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THE GODFATHER
A
Paramount Picture
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THEME: "The
hand that pulls the strings"
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Insights:
In
1972, a movie was released based on Mario Puzo' s novel, The
Godfather. Almost thirty years have passed, and
Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece maintains its position as
one of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of
all time. The Godfather, combined with its two sequels,
form a trilogy depicting the life of the Corleone
family. The Corleone's are not just any family; they
are a family deeply enmeshed in the "underworld"
of organized crime. Ostensibly then, The Godfather is
about a Mafia Don and the passing on of the "family
business" to one of his sons. Perhaps this
explains the great fascination with this film. It
explores a world of hidden power, known to exist, but rarely
experienced. In truth, the reality that this film
exposes is even greater than that of organized crime.
It reveals the hidden power of the true
"underworld"1 where the godfather is the
antithesis of God the Father.
The
Logo
The
title scene of the movie reproduces the logo and the title
as they appear on the cover of the novel. The logo is
an arm reaching downward with its hand clasping a wooden
crosspiece to which strings are attached. This
powerful symbol contains the theme of both the novel and the
movie. In the novel, Don Vito Corleone proclaims to
the other Dons, "We are all men who have refused to be
fools, who have refused to be puppets dancing on a string
pulled by the men on high."2
In the film he makes a similar
statement as he counsels Michael for the last time. In
other words he is saying, "I have fought to be the one
who pulls the strings, to ascend the mountain of power, to
be my own god." It is a very old theme.
In
the Old Testament Book of Isaiah (Isaiah
14:4) a taunt is
taken up against the King of Babylon. In Verse 12 it
shifts from the King to the hidden power that pulls his
strings.
"How
you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of
the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened
the nation!
But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of
the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High."
The King and His Family
The
Godfather resembles the story of a feudal King who has three
sons. He rules a realm held together by the loyalty of
his vassals and the power of his army. At the lowest
levels of this kingdom are the common men like Amerigo
Bonasera and Nazorine, the baker, who live forever indebted
to and in the fear of the Great Don. It is a brutal
system of hierarchy.
The
Godfather is also a film about family. It begins at a
wedding and ends at a baptism. In between are scenes
of weddings, funerals, pregnancies, illnesses, family
dinners, and family feuds. This is the great paradox
of the Godfather; on the one hand it shows the common life
of a family; and on the other, it shows the bizarre life of
"the family". This is a family related by
blood - the shedding of blood. It is the antitheses of
God, the Great King, and His family (I
Timothy 1:7; Galatians
3:26).
The
Selection of An Heir
Michael,
whose name means "Who is like the Lord?" is the
son chosen to be heir to the godfather. In the early
scenes, he is depicted as not wanting to be part of the
"family business". This may not be as
altruistic as it appears. In reality it shows strength
of will that is matched only by the Don himself.
Michael will not be anyone's puppet, including his father's.
His destiny3, however, is not to be avoided, so
it is no
coincidence that he is "birthed" into the family
business at Christmas time. An unsuccessful attempt on
his father's life sets in motion events that bring Michael
to the place where he pledges to his father, "I'm with
you now." He makes his bones4
by assassinating
the men who set his father up. Hidden away in Sicily,
he waits until the time he can return and receive his
father's kingdom.
This
is the antithesis of God the Father's Son and Heir, Jesus
Christ.
"Who,
although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but, emptied Himself, taking the form of bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in
appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death,
even death on a cross."
Philippians 2: 6-8
Christmas commemorates Christ's incarnation.
Immediately after His birth, assassination attempts were
made on His life. He was hidden away in Egypt and
Nazareth until the time He should appear to proclaim the
Kingdom of God.
The
Return of The Heir
Michael's
return from Sicily is assured when his father makes peace
with the other five families of New York. On the
outside, it appears that the Don is not only weakened
physically, but that his entire organization is
crumbling. He retires and gives control of the
family business to Michael. Upon returning to New
York, Michael's two-fold task is to establish his
father's dominion and have children of his own, thus
ensuring the continuation of the family. In order to accomplish
the first task, he uses new and unorthodox means, which only
he and his father know about. He, therefore, alienates many
of the family's closest associates, including one of the
Caproregimes, Tessio, who ultimately betrays Michael.
Jesus
Christ manifested Himself to Israel after His hidden years
by proclaiming the open availability of God's Kingdom to all
people (Matthew 4:
23-25). He went about this in new
and unorthodox ways that angered the religious establishment
and made even those closest to Him question if He really
knew what He was doing. Only His Father knew the way
that the Kingdom of God would be established (the
Cross). It was no surprise to the Father or to the Son
that one of Jesus' intimate circle would betray Him.
The
Crowning of The Son
At
his father's funeral, Michael Corleone agrees to meet with
Don Barzini at a meeting set up by Tessio. The meeting
will take place after the baptism of his sister's son; for
Michael has decided to become the baby's godfather.
The baptism scenes that follow are some of the most
memorable in cinematic history. In the Roman Catholic
ceremony, Kay and Michael stand holding Connie and Carlo's
baby, Michael. As the priest prepares the baby for baptism
he asks Michael Corleone these questions:
Priest: "Do you believe in God
the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?"
Michael:
"I do."
Priest: "Do you believe
in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord?"
Michael:
"I do."
Priest: "Do you believe
in the Holy Ghost and the Holy Catholic Church?"
Michael:
"I do."
These scenes are interspersed with scenes of Michael's men
preparing to murder the heads of the New York crime
families. As the music reaches a climax , the priest
turns and asks:
Priest:
"Michael Francis Rizzi (the baby) do you renounce
Satan?"
Michael Corleone (the godfather):
"I do renounce him."
Priest: "And all his
works?"
Michael: "I do renounce
them."
Priest: "And all his
pomps?"
Michael: "I do renounce."
Priest: "Michael Francis
Rizzi, will you be baptized?"
Michael: "I will."
Priest: "In the name of
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit go in peace, and may the
Lord be with you."
Interspersed
through these scenes are the brutal slayings of all
Michael's enemies.
What
is really happening in these baptism scenes? This is
far more than just powerful film editing. This is a
depiction of the baby's baptism and Michael's
coronation. Michael now becomes the Godfather by water
(the baptism) and the blood (the executions). It is a direct
counterfeit of I John
5:5-6, where Jesus came by water (His
baptism) and by the blood (His own execution). Now in
the spirit of his father, the devil, (John
8:44), Michael orders the assassination
of his brother-in-law, the baby's father, and boldly lies to
his wife, Kay.
The
last scene of the movie is chilling. Michael is in his
father's study right where the movie began. His
father's men now come to pledge their allegiance to the new
Don Corleone. Michael has become "the hand that
pulls the strings".
The
Crowning of The True Son
The
Son of God, Jesus Christ, hung on the wooden cross shedding
His own blood. The Cross broke the power of Satan's
hand and brought deliverance from his strings (Hebrews 2: 9,14,15).
Scripture: I John
2: 18
I John 5: 1-12
Ephesians 6: 10-13
Notes:
1. Underworld -
Webster's Dictionary: 1) The earth; 2) The place
of departed souls; Hades; 3) the lower, debased or criminal
portion of humanity.
2.
The Godfather, Mario Puzo, Signet Books,
Page290
3.
In the sequel, Godfather II, there are flash backs to
Vito Corleone's early years in America. In the scene
following his murder of Faucci, he returns to his family and
picks up the baby, Michael. It is an early indication
that Michael will be the chosen son.
4.
Expression from the book on how one becomes an initiated
member of the family.
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