Tom initially thought the traitor would be Clemenza, but Michael was not surprised, since Tessio was always the smarter one. Edit, Remember that Barzini is a very shrewd and crafty don; he's able to turn Carlo against the family he married into and betray Sonny. Boghani, A.. McKeever, Christine ed. Barzini decided to interfere because his family was stronger than Tattaglia's and they decided to side with Tattaglia by having Sonny whacked. When Kay leaves the room to fix some tea, three of Michael's capos enter. Vito considered such a product to be much more dangerous than alcohol, gambling and prostitution, the mainstays of business conducted amongst the Five Families. Fictional character from The Godfather series, "10 Real-Life Inspirations For Characters In The Godfather", The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emilio_Barzini&oldid=1145332207, Characters in American novels of the 20th century, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 March 2023, at 15:43. However, when the Don is unceremoniously gunned down in the street by drug dealer Virgil "the Turk" Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) after Vito refuses to back him in his fledgling heroin operation, Michael is drawn into the family business. Why was Fredo not shot along with Don Corleone? Who does Clemenza kill? Michael steps out. While this savage blow established Michael's reputation, it took another year before he firmly re-established the Corleone family as one of the most powerful Mafia families in the nation until their disbandment at the hand of DeVazzi family, when Carmine DeVazzi personally killed Michael. The Corleone photographer taking the wedding photos himself might even have been an FBI plant, though it's unlikely since the Don would have him screened extensively to make sure he wasn't. Then, when he comes out of the Olive Oil offices, the Don stops to buy some fruit and, for a moment, he is just a kindly patriarch bringing home fruit for his family. Shortly afterward, Barzini got word that Michael was hiding in his father's hometown of Corleone, Sicily. Carlo is a cowardly thug who knows that he is not valued by Don Corleone, but he cannot take his frustrations out on Vito, Sonny, or any of the other high-ranking members of the Family, so he does the next best thing - he is abusive toward Connie. This plan was kept secret from all except three rising stars in the family, whom Michael had selected as future capos Rocco Lampone, Aldo Trapani and Al Neri. So he asked Luca to pretend to be unhappy with the Corleone family and go to the Tattaglias to find out what he could about their deal with Sollozzo. ][After Michael returns from the bathroom]Sollozzo: Everything all right? So Luca had to die. Also, Lucy's apartment was likely in a neighborhood of New York that lay within the Corleone territory, providing further protection. Clemenza understood what was to come for the Corleones for what Michael was about to do. Ultimately, Tessio began plotting against Michael. Sonny's death sent shock waves through the underworld. The war between the Five Families had been over for a few years and peace had generally been reigning for about that long & Tom might have tried to convince Michael not to commit any more violence. Michael is unimpressed and asks Fredo to get rid of the band and the women immediately. This is slightly alluded to in the film. When the big meeting takes place between Michael, Clemenza, Tessio, Tom and Carlo where Michael 1st announces his desire to move the Corleone family to a legitimate business status, he talks about "negotiations being made that are going to answer all of your questions and solve all of your problems" in answer to Tessio's and Clemenza's frustration over Barzini moving in on their respective territories in New York. 10 Women Who Gave Creepy Guys A Chance, Describe Their Experiences, A Few Videos Guaranteed To Make You Feel Better About Life. The song "The Godfather" can be found on the The Director's Cut album. He was likely transported to the hospital very quickly -- depending on how far away the nearest hospital to his office was -- and probably rushed to surgery very quickly after being triaged in the emergency room. Moe Greene is shot through the eye in a massage parlor. But, its alright. On his father's advice to "keep your friends close and your enemies closer", Michael made Carlo think he was going to be named the new underboss once the family moved it's interests to Nevada, in a ploy to make him vulnerable. Being older than Michael, wouldn't he be next in line after Sonny rather than the youngest and arguably the most reluctant of the brothers? Chapter 8: Michael goes to the Hospital - Chapter 10: How's the Italian Food in this Restaurant? The Corleone