There are several movies that exemplify masculinity and family. One of the greatest masterpieces is the movie the Godfather with Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, and many more. People have taken this movie and taken it apart, examined every motion, and words said, looking for deeper hidden meaning.
I will typically watch this movie once or twice a year, and recently saw it through the eyes of a masculine man. The notes of masculinity, and how men behave in families was surprising. I’ve never picked up the queues of the Corleone family in quite this way before. It just screamed “examine this closer” so here we are.
Let’s see how the Godfather displays masculinity, by looking at different scene in the film.
The Wedding
Let’s first start with the first scene. The first scene is that Connie and Carlo Rizzi‘s wedding. Connie is the daughter of the powerful Don Vitto Corleone Crime family. This wedding goes all out. They’re singing dancing a band generations upon generations, enjoying the festive celebration of Don Corleone‘s daughter getting married.
The undertaker
However, we don’t start with the actual wedding itself. We start with Bonasera The undertaker talking to Don Corleone about the injustice, his daughter, and himself have faced. He talks about the horrible acts that were forced upon his daughter, and he didn’t come to the Godfather right away.
This was questioned, and Bonasera expresses that he didn’t want to get into trouble. And the Godfather properly guesses that he didn’t wanna be owing the Godfather a favor. But going on the honesty and honor of men, the Godfather would provide justice for Bonasera’s daughter, and the Dawn got a favor that he will call him later on.
Masculinity is structure
One of the big things you see throughout the Godfather is how structure blaze an important part in men’s world. Do you have the head of the household? You have the important matriarch? Sunny is the second in command Tom Hagan is the Consiglieri. Fredo is just kind of there. The other men are sprinkled throughout there.
We have the beginning of the show though Michael is important.The other men are sprinkled throughout there and have the beginning of the show though Michael is important. He is considered a civilian, He is considered a civilian. However, by the end of the show, Michael is the Don and the head of the crime family
Showing Respect
Respect is importantRespect is important For all men, if you don’t have respect you look upon as Fredo. Just kind of pick up the odd job here and there. You have to have the respect of the other men in your community and to get that respect you have to give respect.
You see this when Clemenza is showing Michael how to make spaghetti for 20 men. You see how everybody shows their respect to Vito Corleone.
Michael shows respect to Apollonia’s family as he is dating her. Respect is important for people more specifically for men and this shows through every scene of the Godfather.
Men always work
Something you see, especially in the wedding scene is that men are always working. People were coming in to talk business with the godfather, and Vito gladly accepted them.
Even when Michael was In Sicily Michael wasn’t just loafing. He was having to stay on the lookout for dangers that could possibly be around him. He ended up being betrayed by one of his bodyguards and had his wife killed.
When Michael got back home. He immediately went to work in the family business. So even when loafing men are doing things. They are taking action.
The 4 different types of men
One of the interesting things that I noticed on this play through of the Godfather was the four types of men in this movie. Those types of men are The father, the warrior, the boy and the thinker
Vitto
Obviously, Don Corleone is the father figure. He is the wise man slow to anger, thoughtful, and surefooted in his steps. This is the Man who comes to for advice, insights, help.
The father figure is the rock that everybody else ties himself to when things get rough. Vito is so even killed that even the other heads of the five families turn to him. Vito spent the time and the knowledge and the strategy to get the political pull that was needed.
Get thoughtfulness made him more powerful. His ability to bestow respect to the other heads of families allowed him to have even more respect.
The father figure is always seen as that wise Caring older man and we usually have one somewhere in each family.
Sonny
Sunny is the warrior something goes wrong he immediately wants to fight. When his father was shot, he was ready to start the war and the war he was started, but unfortunately, he was shot and killed because he doesn’t have the experience that the father had.
The warrior is often to protector of the Group. You saw how he went after Carlos after finding out that he had hit his sister. He was known throughout town for being quite the hothead.
Sadly, the warrior often doesn’t take into account. The cost of the lives the cost of his actions and so often you need to have a wise father who can keep the warrior at bay till needed.
Michael
Michael is the thinker through and through. He had his life planned out until his father was attacked. And then Michael consciously and deliberately started making moves to shape the family as it needed to be.
Michael was always trying to think of the next step in line. New to turn to the guiding knowledge of the father. Thanks to the father‘s knowledge he was told who the traitor was going to be.
Even after the father is no longer able to provide help, Michael made plans stuck to the plans, shook a lot of stuff up because he saw what needed to be done.
Fredo
There are grown men then there are grown boys. Grown boys like little boys are consumers. They can be trusted with simple tasks, but anything else they really have to be supervised.
A good example of this is when Fredo choked as Vito was being gone down. Fredo is a great example of what a grown boy is. Doesn’t get much respect because he doesn’t know how to generate that type of respect isn’t trusted by the circle because he’s messed up too many times. We know plenty afraid they’re the ones who can’t stand for themselves and often victims of their own happen stance.
Another character that was established as a boy is Johnny Fontaine. He would get himself into trouble time and time again and have to turn to his godfather for help. And Vito shine through each time.
