The Godfather

 A few years ago I wrote a post about The Godfather Part II after seeing it on the big screen for its 45th anniversary.  I followed it up with posts on The Godfather Part III and Mario Puzo's The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone  which recut the story of Part III and in my opinion improved it drastically.  During the writing of those entries I had long planned to visit the original film.  

Spoilers from all three films below:

Two key moments that brought me to this film.  As a teenager in the 1980s I was at a friends' house and his parents at about 10:00pm on a Friday night were putting in a VHS tape of the first film, which was one of their favorites.  I saw the opening title with the trumpet score and noticed how excited they were and it struck me that I needed to get to this film one day.

In the summer of 1990 I went to see Ghost, which was released by Paramount, whose big Christmas release that year was The Godfather Part III.  The trailer for Godfather Part III aired before the film.  The trailer was about four minutes long and the first two minutes showed images from the first two films, mostly focused on Michael.  When the trailer began to show images from the new film older members of the audience had a strong reaction to the first shot of the aged Michael.  Clearly The Godfather had a strong effect on people.  I found myself humming the Nino Rota themes over the next few days until I finally rented the original.  

At seventeen I thought the film was a little slow for the first act but the characters were fascinating and the story even moreso.  I was really surprised that the story appeared to be about the magnetic Vito but really centered on Michael and his corruption.  For years I had heard about Al Pacino as an actor but I had only just seen him for the first time in Dick Tracy in which he played the (literally) colorful mobster Big Boy Caprice.  Pacino was one of the most interesting elements of a pretty uninvolving movie that I never had an urge to rewatch, though I like many of Warren Beatty's other films. 

The following day I watched The Godfather Part II and remember enjoying the early Vito stories much more than Michael's, which makes sense.  Vito's story was largely about a rise and as an audience it is fun to see Vito kill a nasty neighborhood gangster and hear a nasty landlord kiss up to him. Michael's story is about a painful fall.  The Corleone Family is still powerful but Michael has let himself become so consumed with vengeance that he has destroyed his relationships with everyone he loves, except perhaps Connie.  

Ever since then I have periodically revisited the series and each time I watch either of the first two films I find something new to appreciate and find myself thinking about whichever one I watched for days.  These films are full of people who do awful things but they remain captivating.  Vito and Michael are both very effective dons in their respective time due to their business acumen and street instincts but Vito has a sense of honor that neither Michael nor any of his brothers inherited that makes for an appealing contrast. 

If you are a fan of the movie I can recommend two books if you like to read.  The first is of course the original novel by Mario Puzo, which I read after seeing the first two films and could not put down.  I think the films give the story a greater sense of grandeur but some of the details of the novel (which only covers the first film and some of the young Vito scenes of the second) add necessary color (for example it explains how Vito was able to bring Michael back to the U.S. and not be wanted after gunning down a police captain).   The second is The Godfather Notebook by Francis Ford Coppola (the co-writer and director).  Coppola took the book apart page by page and made a lot of notes of how he wanted to adapt it.  It is a fascinating insight into Coppola's creative process.  Adapting a book is a tricky process as a screenwriter has to pick the moments that resonate most and make it enjoyable as a visual medium.  Coppola shares his raw thoughts on what to focus on and what the pitfalls would be if each of the major sequences did not work.

At the moment I am a little nervous for Coppola.  While Coppola has made many fine films outside The Godfather such as The Conversation, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Apocalypse Now, he has not had a hit film since the 1990s.  Coppola has sold his very successful Napa wineries to fund a $125 million  project called Megalopolis, which is a futuristic film based on the fall of ancient Rome.  He has attracted good actors such as Adam Driver, but it took time to find a U.S. distributor who is willing to spend the money to promote it.  I hope Coppola can at least draw even on this huge personal investment, though this is a story that he has been aching to tell for a long time.

Paramount bought the rights to The Godfather and wisely pursued Coppola, even though he had not directed a hit, because he was Italian.  Coppola obliged by pouring so much of his own family and culture into what turned into a trilogy that audiences were able to connect with it much more emotionally than if it were just a film about a don whose initial refusal to go into a drug deal sets off an ugly chain of events.  The family gatherings are big productions, based on how they would actually be in a wealthy Italian family.  There are always lots of children running around, though they are rarely the focus of the story.  Coppola's sister Talia Shire plays Connie, the don's daughter and his father Carmine composed some of the themes of all three films.  Notably these two are completely capable professionals and although Coppola is hiring family members they more than deliver the goods.

