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Just Watched The Godfather Trilogy For the First Time (Spoilers)

LunarMoon

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Absolutely amazing. I’m surprised that such an intelligent and melancholy movie fell into the public eye. There weren’t nearly enough explosions and the boobs weren’t prominent enough.

I managed to walk into this series knowing nothing about it other than that it followed a Sicilian Mafioso Family and that said Sicilian Mafioso Family planted a horse head in the bed of a film tycoon. So each of the plot twists managed to surprise me, which was a rare treat. It’s one of the few movies that I know of that so intricately references itself in order to showcase an abstract theme, so watching the trilogy as one 12 hour movie, as I did, is a much different experience than watching them separately.

On that note, Godfather 3 wasn’t anywhere near as bad as has become popular to claim it to be. Sure, Sophia Copolla’s acting was…in a league of its own but everything else provided an extremely well done conclusion to the series. I especially love the portrayal of the vicious cycle that emanates throughout the Corleone Family. Vincent ends the series in the exact same fashion as Michael did when he consolidated his power as Don Corleone in the first movie: ruthless, ambitious, and naïve. A subordinate kisses his hand while calling the praise, “Don Corleone” and a door closes behind the scene.

Top Ten Scenes From the Trilogy:
1. The Ending of Godfather III – Michael’s Death (III)
2. Vincent becomes the New Don, Repeating the Pattern Established in the First Film (III)
3. Vito Reminisces About Having Wanted Michael To Become Legitimate (I)
4. Michael Consolidates His Power As the New Don - the door literally shuts between the civilian world that Kay inhabits and the world of the mafioso that Michael lives in (I)
5. Michael's Assassination of Moe Green and Various Other Enemies During the Baptism - "Do you renounce Satan?" (I)
6. Carlo Bullies Connie and the Resulting Fight With Sonny That Follows (I)
7. Hyman Roth’s Reveal and the Explanation For His Vengeance For Moe Green’s Death: “That kid's name was Moe Green - and the city he invented was Las Vegas. This was a great man - a man of vision and guts. And there isn't even a plaque - or a signpost - or a statue of him in that town!” (II)
8. Fredo Explains His Feelings As the Black Sheep of the Family: “Taken Care of? You’re my kid brother!...I’m smart! Not like-dumb like everybody says! I’m smart and I want some respect!” (II)
9. Don Vito’s Death (I)
10. Vito Assassinates the Local Slum Don (II)
 

guesswho

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The Godfather trilogy is a masterpiece, I really liked the third part don't know why it received such bad reviews.

PS: If you like gangster movies you should also watch: Miller's Crossing. It's an awesome movie.
 
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Epiphany

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I was surprised at how good Part II was, possibly even better than the first. Great trilogy!
 

KDude

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Yeah, I always liked the third as well. The story needed that closure anyways.. the failure that Michael could never attain legitimacy. On that note though, I liked Good Fellas more. Same theme, but less stylized. Henry Hill reflects the realistic frustration of the criminal mindset. "For us to live any other way was nuts. Uh, to us, those goody-good people who worked shitty jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work every day, and worried about their bills, were dead. I mean they were suckers. They had no balls. If we wanted something we just took it. If anyone complained twice they got hit so bad, believe me, they never complained again."

The Godfather is great, but Good Fellas shows what's really going on. Nobody actually thinks on noble terms like Michael or Vito.
 
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Epiphany

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The Godfather is great, but Good Fellas shows what's really going on. Nobody actually thinks on noble terms like Michael or Vito.

I see what you're saying, but I never viewed Michael or Vito as noble. They're criminals. Hollywood does have a way of glorifying crime, however. Ocean's Eleven is a good example. The rap culture does the same thing. I remember when Scarface was popular amongst the hip-hop community; and probably still is. Tony Montana was revered as a heroic icon of sorts.
 

KDude

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I see what you're saying, but I never viewed Michael or Vito as noble. They're criminals. Hollywood does have a way of glorifying crime, however. Ocean's Eleven is a good example. The rap culture does the same thing. I remember when Scarface was popular amongst the hip-hop community; and probably still is. Tony Montana was revered as a heroic icon of sorts.

Yeah, maybe noble is not the right word, but it's like the whole trilogy is about them being sucked into it. From the quiet Vito killing the Don in order to protect people, to his speech to Michael when he's dying: "There was never enough time.." [to go legit]. Or Michael trying his best to make up for everything in the 3rd film, but can't. It paints them like they had good intentions. It's a great story, but I prefer the Good Fellas take where they just bad intentions to begin with. And he hates being legit. "Right after I got here, I ordered some spaghetti with marinara sauce and I got egg noodles and ketchup. I'm an average nobody."
 

LunarMoon

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I see what you're saying, but I never viewed Michael or Vito as noble. They're criminals. Hollywood does have a way of glorifying crime, however. Ocean's Eleven is a good example. The rap culture does the same thing. I remember when Scarface was popular amongst the hip-hop community; and probably still is. Tony Montana was revered as a heroic icon of sorts.
That’s because people only remember that he went from rags to riches and that he went out shooting a Tommy gun. They forget about the fact that he lusted after his sister, killed his only friend, became addicted to cocaine, entered into a soulless marriage, and died under a banner that ironically flashed the phrase “The World Is Yours”.

Movies like Scarface and The Godfather are an indictment of that lifestyle, not a glorification. Michael Corleone died alone on an abandoned plantation, after losing his daughter and becoming disenfranchised from his friends. He killed his own brother and spent the greater part of his life attempting to repent for a career that his father never wanted him to become involved in. Don Vito had less of a choice in regard to becoming involved in crime but he was regretful enough of it that he had no intentions of his son entering into it.
 
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Epiphany

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Movies like Scarface and The Godfather are an indictment of that lifestyle, not a glorification.

I agree. And that may have been the creator's intent, but much of the fanbase, particularly of Scarface, seems to glorify that lifestyle instead of eschewing it.
 
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