How The Godfather Trilogy Changed the Face of Crime Families4

By Dan Berry, May 06, 2011 in Pop Culture

How The Godfather Trilogy Changed the Face of the Crime Family

Though mob films have their roots in early silent pictures, the genre, in its purest form, was not clearly defined until the early 1930s. It owes its innovations to the instability of the time – an instability which resulted from the Great Depression. The failure of honest hard work and careful investment in the pursuit of financial security led to the explosion of mob films in Hollywood. They reflected a society disillusioned with the traditional way of life and illuminated the poor economic conditions of the time, while providing a social commentary on the nature of crime, criminals, and alternative methods of taking care of your “family.”

In the 40s and 50s, the genre died down and was replaced by film noir. In the 70s, however, there was a revival of mob films sparked by Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972), based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. Two sequels followed – The Godfather: Part II (1974) and The Godfather: Part III (1990) – and a legendary trilogy was born.

The Godfather films are epic sagas of a violent, treacherous and tightly knit mob superstructure from Sicily that settled in New York and became as powerful as government and big business. Returning war veteran/youngest son Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is forced to loyally follow in his father’s (Marlon Brando) criminal path without questioning its legitimacy. Michael’s evolution from doe-eyed outsider to ruthless boss is the key plotline, but what truly stands out and redefined the mob movie genre is the films’ focus on the family dynamic.

Like the dramatic thriller Cell (wherein two people are caged while they await to join “The Family”), The Godfather Trilogy aimed to define a questionable, powerful culture from the inside out – without judgement or apologies. The trilogy of Godfather films introduced the “crime family” to society via the big screen and stands as one of the greatest cinematic stories ever told. The trilogy set the foundation, establishing an unmistakable influence that would prove strong and far-reaching, changing the face of the crime family forever.

CELL – One

Men of Honor

The Godfather films were an homage to the traditional romanticized idea of the noble gangster as a “man of honor” – one who acts outside the law but with an exemplary devotion to both the biological family as well as the crime family. The works are so compelling that many viewers (and some members of the mob as well) have come to believe that Italian-American mobsters are indeed “men of honor” – Robin Hoods who defy the law and abide by a higher code. As a result, The Godfather Trilogy has come under criticism for romanticizing gangsters and giving them an undeserved patina of nobility.

Public Awareness

Many of the characters and events portrayed in the trilogy are based on and/or inspired by actual mobsters and their deeds. Consequently, The Godfather Trilogy brought a new public awareness to the American Mafia. As the “godfather” of the modern American mob movie, the trilogy became the template for public perception and media representations of organized crime – true or not.

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Unpredictable Gruesome Violence

Relationships built and torn apart by unpredictable violence is a concept at the heart of The Godfather Trilogy. It is a theme that has come to define organized crime, and one that all future movies and television shows in the genre would also explore.

Religion

The Godfather films were ripe with religious imagery. While these mobsters fear no man, they do fear God. Religion is an integral aspect of life for members of the mob, and it is in these devout beliefs that lie the great lie. No “ten Hail Mary’s and four Our Father’s” is going to absolve a man of murder. The confessional can’t cleanse the blood from a man’s hands. And yet these gangsters think they’re being pious and moral in the eyes of God because they go to church. The irony is epic and most notably depicted in the baptism scene from The Godfather. At the same time that Michael is having his child washed clean of Original Sin, he is systematically eliminating his enemies in the most sanguine-soaked of fashions. That’s right. Let’s hear it for Faith.

Demythologization

The Godfather Trilogy also relied heavily on a sense of nostalgia for a time long past, when gangsters were about family and honor, not money and power. But as the films make clear, this sense of nostalgia was for an imaginary time. As film historian James Cawleti has noted, this use of nostalgia was used “as a means of demythologization.” The Godfather films did not evoke the past merely to be nostalgic. Rather, the films sought to demolish the traditional notion of the glamorous and larger-than-life gangster figure. As a result, characters like Sopranos’ Tony Soprano were born – sporting a grimy old bathrobe and sweating like pig while he picked up the morning paper.

The “Good Earner”

The dichotomy of the old-school good earner (a hard working mob employee), contrasted with the modern cowboy who will be tolerated while useful, can be seen throughout The Godfather Trilogy. In fact, it’s inspired much of the drama at the center of every future organized crime movie and TV show that’s followed from Donnie Brasco to Mickey Blue Eyes. When it comes to business, the almighty buck is all that matters. No person’s life is more important than the profits in a gangster’s world.

Lineage

When it comes to the mob, you don’t have to be related to be part of the “family” – but it sure does help. And then again, sometimes it doesn’t. Just ask Fredo.

It’s a tale as old as time. Cain and Abel. Brother versus brother. Who is better? Who is more deserving? Who is best suited to take control of the family? Well, as the code goes, it’s a hierarchy based on age. To the first son go the spoils and so on down the line. But what happens if there’s a glitch in the code? How will the system be affected? And what if your wife is so disgusted with your business that she has your son aborted?

READ: 10 Famous People Who Died Far Too Soon – #2 John Cazale (Fredo)

Family Vs. “Family”

What’s more important to a mobster? Is it his biological family? Or is it the ‘family” he swore an oath to? It’s a question The Godfather Trilogy examines in great depth as Michael struggles physically and psychologically to come to grips with his warring “families” – both of who suffer heavy losses in the process. This gut-checking reality is precisely what makes the crime family so fascinating. Sure, they’re mobsters, but they’re also real people. And while Norman Rockwell never would have painted their portrait for The Saturday Evening Post, the crime family is an American institution.

CELL – Two

CELL – Three

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Dan Berry began writing and performing stand-up comedy while drinking heavily and skipping class at New York University. An inexplicably instant success, he has appeared in clubs and on college campuses nationwide, and is frequently featured on radio and television. Aside from creating the humor site “Jotter of a Rotter” and the internationally acclaimed website “The Prison Kite” (jotterofarotter[dot]com and theprisonkite[dot]com), Dan has also lent his warped writing skills to a pair of failed pilots for FX and NBC, as well as to several current network shows that are somehow proving successful in spite of his crazed contributions.