After CLWeekly had a much deserved break over the holidays and sorting out personnel, I, Lisbeth Broderick, is proud to be a new addition, here, at Croston Lancs Weekly! What better way to start this new job and the new year with the Godfather of all movies: The Godfather.
"The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son." - imdb.com
Upon re-watching the The Godfather with a much more refined eye (I believe the last time I watched it was when I was a tiny one in school), I scrounged around the internet and read interviews from the director Francis Ford Coppola. He mentioned how he liked to be able to describe a movie with one word, and for The Godfather, it's 'succession'.
This word, somehow, hit a strong chord with me, as 'succession' is something to think about in light of today's current political climate. Although the mafia life isn't one for priests and nuns, Vito, still has ethical codes and mores he strictly follows, such as, not having dealings with drugs and having a reason to take on 'jobs' other than money. That even though the Corleone mafia murders, Vito and Michael are, relatively speaking, the protagonists. Vito has always wanted Michael to succeed in the family business because he was the one to deny it while his brothers Sonny and Frankie were not so reluctant. Michael's rebellion displayed an active and thoughtful decision. It showed Vito that Michael can think independently. Even though Michael was the war hero who wanted to be good it, albeit ironically, takes someone 'good', like Michael, with a strong sense of morals and clear vision to guide and succeed in the mafia.
And, in context of today's events, we can understand why we judge our elected officials under an ethical microscope. It is easy to be swayed, with malice or not, to do things that are not good. And, with movies, although fictional, like The Godfather, we can see that it takes a will of stone to maneuver through a life of crime. Maybe that's why Francis Ford Coppola's movie resonates with so many people; that even the good and well meaning can lose their humanity and be corrupted. And that's scary.
