The Godfather — How to Introduce Power
It might just be because I’m finishing up the novel and recently indulged in Part I of the film trilogy. But I have never been so in awe, and also so intimidated by the power of a character until I read the introduction to Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather. I don’t know if it’s his snappy suit or some underlying envy at how many “friends” he has, but something about him just sparkles. I’ve given it some thought, and I think I’ve figured out how Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola managed to do it.
1. Take your time
In the opening of the novel, we are introduced to three men with tricky problems to solve. We have an undertaker who has just watched his daughter’s brutal attackers get off with a suspended sentence, a singer in a loveless marriage who has sunk into alcoholism, and a baker who is trying to avoid his future son-in-law from being deported. They all have very different problems, but they all come to the same conclusion, speak to Don Corleone.
We haven’t even met him, but we already know he’s someone who can solve problems the average man cannot. When finally get a description of Corleone in the flesh, he is standing outside his Long Island mansion, wearing a tuxedo, greeting the guests attending his daughter’s wedding. Without those three little stories to open the chapter, Corleone would have just been your average wealthy Long Islander. Instead, he is already the quietly powerful mafia boss without having to say or do a thing.
Films must play their cards differently. What a book can do in a few pages a film must do in a matter of minutes. In the opening of the film, we jump straight to Bonasera, the undertaker, beseeching Corleone. It begins with a close-up of his face. He speaks with an air of honour and self-respect, and he is well dressed. If you had been living under a rock, you could mistake him for the protagonist.
Then the camera pans out, revealing a dark but subtly ornate room. We catch a glimpse of the man behind the desk. It’s just a hand at first, gesturing to someone offscreen. We then see his grey hair and the way he rests his head on the tips of his fingers in contemplation. Bonasera is offered a drink by someone else off-screen, the man behind the desk is still silent, still listening. He then asks two questions very quickly and casually, “Why did you go to the police? Why didn’t you come to me first?” We haven’t even seen the man’s face, but we know who he is.
1. Make them a little friendly
The idea of friendship is how Corleone wields power. You could argue that he is a bit of an Anti-Villain. Yes, he’s a mafia boss, but he’s your friendly neighbourhood mafia boss. At least, that’s the image we are given. Before we get the description of him in the doorway in his tuxedo, the friendship of Don Corleone is explained,
“Only one thing was required. That was you, you yourself, proclaim your friendship. And then, no matter how poor or powerless the supplicant, Don Corleone would take that man’s troubles to his heart …It was understood, it was mere good manners, to proclaim that you were in his debt and that he had the right to call upon you at any time to redeem your debt by some small service.”
In The Godfather, and most likely in real life too, the mafia is not just an army or a family. It is an intricate political system, and in politics, you need plenty of friends. Not just thugs and thieves, but civilians too. Lawyers, doctors, even undertakers, singers, and bakers.
In the film, Bonasera tells Corleone he wants his daughter’s attackers killed, and offers to pay him money. The Don is reproachful, but not angry. Bonasera is asking too much of him, Corleone only kills when absolutely necessary, but he’s not going to reveal that. He instead muses that he can’t remember the last time he was invited to Bonasera’s home. He says, ‘you never wanted my friendship, and you’re scared to be in my debt.’ If you look back at the quote from the novel, here he is reminding Bonasera of the rules of being friends with the godfather. He’s subtly saying, ‘you’re scared of me, but you need me.’
1. Don’t let them lose their cool
Vito Corleone is presented as being an incredibly sophisticated communicator. He can make a threat sound like a compliment yet make it cut like a dagger all the same. There’s even a part in the book where he puts Al Capone in his place with just a polite letter. I’m trying to just focus on The Don’s introduction in this article, but I thought that shutting down Capone was a nice touch. Corleone is warm yet distant, intoxicatingly stoic very well-spoken. He isn’t flashy, quick-tempered, or openly violent. These are traits that end up being his eldest son Santino’s fatal flaw.
There is one small moment where the veil drops; when he is talking to his godson Johnny (the singer from the opening chapter). If it were anyone else, The Don would have probably been unfazed by the whimpering, but this was his godson, his family. He bellows at him to act ‘LIKE A MAN!’ then mocks him with a bit of mimicry. This startles everyone in the room into stifled giggles because it is so out of character. It humbles Johnny and gives him a bit of perspective.
Corleone probably saw that Johnny needed some tough love, and perhaps had been a bit spoilt in the showbiz circles. So he shouts and mimics, but only with family around. I challenge you to find another moment where Vito Corleone loses his cool. I’m very sure there isn’t any other moment. The only time we ever see him to anything impulsive is when he teases his godson. I’m not even sure if this even counts as losing your cool. Especially considering we are talking about a fictional crime boss.
Conclusion — Be simple and effective
Puzo and Coppola show Vito Corleone slowly and simply. He is a man that has nothing to prove, and people who have nothing to prove don’t have to show off. Having him fly off the handles or go into long speeches about power and responsibility would make no sense to the character. He lets his reputation precede him and lives up to it with ease.
- Cariad Jones
Originally published at https://www.tumblr.com on December 5, 2021.
