The Godfather story
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo based on Puzo's best- selling 1969 novel. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, which chronicles the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone and the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone, from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.
38 total · 3 choice · 15 major · 20 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| descent into crime | choice | A central theme in the film is Michael's moral fall from lauded war hero and upstanding citizen, to that of a murderer and crime syndicalist. |
| loyalty to one's family | choice | The story underlines that the success of the Corleone family crime syndicate was in no small part down to the tight bonds between the members of its inner circle: Don Vito and his sons. Tom was an adopted son and in most matters equal to the other children, yet when push came to shove decisions were made only by the true blooded scions of Don Vito. |
| organized crime | choice | The story concerns the Corleone family crime syndicate as it engaged in violent power struggles with rival crime families. |
| betrayal | major | The question of whom to trust was ubiquitous. In the end, Carlo, Paulie, and Tessio had all been exposed as traitors and punished accordingly. |
| brother and brother | major | The story centered around the tightly-knit brothers Michael, Sonny, Fredo. Tom Hagen was an adopted son, but treated nearly as a blood brother. |
| brother and sister | major | Both Michael and Sonny were protective of their sister Connie. |
| coping with a loved one being gravely ill | major | The Corleone family, Michael in particular, coped with Don Vito falling into ill-health after the attempt on his life. |
| corruption in society | major | Don Vito's crucial advantage in the American underworld was that he had judges and high-ranking politicians in his pocket. Notably, he told one of his underlings to assign a task to some Jewish Congressman during the wedding. |
| father and son | major | In particular, Don Vito and Michael's strong bond was a central feature of the story. Don Vito had wanted to keep Michael out of crime. When his father's life was threatened, however, Michael insisted on being there to protect him. |
| handing over the mantle before retirement | major | Don Vito set Michael up as the new Don and tutored him on the family business, then retired from it all. |