family set up two apartments in the city for their button men. In the first scene of them after their wedding day, Apollonia is driving Michael's car around with her new husband nervously directing her from the passenger seat. In a fortress-like bank building on New York's Wall Street, we see Emilio Barzini over Don Corleone's shoulder. After hearing about this, the Tattaglias and Corleones began a mob war. The Godfather himself may have been based on Carlo Gambino, one of the most ruthless, brilliant and long lived bosses in the history of the Mafia in the U.S. In the novel, it is only Emilio Barzini and Philip Tattaglia that are assassinated. So Sonny kept himself well-protected. The beating that Sonny gives to Carlo earlier on was very public -- it took place on the street, right in front of the bookie's office that Carlo managed for the Don. Why Do People Stay In Abusive Relationships? It was Tessio who played a major part in the Olive Oil War, personally executing enemy Don Giuseppe Mariposa. Dissolve to a wide shot of Michael and Kay walking along a quiet New England street, with Michael's limo following close behind them. However, the whole task was partially a ruse designed to throw Paulie off so they could take him to a remote location and kill him. Edit, For the rehearsals, the horse's head was fake. He tells Moe Greene that the Corelone Family will be buying him out of the casino. In the film, while we now know for certain that Paulie did in fact betray the family, in the original cut of the film, Sonny gives the order to eliminate Paulie without any hesitation or concrete evidence. However interested he may be in restoring the peace, Vito is hardly a pushover, so it is somewhat puzzling to Tom Hagen (and the audience) why Vito would be so quick to roll over and promise to not seek vengeance in the murder of his eldest son. Sonny, who was absolutely enraged at Carlo's brazen defiance, made a big mistake in racing out of the compound without waiting for his body guards. Trapani carries out Tessio's hit contracts on Tattaglia family key members and the two men become good friends. Michael also had no interest in being a part of it either. All the other men around the table burst into applause. Kay (Diane Keaton) asks Michael if it's true, but he denies it. He was present at Vito Corleone's surprise birthday party in 1941, having supplied the cake. Vito figures he would only be taking offense so strongly if he were the man behind the operation. Barzini bookmakers were put out of business and two of the highest-ranking Barzini enforcers were shot to death in an Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street. A notorious fixer of trotting races was also killed as he returned home from a winning night at the track. That night, after the meeting, Tom Hagen and Don Corleone sit in the backseat of the Don's limo. The violence he has wrought will touch every aspect of his life - the tentacles of revenge will reach him wherever he goes. Stracci, too, was old-fashioned and never dealt in prostitution, but because his business was on the waterfront it was impossible for him not to be involved in the drug-smuggling traffic. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Sonny was angered at the fact that someone would try and violate his family's privacy, especially at his sister's wedding. Tessio gives instructions to Aldo Trapani. Edit, In the canon of The Godfather, there are five organizations, or "Families," in the New York area (Vito) Corleone, (Emilio) Barzini, (Philip) Tattaglia, (Anthony) Stracci, and (Carmine) Cuneo. Sollozzo likely already knew -- at the time he placed the phone call -- that the Don had been admitted and was at least in surgery or may have come out of the O.R. However, one of Michael's trusted bodyguards betrays him and places a bomb in a car that explodes and kills Apollonia causing Michael to close off his emotions from his business. We are unable to answer questions regarding film unless otherwise noted in the text. In the novel, the scene is much different. Lucy Mancini, who it turns out has a congenitally loose vagina, is able to deal with the size of Sonny's penis and thus they start an affair. They decided to pursue a "rope-a-dope" strategy, deliberately allowing Barzini to chip away at the Corleone interests, hoping he would be lulled or lured into a false sense of security. He then drove fast and far enough ahead of the men Tom sent after him that it cost him his life at the toll plaza.In the end, Michael gets Carlo to admit he only started the fight with Connie to lure Sonny away from his protection. Apollonia skips away, and the Don tells Michael that for his safety, he must move to a villa near Siracusa. By these, they figure out that Paulie was