The Wedding Scene: This Setting is a Genius Way to Introduce the Corleone Family

In general the setting in a movie creates a specific atmosphere and in return creates connotations about the scene. In the few beginning scenes of The Godfather Mario Puzo, the producer, seems to use the setting to introduce the characters to the audience as well as contrast one setting from another. For example the setting of the outdoor wedding created a feeling of joy, comfort, tradition and family for me, but this atmosphere changed quickly when the scene transitioned into Don Vito Corleone's office. In opposition Corleone's office connoted feelings of danger and privacy. The setting went from a bright scene crowded with people to a dark room with only a few people perhaps foreshadowing the privacy of the Corleone family in relation to their "family business". Puzo strategically places the wedding scene in the midst of the office scenes as a way to compare and contrast the two settings. Separate from connotations, the wedding scene literally shows the audience who is part of the immediate family based on who is in the professional pictures and who is wearing a boutonniere. By introducing the audience to the characters in this way we see the importance of family in the wedding setting and the importance of their mafia involvement in the office setting and its because of these subtle hints that the audience feels like we understand who is "in" and who is "out" without even being told.

Personally I have never been into mob type movies, which some would categorize The Godfather under, but overall I felt this movie was well written. It challenged my prior stereotype of shoot,em up movies (as I call them) and opened my eyes to the character development that takes place in this film. I was impressed by how Puzo showed Michael's slow progression from a secluded family member to the new Godfather. The only qualm i have about this film is that it is quite long and sometimes resembles a television series based on the immense amount of detail that is included in this three hour movie. It is somewhat predictable that there is going to be a sequel since the movie ends with a new beginning as Michael as the Godfather. Overall though, I was presently surprised by the film and found myself on the edge of my seat my the end of the movie.