Coppola also built a crew that worked on all three films, thus extending his behind the scenes family.  Gordon Willis as cinematographer developed a dark look in the interior scenes, making excellent use of shadows.  In some of the exterior scenes particularly in Little Italy in Part II the streets look like a painting with sepia tones.   Dean Tavoularis was the production designer tasked with making the film look like it takes place in the 1940s and 50s in New York and Sicily.  Walter Murch edited the film, and while the pace is deliberate the film it consistently holds the audience's attention.

Coppola throughout all three films links the story of the Corleones into the American immigrant story.  The Corleones grow to have an immense amount of power and wealth but it comes at the costs of their souls, particularly Michael who is the true Godfather of the tale.  The opening line is by Amerigo Bonasera is "I believe in America.  America has made my fortune" before he tells the story of how his daughter was savagely beaten by two boys who she refused to have sex with. 

The opening scene is a statement for the Willis' work.  Willis holds on Amerigo and brings us into the dark room and world.  Amerigo (seemingly named for the country he believes in) has been wronged and is taking a dangerous path to avenge his daughter's honor by getting mixed up with the Corleones.  There is some foreshadowing as we learn that Bonasera is an undertaker and Vito mentions he may need to call in a favor.  

Vito is one of the most memorable characters in cinema history.  Even after three films throughout which Michael is the don for most of them when people say Don Corleone the first image that comes to mind is Vito.  In "The Godfather Notebook" Coppola mentions that in real life he would be referred to as "Don Vito" instead of "Don Corleone" though for the purposes of the story the use of the last name works since the Family is at the core and Don Corleone works as more of a title.  

Brando, whose casting was controversial, brings Vito to life with a higher pitched voice, a little padding to make him look heavier than he was at the time, carefully considered words, a strong sense of honor, empathy and occasional flashes of temper.  Vito is so charismatic on first viewing it is easy to pay less attention to the other characters when he is in a scene.

During the sequences where he has to take the Sicilian's requests Brando plays Vito as tolerant but also it is clear that he wants to get back to the Family and he is a little less patient with each request.  As he tells Johnny Fontaine, "A man who does not spend time with his family can never be considered a man."

One reason the audience sympathy stays with Vito is in this film we never see him commit violence.  We do not see Vito order anyone to remove the head of Wolz's prized horse.  We do see Vito subtly give the order to rough up the boys who attacked Bonasera's daughter but we never see it (although it does play out in the book).  Michael tells a story about Luca Brasi threatening violence on Vito's behalf but we only hear but do not feel this.  We do not see the victims of the Corleone Family's crimes (households broken by illegal gambling) or prostitutes being mistreated, only the sign that people respect him.  The plot gets kicked into motion because Vito initially refuses to engage in the utterly immoral drug trade.

Al Pacino brings Michael through the biggest steps of his overall journey in this film.  Michael starts out as deliberately distant from his family, appearing at the wedding in his Army uniform and sitting off to the side serving as a Greek chorus, explaining who everyone is to Kay, and the audience.  Michael is attending the wedding as a courtesy but wants to steer clear of the business.  Ironically the Don clearly admires Michael the most of his three kids and sees the most potential for him, perhaps because Michael is principled in ways Sonny and Fredo are not.

Pacino's voice got much deeper as he got older (probably from smoking) and now is known now for playing bombastic characters who usually speak quickly, often to comic effect.  But Pacino is compelling as Michael who almost never says anything impulsively and like his father carefully considers his words and actions.  His voice is quiet and his actions are more deliberate.  As Pacino is shorter than a lot of the other actors and he does not try to dominate the room it is easy to underestimate him.  One of the most notable moments is when he rationlizes the killing of Sollozzo and McClusky as "just business".  I believe that Michael has both convinced himself of that and that he is killing them for revenge.  Later in the film Michael seems to be following in his father's steps but as soon as his father has passed he immediately initiates plans to brutally kill all his major rivals.  

Robert Duvall is steady and dependable as Tom Hagen.  Hagen, the American born consiglieri is often the voice of reason as an influencer but never a decider in the story.  Hagen's most notable moments is in how he deals with Sonny Woltz, the producer who refuses to cast Vito's godson Johnny Fontaine in a film (and for good reason).  Woltz is largely rude to him but Hagen keeps his manners and poise while still making the request.  Although it comes from the book, it is daring that in Coppola's first big studio film (in which he was constantly under threat of being fired) he made a studio head behave as both a pig and a fool.  