Men share wisdom
Men also loved to share wisdom. They will give wisdom as harshly as needed or as lovingly as needed. Good example is Beatles interaction with Johnny Fontaine. As Johnny shows up at the wedding he goes to the office to announce himself to Vito. And as he is talking, he starts whining about how he can’t get a part that he wants, and the Don grabs him by the shoulders and says…
Don Corleone to Johnny Fontane
You can act like a man
from here, Don Corleone continues talking to him and another great piece of advice
A man who can’t spend time with his family ain’t a real man
The first one was very harsh and put Johnny in his place while the second piece of advice was caring and uplifting and reassuring.
The Power the Women Have
Now something a lot of people like to try to say is that masculinity is not about the women at all masculine is about men being macho and taking advantage of women and other things of that nature. Just listen to any feminist triad you’re gonna hear something about how men, don’t listen to women.
The Godfather shows that masculinity needs femininity. Men need women as women need men, and the men listen.
A good example is when Clemenza is taking Pauly out to the country. As they are leaving Clemenza house, you hear his wife yell and don’t forget the cannoli.
Once they get finished with dealing with Pauly, you hear the famous line leave the gun, take the cannoli. For being a big bad mean mobster Clemenza did as is a wife asked.
Another example of women having power in this movie is when Michael is courting Apollonia. There is a short scene of Michael and Apollonia walking down the road and some 20 feet behind them is a whole gathering of all the women in the family. They are keeping an eye out Because they have the power and influence over the father. Michael did something that one of the women didn’t like none of the women were gonna like and so then the courtship would’ve been over women more than men.
The Meeting with Sollozzo
One important scene in the movie is when the Corleone family is meeting with the Turk, Sollozzo concerning his want to sell drugs in the city, but is needing Don Corleones protection. What is important about this scene when it comes to masculinity is when Sonny interject himself in the discussion. We see an interesting Character trait in Vito Corleone.
Vito first apologizes for his son’s actions. He takes responsibility for his son and this is one of the reasons why Corley has so much respect. Yeah, he expresses how much he loves his family.
Then after the meeting, Corleone does the right thing and corrects Sonny when everyone else, but the family is gone.
This goes with the saying that you do not correct people in front of others. You show unity in public. You do not show the disagreements in public. This is that vulnerability that men do not show. It would not serve the family to let slots know that, Vito was giving Sonny address down for his actions.
Corleone is assassinated
In the piviotal scene where Don Corleone is shot for retaliation of not helping Sollozzo shows several changes in the family when the patriarch becomes incompasitsted.
You see Michael step up to fill the spot that was left. This is An important step that men take. Men will rise to the occasion every time. You see Michael do this in rapid succession as his father is recovering in the hospital.
When Michael first sees that nobody is protecting his dad, he takes action and starts getting Don Corleon moved to a different room. From there he Recruits the baker into helping him protect his dad. He also provides support for the baker once the hitmen leave.
Michael also tells his father a bit later on that he is in. Meaning that he is going to give up the life of politics and join the family business.
You see how the family and the men all pull together. They don’t all agree on what to do and they talk it out, but they don’t just fly off the handle. Even Sonny lessons to what is said.
Very masculine spaghetti
You see a rather interesting scene once everybody comes together. You first get the telephone ring with Kay on one end and Michael talking to her on the other doesn’t say much and she wants him to say I love you and he won’t. From there he gets the manly chiding From Clemenza. On how he needs to tell that young lady that he loves her. The funny thing about this is that Clemenza only hears Michael side. He actually doesn’t hear Kay’s side of the discussion. Yet Clemenza knew what Michael was dodging. And through his knowledge showed Michael that he knew by giving a gentle manly ribbing.
From there, you see that men also love to teach men their knowledge. Clemenza shows Michael how to cook in case he ever hast to cook for 20 men. And goes through and talks about how he fries up the garlicand add just a little bit of sugar to The sauce.
These are all normal typical acts of masculinity on display in front of the camera.
Each man has their own strength
- Fat Clemenza- fire arms
- Father is solid and stoic
- Tom Hagen- confidant
- Luca Brasi – solid wall of a man
- Johnny Fontane – entertainment
Sonny’s Hit
As the war in the five families ramp up eventually, they have a major casualty sunny is shot, and it is a hard blow for the family.
And you see the head of the family Don Corleon go against what society thanks men do. Society says that men don’t feel emotions this movie proves the opposite. You see how when he’s talking to Bonasera The undertaker you see the hurt pain and anguish when he talks about look at how they massacred my boy. Vito being the father and Wiseman that he is instead of lashing out in a fit of rage he calls the five families together. He forgives the Talia family for the act done upon his son and calls for peace. He makes a stand for what is right.
Men depend on each other
One of the interesting parts you see throughout the Godfather is that men depend on other men. You see how the neighborhood looks too Vito Corleone you see how even the Don has Tom Hagan as an advisor.
There is the saying, no man is an island and this is shown time and time again in this movie. Men depend on other men men need that fourth pillar the man’s community to be able to make it through life. You cannot go through life alone when you do, you become like Sonny on the highway. Something unforeseen gonna happen and there’s gonna be no one there to protect you.
Men are unapologetically men
Another thing this movie shows is that men are unapologetically men. They do manly things. Yes some are questionable in morality like Sonny and womanizing. and Luca Rossi is faithful. They do not apologize for being men. They stand firm and what they do and they were proud men overall.