the traitor. Later, . What commendations -- medals -- was he awarded? Michael has been planning for some time to eliminate Barzini and the other Dons, and deliberately allowed Barzini to weaken his family in order to lull him into complacency. Shortly after, Michael married a Sicilian girl, Apollonia Vitelli, much to Fabrizio's jealousy. Connie calls Sonny, who races out to help her-and is ambushed along the way by rival thugs who kill him. Don Corleone reveals that at the meeting, he realized that Barzini, not Tattaglia, is responsible for Sonny's murder. | The Question and Answer section for The Godfather is a great Hungary and Poland invaded Czechoslovakia in October 1938. Making him 58 at the start of the movie. In the book, Stracci sided against the Corleones, but apparently without physical opposition, while Cuneo had public persona to maintain, so any publicity related to the Five Families War would have been damaging. In this case Michael still needed to extract information from Carlo. Chamberlain felt that Hitler's territorial ambitions could be contained with minor concessions and, after Munich, declared that they had achieved "peace in our time". He was intelligent and always one step ahead of his enemies, whilst rewarding those who did him service. For a brief, fleeting moment, Michael and Apollonia are simply a pair of newlyweds enjoying each other's company. Gender Tessio thought more of Vito's younger son Michael than Clemenza or Tom Hagen did, but never believed he was powerful enough to keep the family going after he was named his father's heir. The plan begins on the day Michael's nephew and godson is baptized. The situation degenerated into a deadly guerrilla war that both sides found themselves losing a great deal of revenue and lives to no purpose. Don't look nobody directly in the eye, hut don't look away either. Why the 3 hour holding of Tom? As Don Corleone says, "Times have changed - it's not like the old days where we can do anything we want". Additionally, this section offers more parallels between Michael and his father. He was one of the few Dons who had never been arrested and whose true activities had never even been suspected. While Michael hides out in Sicily, a doctor named Taza says he can have surgery to fix it but Michael is reluctant because the man doesn't have a good reputation for his work.Michael eventually has his face fixed when he returns to the United States and the surgery works well to restore his looks. His death was attributed to the Barzini family, since Staten Island was their territory, which explained the death of Don Barzini at the same time. All family bookmakers were given bodyguard teams. Sonny has just been brutally murdered, and the war has gone on long enough, with heavy losses on both sides, both in resources and personnel. We will stop fighting until your father is well and can resume bargaining. When they shot the scene, however, the head was indeed a real horse's head Coppola got at a dog food factory. The killer indentifies Fabrizio by an elaborate tattoo he had on his chest. Local Negro free-lancers were allowed to take over the operation in Harlem, the richest territory, and they operated in such scattered fashion that the police found it hard to pin them down plus these were racist times. How did Michael know about Carlo and Sonny? Though Vito dies before the massacre takes place, he was alive long enough to help Michael plan it. Don Tommasino's car pulls in and the couple greets him heartily. Clemenza enters into frame and asks for Don Corleone's permission for himself and Tessio to form their own Family. Think of Tom as the US President's chief of staff in that regard; a person who acts as both an ambassador to and organizer of the President's top advisers. It's not explained in the film but they likely, out of respect for his years of loyal service (The Godfather Part II (1974) reveals that he has been working with Vito and Clemenza since the late 1910s or early 1920s) to the family and Vito, took him somewhere they could kill him quietly and dispose of his body in a non-messy fashion. The rival families struck in an unexpected direction. However, Paulie (John Martino) calls out sick on that day, forcing the semi-incompetent Fredo to drive Vito and knowing that Fredo is incapable of defending Vito during the hit. A bomb exploded in the Corleone family mall as well in Long Beach, thrown from a car that pulled up to the chain. Ever". One aspect of the novel is that Vito and the rest of the family disapproved of Connie getting married to Carlo because they correctly sensed that Carlo is a cowardly thug and bully who targets and abuses weaker people, and probably abuses his own authority over family business. Thus, to "go to the