Week 4 Actors in Godfather II

The three actors I will discuss here are  Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Diane Keaton.  According to our textbook” Actors portray the characters who live out the story presented for the viewer through the plot. The actor brings a written character to life”(Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs 2014).

Robert De Niro who plays the young Vito Corleone portrays this character very well. As he is of Italian descent he spoke the language with ease and in a believable manner. In the film the “Godfather II ” it could be classified as using realism. De Niro is a method actor which means the actor must use his own experiences to bring about the life of the character he is playing. De Niro has the ability to bring a dark emotional side  to Vito Corleone. (Dougan, Andy (2003).

Al Pacino who played Michael Corleone in the” Godfather Trilogy”. Many actors have studied Stanislavsky innovative technique for actors, emphasizing emotional truth and inner motivation and known today as the Stanislavsky Method, revolutionized modern acting. This method has taught actors several techniques that have improved their style. Actor, Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors of all time. He studied at The Actors Studio, in New York and it has been the main source and inspiration for a naturalistic acting technique known in America as the Method (imbd).

Diane Keaton who plays Kay Corleone , Michael’s wife she plays the part in a very believable way she is very trusting and believes Michael when he tells her that he will never be a part of his families business. But as the years go by she see Michael change and become cold and ruthless and she commits the worst of all sins to a Catholic she has an abortion. Keaton uses the rehearsing of a scene over and over until it becomes second nature she commits most of her lines to memory.

 

Dougan, Andy (2003). Untouchable: a biography of Robert De Niro. Da Capo Press. p. 145. ISBN 1-56025-469-6.

 

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000199/bio Al Pacino

 

Week 3

According to our textbook ,” All the things we are looking at in the scene have been carefully chosen and placed there by the filmmakers to help tell the story to the audience in ways that do not require dialogue to explain anything. What we see is called the mise en scène, a French term borrowed from the theater referring to what is “placed in the scene” (Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, 2014).

The music used in the” Godfather II” especially the baptism murder scene is gothic in nature and lends to the solemn occasion of the baptism but as the murders begin the music gets louder along with the gunshots, Michael in the scene is seen transfixed and appears detached from the baptism as if he is in some ways dealing with an inner struggle against good and evil. The darkness inside the church could be used to symbolize that Michael has descended into the depths of organized crime.

The choice of the cast for this movie were very good ones and each played their role with very believable skill.

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing. (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education

Movieclips. (2011, Nov. 22). The baptism murders – The Godfather (8/9) movie clip (1972) HD

Week 2 Godfather II

Week 2 Blog

The lighting in “Godfather II is very dark with many scenes with muted shadows. The lighting is low-key perhaps this was done to make the symbolism that these people lived in shadows and had many deep and dark secrets. In the beginning of the movie the scene is dark with only light on a man who is talking to someone we can’t see he is telling of an incident that happened to his daughter, even with the light on him you are given the impression that this trouble has effected him with lack of sleep and worry are shown in the shadows and dark areas around his eyes.  Don Vito is usually filmed in a darken setting with very little light again to show his deep dark secrets and the nature of his life as the head of one of the families of organized crine

Week 1 Godfather II

THE GODFATHER PART II
Release Date: 12 Dec 1974
Duration (in mins): 200

Cast:

Al Pacino (Michael Corleone)
Robert Duvall (Tom Hagen)
Diane Keaton (Kay)
Robert De Niro (Vito Corleone)
John Cazale (Fredo Corleone)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writer:

Francis Ford Coppola
Mario Puzo

Producer:

Francis Ford Coppola

Distribution
Company:

Paramount Pictures

Production
Company:

Paramount Pictures

The story is about the youngest son of a mafia family becoming Godfather after the death of his father. The story tells how in the beginning he is naïve to the drama of the family business and how he slowly changes and becomes jaded by the power  of being Godfather.

The Plot of “The Godfather II  tells the story of Michael Corleone the youngest son of the Corleone family. The Corleone family is one of the major mafia families, after the death of his older brother Sonny and his father Vito, Michael takes over the title and power of Godfather. Michael father never wanted Michael involved in the family but after the shooting of Vito and being beaten by crooked cops Michael takes an active role in the family. This movie shows the progressive changes in Michael as he is over taken by the power of being Godfather.

This movie uses non- linear aspects with flashbacks to Vito as a young boy in Sicily and growing up in New York City. This allowed for a better understanding of how the Corleone family began and evolved

Movieclips. (2011, Nov. 22). The baptism murders – The Godfather (8/9) movie clip (1972) HD [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CDlBLvc3YE

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title.