There is footage of James Caan taking a screentest for Michael and it is clear that Caan is both a terrific actor and that he is completely wrong for Michael.  Caan plays him as confident and fast tasking which is perfect for Sonny.  Caan would have struggled to play a Michael who waits years to settle a score as does with Barzini, Tattaglia, Carlo and even Fredo.  Sonny as played by Caan is so wiry and filled with kinetic and aggressive energy he can barely contain himself.  Sonny's temper is his most notable quality and is his ultimate undoing but he is just as devoted to his family.  Sonny's goodbye to Michael is very painful and when he sees Connie is being abused by Carlo, his reaction is hurt as much as it is anger.  I love the way Caan instinctively bites his fist.  Sonny also has a massive ego and wants people to remember and fear him.  At the same time he has much less moral qualms than his father or brother.  Sonny tells his wife Francesca to watch the kids while moments later he goes off to have sex with his sister's maid of honor, Lucy Mancini (who had a much bigger role in the book).  Sonny's death is tragic but more for the pain it causes the Corleones rather than for us as an audience. 

Talia Shire is almost too pretty for Connie, who is described in the book to be average looking and having fallen for a man much more attractive than she.  Nonetheless, although she has limited screen time she is full emotion every time she appears, first full of lust for Carlo and excitement as to the life they started together, then full of pain and shame as her husband cheats on and abuses her.  Connie goes through a real transformation throughout the series, becoming more of a party girl after being widowed and then turning into a Lady MacBeth type character who commits a murder of her own.

John Cazale is sweet and a little pathetic as Fredo, the brother who is a little too simple in the Family, which is a change from the bigger Freddie in the book.  The scene in which he tries to play peacemaker between Michael and Moe Green captures his essence.  Moe Green humiliated him and Fredo apologizes for him, the way an abused child might make excuses for the violent parent.  Fredo gets a lot of hookers for Michael when he comes to Vegas because hookers make the insecure Fredo feel good, but Michael does not need that at all.   Fredo was probably mistreated in childhood by Sonny which lowered his self-esteem.  

During the wedding scene Vito refuses to allow Carlo in the Family business, which sets up resentment in Carlo who may have married Connie hoping to get a bigger role.  Carlo starts acting out which sets him up to be recruited by Barzini.  

One question came up during the end of the reception scene.  How many godchildren do Vito and Carmella have?  It seems to be an awful lot but they are devoted to each one of them.

Carmella (played by Morgana King) has little to do in the film, and is mostly offscreen.  We never see her react to Sonny's death and she just seems like a kind older lady, though she shows some old-fashioned values when she calls Sonny out of Carlo's dispute with Connie.  The book explains further why she and Vito never step in after it is clear Connie is being abused by Carlo.

During the meeting with Vito, Sonny, Hagen and Sollozzo, Vito treats Sollozzo cordially but firmly, though he recognizes trouble could be coming, and accepts it as the world they live in.  Coppola teases the audience expectations about Brasi and though we expect to see this killer at work the opposite happens and Sollozo easily has him murdered, which establishes both how dangerous Sollozzo is.  

In the assassination attempt it looks like Brando was not on set for some of the filming.  We see Vito notice the assassins coming and he drops the oranges but the shots of him running are only shown from the legs.  When Vito is shot we see it from above but it could easily be a double.  I wonder if Brando didn't show up for work for those shots and forced Coppola to shoot around his absence or if Coppola did not want the audience to see Vito looking scared while he flees the would be assassins

Fredo is often noted as weak because he was too frightened in the moment to protect his father.  Fredo  jumps right out of the car with the gun out ready to take on the killers but is not used to this type of violence and clumsily drops it.  If Fredo had spotted the killers ahead of time and done nothing out of fear that would be cowardly.  Nonetheless I wonder why Vito would walk around in an open market, knowing he has enemies, without any substantial protection.  Coppola does mislead us nicely in this scene.  Vito is shown leisurely in the market, greeting vendors, before the violence starts.  The killers shoot nine times at close range but later we are told he was only hit five times.

Although Vito survives and lives for another decade he never completely recovers from this attack, which occurs when he is in his mid fifties.  Vito's remaining scenes are all poignant as he is often weakened and no longer controlling a lot of the events around him, but he is as direct as ever.

