The Godfather

             The Godfather was Nominated for 11 Oscars and won three.  Marlon Brando won best actor and that is not surprising.  He plays his character as a soft spoken but extremely serious man who stands by what he believes.  Despite the fact that he threatens to kill people and has in the past, we as the viewer still root for him and his family.  When the family is betrayed or being attacked you can't wait for them to exact their revenge.  It is as if some attacked your own family.  They kill and murder and beat up, but they always have a reason to and you always stand by them even though it is all illegal.  This was Francis Ford Coppola's first successful film.  You can clearly see his grandiose style apparent in this movie.  I believe the most obvious of these examples is when Michael Corleone is at the baptism and is denying satin as his men go out and kill rival gang members.  The movie is long but the time is used well and the movie never feels rushed. 
            This article explain how in an interview Al Pacino explains that Coppola did not want him for the film.  Coppola wanted to fire Pacino but Marlon Brando kept him on.  Pacino said that Brando was good to him and sensitive.  I think that this relates the character of Don Vito Corleone, to Marlon Brando.  Don Vito Corleone valued friendship and loyalty.  Brando displayed this in keeping Al Pacino in the movie.  I have heard that Marlon Brando is a difficult person but it is good to see that he cared for Pacino and his career.  Maybe Don Vito Corleone had a little bit of an impact on Marlon Brando.       
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1336468/Al-Pacino-reveals-Marlon-Brando-kept-The-Godfather-Francis-Ford-Coppola-wanted-sack-him.html
            I really enjoyed the Godfather.  I really like gangster movies because they plots are always about respect and how to keep it.  I feel that nowadays there is little respect around and that these movies show the one good thing that Italian American gangsters did.  This film encompasses just about everything that the gangs had to deal with: drugs, money, politics, and each other.  The cinematography, acting and plot filled the length of the movie perfectly.  This was clearly Coppola's first big hit, and he had more to come.  I think his style is clear, the content is real.  All of the scenes whith eating prove that this film had an aspect of realness.  I also felt that the lighting was more real.  There was light coming in from windows and also natural light.  The Boondock Saints movies remind me of the godfather.  There is killing and breaking the law but you still like the people doing it.  As long as they are not hurting you, you will like the Corleone family.       




CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) (x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.   

Casablanca

             Casablanca is ranked #3 on AFI top 100 movies.  This is no surprise after watching the film.  The movie made the top three, but Humphry Bogart, the lead actor, is ranked number one.  As we discussed in class the movie has a perfect balance of comedy, romance, and drama.  Humphry Bogart plays all of those perfectly.  Ingred Bergman is ranked #3 by AFI, between Bogart and Bergman the film didn't need much more.  When you first meet the two characters they are frustrated with the fact that they are meeting each other again.  There is a flashback and their chemistry is completely different.  Their mood was much brighter and their acting abilities were clearly displayed between the present and the flashbacks.
             This article was published on November 27th, 1942.  The cast is described as a "top-notch thriller cast" and that the film was " capped...magnificently with Ingred Bergman.  The author could not say enough positive things about the film, it's characters, and it's story.  The article goes on to describe how the "tough" rick still feel s for his love that he met in Paris that has now come back into his life.  After seeing her his "irresistible feeling consumes him in a choking, maddening wave."  The author compliments all of the actors but especially Humphry Bogart and Ingred Bergman.  This relates back to what we talked about in class with their acting ability.  Humphry Bogart was nominated for best actor and Claude Rains was nominated for best supporting actor.  Clearly the actors were, and always will be know as incredible actors and actresses.  All of the plot lines were also discussed in the article, such as, humor, drama, and romance.  My view is only solidified that this film is a wonderful classic.      
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/casablanca-re.html
            This film has a classic plot of wartime romance and the perfect cast.  Everything I hear about the movie is always positive.  Weather it is about the cast, the plot, or the script, people can always find something to love about Casablanca.  Because love and war will always be around and always have been, this movie will still be watched for many more decades.  Even though the film did not do anything crazy like sweep the Oscars, it does not matter because it is and was recognized then as something special.   



CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) ( x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.