mattresses" is to begin a war with the other Families. One tube shot a blast of compressed air to shatter the lens -- likely made of sugar glass, which is significantly weaker than real glass -- and the 2nd tube sprayed fake blood on actor Alex Rocca's face. When meeting with Bruno Tattaglia and Sollozzo, Sollozo offers Luca $50,000 to come and work for him instead. Edit, Michael had achieved the rank of captain, indicated by the silver bars on the shoulders of his uniform.According to Wikipedia, Michael was awarded the following medals:Navy CrossSilver Star (later upgraded to the Navy Cross)Navy and Marine Corps MedalPurple HeartEuropean Campaign MedalAsia Campaign MedalWorld War II Victory Medal The man shot by Clemenza in an elevator is Victor Stracci, head of the Stracci family. Michael wonders why, and Don Tommasino shares the news of Sonny's death. Actually, in the novel, Michael did only hit Barzini and Tattaglia. During the meeting, Sonny, the family underboss, expresses interest in the deal, but Vito refuses the offer as he finds narcotics too much of a "dirty business". Fredo was not a major member of the Corleone Family and would never take on a position of power, so Sollozzo decides to have his men kill Vito and kill Fredo only if he poses a real threat to them, as killing Fredo would only cause additional bad blood and make Sonny even less likely to agree to a truce and commit further violent actions against the Tattaglias. However, the subtext of Corleone's statement reveals his hidden ruthlessness. Vito smiles and responds, "We have a lot of time to talk about it now", showing that this is what he had always hoped Michael would do. This could have been meant as a foreshadowing of Sonny's reign as Don; it shows that he'd rather just act on impulse and have a member of his crew killed without any concrete evidence that he did betray them. In this section, Michael starts to come into his own as the rising Don of the family, indicating the kind of leader he will prove to be. Immediately, the Corleone family began to experience difficulties, not only because they were outnumbered, but because their assets were out in the open (loan sharks and bookmakers). | Their affair, however, is purely sexual: Lucy doesn't love Sonny and barely knows him outside of their affair, and Sonny is purely in love with only his wife. Right before Don Corleone is shot, he sends Fredo out to get his car because Paulie Gatto has called in sick. He reveals that he has been back for over a year. The Godfather (1972) - Al Pacino as Michael Corleone - IMDb Don Corleone, though, was able to see through the niceties and handshakes in order to discover the identity of Sonny's killer - Barzini - a piece of information that he will use strategically. Given how many shots were pumped into Sonny with Thompson machine guns, it must have been an incredibly difficult process for Bonasera, which is why the Don says, "I want you to use all your powers and all your skills" Also, such a job probably would have cost the Don tens of thousands of dollars, even at that time, and Bonasera's "favor" must have also included waiving his fee or at least reducing it greatly. Why did Sollozzo and Bruno kill Luca Brasi? The Don had convinced Michael that Tom wasn't up to the task of being consigliere anymore, especially when the tide was going to turn toward further acts of violence. Puzo also wrote the screenplay for the movie. 1890s Sicily Fredo was aware that Hyman was angry with Michael's aggressiveness in Las Vegas, and he simply allowed Hyman to attempt to kill Michael so that he could hopefully claim the title of Don Corleone. Nobody ever considered Fredo to be the next leader. This is why the FBI regularly stalked Mafia members at public events, which were considered "civilian" family events by the families, and off-limits for business and crime dealings, which would have added to Sonny's frustration at their privacy being invaded. Corleone pledges that he will not violate the peace, even to attempt a vendetta for Sonny's death. Similar to the Carlo situation, it's just too convenient that Paulie was out sick on the day of the hit; therefore, they got rid of him. Confessions of a Man Who Has Never Had Sex With His Wife. When it became known that McCluskey had been killed while in the company of a notorious heroin pusher and that he was suspected of involvement in an attempt on the life of Don Corleone, the police desire for vengeance faded and some semblance of social order was restored. Michael wonders why, and Don Tommasino shares the news of Sonny's death. These instances are representative of the fact that no matter how hard Michael tries to make the family legitimate, no matter how much Don Vito tries to keep talk of business off the dinner table, the world they are engaged in is a brutal one. Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the aging Don (head) of a New York Mafia family, has three sons: passionate hothead Santino "Sonny" (), weak and ineffectual Fredo (John Cazale), and youngest Michael (), as well as daughter Connie (Talia Shire), and adopted son (and attorney) Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall).Don Vito has always envisioned a "legitimate" career for his youngest son, Ivy Leaguer and . we see Emilio Barzini over Don Corleone's shoulder. During what years does 'The Godfather' take place? Why Did Hyman Roth Want to Kill Michael in 'The Godfather: Part II'? First of all, he presents his desire for legitimacy in the reunion scene between him and Kay. So Clemenza is comparing the Corleone's position to that of Britain in 1938. I respect myself, understand, and cannot allow another man to hold me back. It was 1972, so we can rule out CGI. Shortly thereafter, Barzini is assassinated along with the other conspirators. Virgil Sollozzo, a big-time drug dealer, wanted the Corleones on his side because of their numerous connections with politicians and judges. This is why Barzini makes sure to personally destroy the negatives of any photos taken of him and his associates, which might have been passed on to law enforcement. In turn, this let him become a much more calculated and ruthless Don. Tessio understood immediately that it was merely to prevent the two from plotting against their boss and complied. But to their surprise the recovering Don Vito called a hasty peace at a sitdown, and the war was seen to be over. Tessio was visibly upset, saying that it threw off his "arrangements". In the novel, the description of Carlo's execution is more graphic, noting that his bowels and bladder let loose and he soiled himself in the process. Edit, While Michael is attending the baptism of his godchild, Carlo and Connie's new son, each of the Dons of the other leading Families in New York plus Moe Greene (Alex Rocco) in Las Vegas are murdered by Corleone assassins. However, Michael strips away any ritual chitchat, sends away the band and the food, and immediately gets down to business - he makes no effort to hide his claws. The Don had relied on him more than any other man with the exception of Luca Brasi. Featuring. Because of this, his son Aldo swears to one day take revenge on the Don. Edit, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the aging Don (head) of a New York Mafia family, has three sons: passionate hothead Santino "Sonny" (James Caan), weak and ineffectual Fredo (John Cazale), and youngest Michael (Al Pacino), as well as daughter Connie (Talia Shire), and adopted son (and attorney) Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall). Michael tells Kay that he wants to make the family business legitimate and asks her to marry him. In hopes of holding on to what he still had, Tessio made a deal with Barzini, in which he agreed to set up a peace summit on Tessio's turf in Brooklyn, at which Michael was to be assassinated. Fabrizio, who had been hiding out in Buffalo, was blown up by a car bomb planted by the Corleones. Tattaglia family pimps were shot to death in Harlem, dock goons were massacred. Part of that meant cleaning out the old guard, so that he could negotiate with other up-and-coming mafia leaders who would be more open to establishing peaceful and profitable terms with the Corleones, rather than simply trying to muscle them out, as the older, more experienced dons would have likely tried to do. He looks straight at Moe Greene and tells him that he is going to buy him out, which of course sends Greene into a frenzy. Best not to be present at a cop killing. From there, he managed his soldiers and was very well-connected throughout the borough. The book was later developed into a trilogy of films, including The Godfather Part II (1974) (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990) (1990). Cuneo was one of those men who loved children and carried a pocket full of sweets in the hopes of being able to pleasure one of his many grandchildren or the small offspring of his associates. What is the piano composition played during the "mattresses" montage? It is possible that Carlo may have somehow phoned the Barzini people to inform them that Sonny is on his way to the city, thus giving them the opportunity to ambush and kill him at the toll booth on the Causeway. He was a ruthless killer in his youth, though as he mellowed over the years he was known for his warm character. Five Families War | The Godfather Wiki | Fandom At this conference, the western powers, led by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, agreed to allow Hitler to annex the Sudetenland in exchange for his promise to leave the rest of Czechoslovakia alone. Why Did Michael Assassinate All the Heads of the Families In The He was also pretty wasted at the wedding. The viewer feels like a part of this meeting, with Don Corleone teaching us how to navigate this world. The song is not on the soundtrack album but was on the LP "The Godfather Wedding Album" which is out of print and not available on CD. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Part of Tom's job as consigliere is not only to advise the Don on strategy and business dealings but also to protect the don, especially during times of inter-family war. What is he talking about? Tessio thought more of Vito's younger son Michael than Clemenza orTom Hagendid, but never believed he was powerful enough to keep the family going after he was named his father's heir. I'm sorry, this is a short-answer literature forum designed for text specific questions. You gotta stop em at the beginning. A little later, Michael is informed of the sequence of events that took place on the day of Sonny's murder by Vito, Tom, Connie and others which as follows:A mystery woman phones Connie and Carlo at his home. Vito is a very traditional man and had no intention of intruding in his daughter's marriage, even if it meant that Carlo (Gianni Russo) was abusive and unfaithful. what Connie claimed: which was that Michael killed Carlo. When Connie further objects, the Don says "Not even the King of Italy would interfere in a marriage." Carlo admitted that it was Barzini who approached him to probably use Sonny's rage against himself. Like Don Cuneo and Don Stracci? So the other families felt they needed to separate themselves from the Corleones, and that included Stracci and Cuneo. There was no longer any option and acting Don Sonny Corleone told his caporegimes to go to the mattresses. Edit, Vito, as the Don of the Corleone family, was against allowing his people dealing narcotics. Connie may have also been angry with Michael for leaving her child without a father. In reality, Michael had fled to Sicily, while the police and rival families assumed he was hiding in the Corleone mall or compound. Mr. Coppola is playing the song live in the scene. Why was Fabrizio's death relegated to a deleted scene? As for his infidelity with Lucy Mancini, there's an explanation for that in the book as well. Probably all the other families will line up against us. When Michael left the restaurant after killing Sollozzo, the car in which they arrived was parked outside. Michael reveals that he is working for his father, whom he believes is like any other powerful man. He decides to bluff to get the frightened and cowardly Carlo to admit to his role in Sonny's assassination. However, Hitler in March 1939 violated his promise and occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia, while Hungary and Poland received more Czech territory. Edit, His cheek was shattered when McCluskey punched him in the face outside the hospital. Another explanation comes from the novel: during a gang war, both sides would make use of vacated apartments owned by the crime family in question at key strategic points in the city. The Police Department refused to confirm or deny these stories, but they were taking effect. In the book, the Corleones have a contact at the phone company that gives them a log of calls by Paulie and Clemenza (Richard S. Castellano), who was also a suspect. However, Michael is now one of those "young people" who have no respect for anything. When Fanucci was murdered, both Tessio and Clemenza realized that Vito had killed him, but never mentioned it. Hagen says he can't come along either, while Cicci and several of Clemenza's men surround Tessio. At Don Corleone's funeral, Barzini has his mole in the Corleone family, caporegime Salvatore Tessio, approach Vito's successor, Michael Corleone, with a request for a meeting, intending to assassinate him and break up the family. Sicilian and Italian tradition dictates that NO ONE, no matter how powerful or influential, will interfere in an Italian/Sicilian marriage. In Clemenza's opinion it is better to deal with Sollozzo now, rather than try to appease him and have to deal with him in the future when he's much more powerful. Also, in terms of the film, it could be said that not everyone gets their comeuppance. I see no evidence of this phrase in the novel, The Godfather. Fabrizio | The Godfather Wiki | Fandom I want all inquiries made. He comes into her idyllic New England world, where she is surrounded by orange leaves and laughing children, to draw her back into his universe. All this cost the Corleone family a great deal of money and very little was coming in. Edit, For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie.