The Godfather (1972)

I rewatched it tonight. A true masterpiece of deception, betrayal, and the descent into darkness juxtaposed with honesty, loyalty and the continual rise of the Corleone family.

This brutal tale is humanity at its best and worst. What I truly appreciate about it is the way the characters die - without any dignity. Seconds more to live and they kick and scream and struggle. Those fleeting moments say a lot about the value of life - when it's your own. I don't think this film's violence is pornographic at all, instead it studies it rather than dismissing it in summary. I don't think this kind of film encourages violence any more than a testimony of a battered woman would. For me the films that don't honestly portray violence are the ones that lessen the impact of what murder truly is.

I see the women in the picture as representatives of society who blindly accept the evil. They could represent grace in some way I suppose, but they don't really acknowledge the violence they profit off of; much like how everyone profits from wars abroad, unjust international trade practices, and our history of imperialism, slavery, and plunder. What happens when we do raise our voice in protest? Do we lose our riches?

The Sicily sequence was a lot of fun after watching The Best of Youth. The mannerisms of the people really cause me to yearn for a real deep-rooted culture rather than a melting pot or what Canada has (wandering in the desert of pop). I want the vineyards and the quiet docks and the geese.

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