Brando did not reprise Vito in The Godfather Part II, despite a scene clearly being written for him, but years later he played a character named Carmine Sabatini, who looks and acts exactly like Vito Corleone in The Freshman (and is explained as being the inspiration for Vito). Brando's approach to Sabatini is nearly identical but the scenes are more comic.  Brando may have more screentime in The Freshman than in The Godfather.  There is one moment in which Brando offers to help the lead character, Clark played by Matthew Broderick, with connections in Hollywood and Clark, clearly thinking of Sonny Wolz, declines.  Bruno Kirby, who costarred in The Godfather Part II, also costars here.

When Clemenza sets up the murder of Paulie, Paulie asks Rocco to stay away from him, since he is worried about a hit.  Clemenza keeps talking to set Paulie at ease, the murder is played coldly and Clemenza's cannollis line offers some levity, but was also set up by his wife's request.  Clemenza doesn't want to keep the cannollis because he's hungry, but because he is bringing them to his wife, which makes him a good husband if not so much a good man.

Nino Rota's score is morbid tone in the scenes in the hospital where Michael saves Vito, which is all the more suspenseful for us knowing someone is out there to get him but there is never a stereotypical moment where Michael and Vito are hiding behind a door with Sollozzo's killers on the other side.  As a character moment it is notable that Michael has strong instincts about the danger and what he needs to do.  In the book Puzo reminds us that Michael is a WWII veteran who fought in the Pacific theatre but when watching the film it is not front of mind.

Veteran actor Sterling Hayden (a big strong older actor by this point who played the unhinged Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove several years earlier) plays the corrupt cop Captain McCluskey.  He slugs Michael both to teach him a lesson but also because Michael called him out and when he does so Hayden shows him apparently slightly regretting it.  

Sonny has Bruno Tatagglia killed without informing Tom Hagen, who would have probably talked him out of it.  Sonny is all hot after the attack and knows the mob world better but Michael is willing to sit down with Sollozzo and McCluskey and kill them in cold blood.  Sonny is playing checkers and Michael is playing chess.  Sollozzo and McCluskey feel they can manipulate Michael because he is more even tempered but they would have been better off trying to work with Sonny.  Michael is not overwhelmed at all at the task ahead of him. 

The assassination scene is perfectly set up and when I first saw the film I expected something to go wrong and the surprise was that it did not.  At first it appears Sollozzo and McCluskey are taking Michael to a different location but it is just to shake any tails.  Michael's question keeps the audience involved but also fools Sollozzo that Michael has no idea where they are going.  Michael gives Sollozzo a look that briefly unnerves him and told me as an audience member that Michael is not backing down.  Clemenza had told Michael to come out of the bathroom shooting and there is some suspense when Michael instead sits down but we can see him thinking and prepping himself.  It turns out Michael is waiting for the train to cover the noise and when he stands up to commit the murders he does so with a soldier's discipline, but it comes at the cost of his soul.  Michael has now become a mobster and will be for the rest of his life.

From here the film moves forward in a montage.  Coppola shows us glimpses of Vito coming home and Vito is devastated when he learns that Michael killed Sollozzo as Michael represented the best chance of making the Corleone family legitimate.  

As the film moves to Sicily to show Michael in the care of Don Tomassino, the love theme is debuted on the strings as it was played by Anthony in Part III, as Michael is stunned by Apollonia's beauty.  When Apollonia's father becomes tense by seeing these men with guns take interest in his daughter Michael instinctively knows how to calm him down by presenting courting options supervised by the family, though he does not seem to give a single thought about Kay.  Simonetta Stefanelli does not have much to do as Apollonia but wins Michael and the audience with her delicate beauty.  Right after Michael's wedding Kay appears at the Corleone house which reminds the audience of her presence in the story and that we should not feel happy for this new married couple as someone has been left behind and hurt by Michael's actions.  It also serves to bring her back into the story later.

Coppola presents Connie much more sympathically than Puzo does in his book.  Connie in the film is a nice young woman who is trying to be a good wife but is embarrassed by her situation with her husband.  Puzo treated it as a nuisance and even included a scene explaining why the Don never did anything to help.  When Sonny goes after Carlo it is not a fight because Carlo never lifts a finger to defend himself because he knows Sonny could have him killed.  Carlo is bigger than Sonny and in one moment Carlo is holding on to a railing and Sonny cannot pull Carlo's hand off and so has to bite it.  It shows that Sonny is not actually tougher than Carlo, he just has more power.  The beating scene also tires Sonny out quite a bit which felt realistic.  The public nature of the beating probably seals Carlo's hatred of the Corleones and makes him a target for easy recruitment by Barzini.

The most disturbing scene in the film is Carlo and Connie's fight which is shot with a handheld camera and was done that way so Coppola could show the studio he knew how to shoot a violent scene.  It is  disturbing (though if you look closely when Carlo takes off his belt it is clear he is not connecting) and Coppola tastefully only suggests the worst of it by Carlo kicking down the bathroom when Connie has locked herself from the outside, but the sound design makes it clear.  

This of course sets up the murder of Sonny, reminiscent of the end of Bonnie and Clyder with the ambush with tommy guns.  Sonny again ignores Tom's warnings to his peril and pays for it with his life.  The killers are well dressed but faceless like when Don Corleone was shot and the scene is far more bloody.  Sonny had left in such a hurry that his bodyguards were far behind, again proving the cost of his impulsivity but Coppola lets the scene run longer as the bodyguards arrive far too late to help.  Coppola and Willis frame it so that we see Sonny's bullet riddled body in the open area and then the cars come in the back of the frame.

After this come a group of powerful scenes with Vito, who is now about as recovered as he will ever be.  Brando's characterization is so powerful that even though Vito has been largely offscreen for over an hour but he immediately dominates the scenes.  When Hagen tells Vito about Sonny's death Vito's immediate reaction (after crying) is to stop the bloodshed.  

The meeting of the Dons of the Five Families allows the audience to see Vito among others in his "business".  Vito controls the room respectfully but makes a clear threat in his own subtle way that an attack on Michael would destroy the peace that everyone wants.  Vito objects to the drugs but agrees reluctantly to allow the other dons to use his connections for them as a concession.  

In Sicily Michael's reaction to Sonny's death is restrained (he gradually plans his revenge) and Coppola has the good sense to show Tommassino not sure how to react.  Death affects everyone, not just the family members.  At the same time Appollonia is killed in a car bomb that is intended for Michael.  In the book Puzo has Michael wounded badly in the explosion himself but in the film he is thrown back but we do not see him recover.

Apollonia's death clears the way dramatically for Michael to return to the U.S. but it is not clear if he would have stayed in Sicily with Apollonia or if they would have gone back.  The film carries the sense that her life was in Sicily and her death was the cost of Michael hiding there.

Interestingly we never see Michael directly avenge Apollonia's death.  There was a scene filmed of Michael gunning down Fabrizio which was to be used later in the film but it was dropped.  In The Godfather Part II Coppola also filmed a few scenes of Michael's men tracking down Fabrizio and killing him with a car bomb that were also cut but I think Michael would have wanted Fabrizio to know he had been found.  As it stands though Apollonia is an unfortunate casualty of the war between the Families.

Puzo explains in the book that Michael is able to return to the U.S. only after a criminal confesses to the murder of McCluskey but in the film never does so.  Michael had to flee because of the seriousness of killing a police captain.  By the time Michael comes back it is not top of mind to the audience but it was something I wondered about after I finished watching the film.  

Michael's greeting of Kay after being back in the U.S. feels a little abrupt even though it is powerful to see him now dressed like a don.  I wonder what is driving Michael to pursue Kay since he had left her for so long (and waited a year to see her again after returning).  Perhaps Michael feels Kay would provide stability and give him children.  Michael definitely loved her before but he has changed so much it is curious, as it is that Kay reluctantly accepts his proposal.  Why does Michael say he loves her so much if he married someone else?  He never tells Kay about Apollonia but in Godfather Part III it is revealed that Kay knew about her.  There is a strong contrast to this courtship versus that of Apollonia even though Kay is much more developed as a character.  In the Sicily scene the romance plays out against a beautiful color filled backdrop and uses the Godfather love theme.  Michael's reunion with Kay is shot in a street in front of a school and the music is more subtle reflecting the time they have lost.  We do not see their wedding nor the birth of any of their children though the kids do figure more prominently in Part II and especially Part III.   

The transition meeting in which we see that Michael is now the don is carefully staged.  Vito is present but sits off to the side and defers to Michael, sending the message to the men in the room and the audience that this is a peaceful transition.  Michael markedly involves Carlo in the business here which  is his way of both keeping Carlo close to watch him and softening him for the kill.  Carlo is not seen mistreating Connie anymore.  Michael is direct and emotionless establishing the new tone for the Family.  This Don will not be loved as Vito was but he may be as effective.  The films never establish this but I would surmise the Corleone family develops far more wealth under the more educated Michael than Vito.

