The Godfather Film Thread

[Titivillus]

Titivillus:

Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, consider this justice a gift on my daughter’s wedding day.

I actually do say this to people (in my best Vito Corleone imitation) to people who ask me if there is something they can do for me after I do something for them (it’s my way of saying, “Don’t worry about it, I’m fine”).

Me too.

 

[Glennon_P]

Goodfellas was another great Mafia movie. I’d like to read Henry Hill’s book Wiseguys sometime…has anybody here read it?

 

[Titivillus]

Another favorite scene: When Michael saves his father from the second attempt on his life in the hospital, with the help of Enzo the baker.

 

[Jimbo]

Love Neri.

Also ,love the Old Man. But you can see how the family slowly devolves into chaos; how sin ultimately consumes them.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

That video is like when I made the mistake of mentioning to a roomful of 40 something record geek guys that I could never get into Neil Young.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Goodfellas was another great Mafia movie. I’d like to read Henry Hill’s book Wiseguys sometime…has anybody here read it?

I read part of it. My problem with Goodfellas is that Hill is not a sympathetic character once he starts cheating on his wife and doing cocaine. And Tommy unfortunately turns out to be a psycho.

The Mafia movie I really enjoyed was “Kill the Irishman”. Which I’m sure will surprise no one. People complained that the explosions used cheap CGI, seriously, who cares?
I was very grumpy about it being filmed in Detroit though, instead of in its actual locations. I have been to church at St. Malachi’s many times and always think of the pieces of Shondor Birns scattered all over the fence and the church grounds, the priest coming out and doing whatever blessings he could, and evenybody arriving for Easter Vigil Mass in the middle of it. I pray for all those guys.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Neil to these guys is way up on a pedestal. I’ve honestly never understood the appeal.

 

[Tommy999]

And Tommy unfortunately turns out to be a psycho.

The dickens, you say…

 

[RolandThompsonGunner]

(I still couldn’t really understand how an Italian guy raised in Italian culture and previously married to an Italian girl would end up married to some Baptist miinister’s daughter, but whatever.)

Michael had left the Italian bubble, though. First, by going to college, and second by serving in the military during WWII. Presumably he crossed paths with Kay in college or something.

Speaking of mob-ish movies, anyone seen Sleepers with Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro and Jason Patric?

Definitely one that’s stayed with me for a long time. Just as a warning, there are some pretty disturbing scenes.

 

[tuscany]

I loved the opening wedding scene. I think anyone with an Italian culture/background found all the little nuances spot on. All the real little details and mannerisms throughout made The Godfather such a great movie. That wedding scene for me was like every Italian wedding I’ve ever been to (Including my own) , except for the mob part! ) There are SO many great scenes. At this moment in time, I will revisit a man/killer who thinks of the kids while the car is backing out, and of not wanting his wife mad at him if he forgets to get the cannoli. And all in sight of the Statue of Liberty in the background…

 

[Fuerza]

Godfather II is my favorite in the series, and one of my favorite movies of all time. The Sicilian part of me appreciates how the Sicilian language featured so prominently in the movie. Note: there is not a single word of Italian in the film. Everything is Sicilian, except for the play scene, which is in Neapolitan. Neither is a dialect of Italian as is often thought, and neither is mutually intelligible with Italian or with each other (the aforementioned play scene always struck me as unrealistic, since a Sicilian immigrant in NYC certainly would not have understood Neapolitan, but Vito Corleone reacts with emotion and complete understanding to the part where the actor reveals that his mother died).

 

[F_Marturana]

I think he should have gotten fresh cannoli.

 

[tuscany]

WE would have, we’re females… He’s a guy, he was doin’ good with just remembering them. Can you imagine how mortified his wife would have been if she had known what the cannoli went through to get to her table? And, it has always bothered me that he carried the box of cannoli without having washed his hands after “using the bathroom”.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Speaking of mob-ish movies, anyone seen Sleepers with Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro and Jason Patric?

Won’t watch it because all indications are that it, and the book it was based on, were not a true story as advertised. I avoid all that “Million Little Pieces” lying hoax stuff. If it’s fiction, just call it fiction.

'Sleepers' Debate Renewed: How True Is a 'True Story'? - The New York Times

 

[F_Marturana]

The actor who played Johnny Ola, also played Uncle Junior in the Sopranos.

Also Hyman Roth was played by Lee Strasberg, famous acting teacher who developed method acting.

Among his students were James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro.

 

[F_Marturana]

I saw it when it came out, my sister was a big Brad Pitt fan.

I liked Bruno Kirby, real name Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr.

 

[RolandThompsonGunner]

Won’t watch it because all indications are that it, and the book it was based on, were not a true story as advertised. I avoid all that “Million Little Pieces” lying hoax stuff. If it’s fiction, just call it fiction.

Oh, I never even knew it was supposed to have been true. I went in with my “this is pure fiction” filter on.

 

[Glennon_P]

My problem with Goodfellas is that Hill is not a sympathetic character once he starts cheating on his wife and doing cocaine. And Tommy unfortunately turns out to be a psycho.

While there was a lot of violence in the Godfather movies, there was an undercurrent of family, tradition, heritage, etc.

None of that in Goodfellas…mob life was painted as gritty, dirty, and messy. Coppola and Scorsese took different approaches but both produced outstanding films.

And Tommy was a psycho, masterfully portrayed by Joe Pesci.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

From a film-making standpoint, Goodfellas was okay (and there’s an amusing, to me anyway, Youtube of the record number of times the film uses one of the Seven Dirty Words).

From a “do I actually care about anybody in this film” standpoint, other than possibly Henry’s wife, my answer for Goodfellas was Nope.

 

[Glennon_P]

there’s an amusing, to me anyway, Youtube of the record number of times the film uses one of the Seven Dirty Words

Years ago, a friend came up with a variation of the “Hi, Bob” drinking game…you had to watch 48 Hours with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte and take a drink every time they dropped an f-bomb or any derivative thereof. Don’t know of anybody who made it to the end of the movie in one sitting.