding outside the window, indicating that he is not fully focused on receiving instruction from the Godfather. This scene implies that he is not qualified to be the next Godfather.

Then, Bonasera begins to subtly make his request, which he believes is clever, but in fact exposes his foolishness to the Godfather

and I raised my daughter in the American fashion.

I give her freedom, but I taught her never to dishonor her family.

She found a boyfriend. Not an Italian.

She went to the movies with him.She stayed out late. I didn't protest.

Two months ago, he took her for a drive with another boyfriend.

They made her drink whiskey and then they tried to take advantage of her.

She resisted.

She kept her honor.

Italian, especially Sicilian, is relatively conservative when it comes to women's attitudes due to cultural background.

When Bonasera says he warned his daughter to "never dishonor her family," he is actually using a very convoluted way to establish a closer relationship with the Godfather. He is saying that although he believes in America, he has not forgotten his Sicilian blood and customs. Therefore, he is trying to show that they belong to the same ethnic group.

It is also worth noting that he lays the groundwork by mentioning that the boyfriend is not Italian, which helps to clear the way for his later request.

Bonasera then proceeds to emotionally state the most important fact:

So they beat her like an animal.

When I went to the hospital, her nose was broken...

her jaw was shattered...held together by wire.

She couldn't even weep because of the pain.

But I wept. Why did I weep?

She was the light of my life.Beautiful girl.

Now she will never be beautiful again.

In just a few short sentences, there is a lot of important information:

1. His daughter values her reputation and has not done anything wrong; it's all the fault of bad people.
2. She is her father's pride and joy, and the Godfather has a daughter too, so he should be able to empathize.
3. She was so beautiful, and now her beauty has been destroyed permanently.

This story, once told, would stir up righteous indignation in any normal person with emotions. After that, Bonasera choked up.

Although the Godfather was not entirely pleased, it was difficult for him to remain indifferent in the face of such a situation. He expressed his sympathy appropriately and gestured for a glass of wine to be passed to Bonasera, which was very in line with his identity. Bonasera continued to speak, showing both pain and restraint.

I went to the police like a good American.

These two boys were brought to trial.Ajudge sentence them to three years in prison...

and suspend their sentence.S

uspended sentence.They went free that very day.

I stood in the courtroom like a fool.

And those two bastard, they smiled at me.

Then I said to my wife,For justice...

If we consider that the first mistake made by Bonasera was not showing enough respect to the Godfather in his daily life, but seek help only when he was in dire need, then in this statement, he made a second mistake： Changing people in the middle of a job .

It shows that you didn't trust the person in front of you and considered them as a backup option. Only when things have become a totally mess, then did he think of asking for his help. It is natural for the person to feel disrespected, as no one wants to be a backup plan.

At this point, the smart thing to do is to use the three-step method of repairing a relationship:

• Admit fault: It was my fault for not coming to you first, and as a result, things got worse. I realize that you are the only one I can trust.
• Explain the reason: I didn't come to you first, not because I don't trust you, but because I felt like we didn't have a close enough relationship yet, and I didn't want to bother you.
• Make a promise: I will definitely respect and trust you in the future.I will show absolute respect and obedience to you, and I ask for another chance.

And what did Bonasera do?

"I believe in the law, so I went to the police." (Didn't admit fault)

"The American legal system has failed me." (Didn't admit fault)

"So I came to you." (Don't disrespect me.)

Therefore, even though the earlier description of Bonasera's situation was quite tragic, the Godfather still felt disrespected and even offended.

Thus, the Godfather coldly asked:

Why did you go to the police? Why didn't you come to me first?

When godfather asked "Why didn't you come to me first?" it was already implying that the first step of taking the initiative to admit mistakes was not done well, and he was very dissatisfied. However, Bonasera did not realize this and made a third serious mistake: he wanted to skip the emotional part and only talked about business.

What do you want of me?

Tell me anything, but do what I beg you to do.

The underlying message of this statement is: "I don't want to have a personal relationship with you. We're just doing business. You help me and I'll give you what you need." For someone like the god father, who is a big shot,The bigger the person, the less likely they are to be bought by benefits.

So the old man was a little angry. He said:

What is that?

That I cannot do.

For someone like the Godfather, favors are worth more than money. The most important thing when asking for help is not how much you can pay, but how much respect you show.

As long as you show respect, the Godfather will help you, no matter how poor you are. And the repayment he expects is friendship, which means that he has the right to ask you for a small favor at any time to repay the debt.

However, Bonasera made the mistake of avoiding favors and jumping straight to business, challenging the Godfather's principles.

Furthermore, he made a very disrespectful statement, thinking it was sincere but it was very offensive to the Godfather：

I'll give you anything you ask.

After this statement, the camera zoomed out to show the Godfather's eldest son, Sonny, and his adopted son, Tom, both in the room. This conveyed that both of them were provoked by this foolish statement.

In short, this statement indicated that seeking help had reached a dead end.

How The Godfather’s opening scene lays the groundwork for this epic movie?[1/2]