The Vegas scene sets up the Family move there.  Fredo looks like a pimp and has been subservient to Moe Greene, played by the late Alex Rocco.  Greene is clearly based on real life gangster Bugsy Siegel who developed Las Vegas with money from mob connections and was murdered by them.  In the scene Greene is established as having built Las Vegas (with Corleone money who now profits off the casinos) and Greene's prominence in the city gives him the confidence to belittle Fredo publicly and stand up to Michael.  

There's a lot going on in this scene.  Greene has only seen Michael as Vito's son and probably did not know him well since Michael was not involved in the Corleone business.  Greene is younger than Vito but older than Michael and since Michael is in Las Vegas expects Michael to defer to him.  Michael, who lacks Vito's human touch, does not care what Greene thinks of him and offers to buy Greene out as a power play.  Greene enters well over two hours into the film, which is late for a key character and yet he is one of the most remembered in part for his violent death (being shot in the eye).  Michael gets mad at Greene for disciplining Fredo but not out of concern for Fredo's well being (which is underscored by Michael quietly threatening Fredo-which is built upon in Part II), but principle, since Michael sees Greene as a Corleone Family employee.  Alex Rocco who had some real life experience in crime in the 1960s has a strong screen presence.

One other element in this scene is this is the first time Fredo is seeing his brother as the new don.  Michael tells Fredo to get rid of the prostitutes it makes clear that Michael, like his father, does not have a weakness for women.  After Michael reunites with Kay we never see him with any other woman romantically, even after she leaves him in Part II. 

Vito's last two scenes are with his son and grandson.  Vito discusses his regrets in a matter-of-fact tone but neglects to take responsibility that in choosing a life of crime he denied his family other opportunities.  Despite what I have read elsewhere I don't think Vito necessarily loves Michael more than his other children but believes he can rely on him.  Michael proves Vito right, to a point.  As soon as Vito dies Michael immediately puts a plan in action to take out all of Vito's rivals which goes against Michael's plan to make the Corleone Family legitimate.  Vito, perhaps not wanting to see the painful truth, underestimated Michael's ruthlessness.  

Coppola never shows us Michael's nor anyone else's reaction to Vito's death.  Michael spends the funeral studying Barzini's men.  There is an editing curisoity in that Tessio just appears in a frame with Barzini where he was not before.  I imagine this is a mistake but the effect is abrupt.

Each of the three Godfather films climaxes with a series of simultaneous murders.  Coppola's presentation of the one here is the most impactful as it is during the baptism of one of Connie and Carlo's children in which Michael will be the Godfather.  The church music and the priest speaking in Latin all add to the point that Michael is becoming the true Godfather while being baptized as one.

Coppola includes many memorable visuals in the sequence.  Clemenza puffs while going up the stairs, the aforementioned eye killing, another Don is trapped in a revolving door.  The most memorable for me is Carlo's strangling shown from a fixed shot outside the front of the car.  

The final scene is understated but powerful as Connie blames Michael for Carlo's death which sets up Kay's suspicions.  Diane Keaton, who throughout the series plays against her usual comedic type, has her strongest scene in the film as she unsuccessfully tries to force Michael to admit to his crimes.  Kay never yells at Michael, she is just direct with him and Michael's temper does not protect him so he lies to protect his marriage.  Michael does not want to admit what he has become to the person whose opinion he values the most. Coppola refuses to let us off the hook after giving a temporary relief as she almost immediately sees the men referring to Michael as Godfather while Nino Rota's The Godfather Waltz plays.  The final shot of the door closing on Kay hints that their marriage will not be a happy one since she will be shut off from a lot of what Michael does.  It is more stark than the ending Coppola wisely dropped in which Kay goes to church and lights candles to pray for Michael's soul (which was how the book ended). 

Flaws:

Did Sollozzo expect the Corleones to trust him after murdering Vito, especially with Sonny in charge?  The book offers an explanation but not a satisfying one.  

Why does Kay accept Michael back?  When he comes back he's been gone for so long that she seems to be past him.

The Godfather is a marvelous film on a canvas so vast that countless side stories could be told about secondary characters.  Coppola had many strong instincts in telling this personal story and each viewing offers new discoveries.  Nonetheless I like the scale of The Godfather Part II a little more but the first two films work beautifully as companion pieces with The Godfather: Coda serving as just that.  *****