The final shot of Godfather II, Michael Corleone sitting on a bench, alone and pensive, is one of my favorite closing scenes of any film. We’ve watched Michael commit more than a couple of unforgivable crimes and in essence lose his soul. At the end of GFI, I felt a bit of sympathy for Michael. Although he willingly chose his path, a confluence of unfortunate events pushed him towards it. In contrast, at the end of Godfather II, the feeling was complete ambivalence. His choices made sense, but only in a moral vacuum. And that’s what the film seemed to be getting at: the most powerful men (in America anyways) don’t play by the same rules. But we also see the price of playing this way. Michael is one of the great tragic figures in American cinema.
The Godfather series makes for great commentary on American ascendancy and hegemony. Vito Corleone seems to be universally beloved and at least respected by his enemies. Michael on the other hand, is respected only out of fear and as the final shot shows, completely alone. Yet, Michael is no more a criminal than his father was. They both murder, bribe, extort, etc. But Vito is sort of this romanticized figure, similar to how Americans romanticize the history that allowed this country to accumulate such wealth in such a short period of time. Thus Michael comes to embody the growing disillusionment the American people had with figures of power (the movie was released during the Nixon years after all). End half-@$$ pseudo-thesis.
Man, these films are so much more than just bad-@$$ gangster movies (granted they are that as well). Taken together, the Godfather I and II deserve a spot at the head of the table. My appreciation grows with every viewing. Best movie(s) of all time. I think this needs to be ratified into the Constitution. 28th amendment. I’ll get started on a letter to Charles Rangel. Get the ball rolling. Yessir.
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