Clearly my brain is taking suggestions a bit too easily this weekend...

[orangerful]

So, I called my parents Friday night about the Star Wars concert and they had forgotten it was on Saturday. So my mom had me print out the tickets on my computer, since I was sitting right in front of it as usual. I joked that she better make sure I have the tickets in my hand when they came to pick me up on Saturday!

When I went to sleep that night, I had this horrible dream that we got all the way to the concert and I forgot the tickets! And for some reason, in my dream, my parents had got a new car, some kind of pink SUV, and apparently it was the hottest car to have so I couldn't find the car (in my dream). Very stressful night!

Then, last night, I finally watched The Godfather. AD had raved about the movie but I had never really had any interest in it. I don't like gangsters. But, if I'm gonna call myself a movie buff (and get all those jokes that are made about the film), I figured I should probably see them in their correct context. Plus, I got AD the blu-ray set for his birthday so HI-DEF!

Guess what kind of dream I had last night? Apparently, I had offended Michael Corleone somehow...all I remember about the dream is being TERRIFIED and apologizing over and over, saying "I'm sorry, Godfather". I think I had pullled all the covers up over me, which made me all sweaty, so in my dream I was surrounded by the gangster guys, ready to beat me up. Yeesh!

AD says Godfather II is even better than the first one, so I want to see it but at the same time, I'm scared I'll have another nightmare!!!!

Maybe I should just watch my Hot Fuzz blu-ray instead and play it safe...at least then Simon Pegg can save me at the end of the dream (by firing his gun in the air and going "AAAAAAAH!!!")

SIDENOTE: If anyone knows of any really good, film criticism essays on why The Godfather is such an important film, I'd love to read them! I mean, I thought it was well done, but I feel like the time I watched Citizen Kane - I need the teacher over my shoulder pointing out to me WHY this is a big deal because the film is such a part of pop culture now that I've seen it all before elsewhere.

Comments

[andy-wolverton.livejournal.com]

LOL! Your dream is hilarious! I know it probably wasn't so hilarious at the time, though.... :-)

AD is right: Godfather Part II is better. You must see it.

As far as why the film is so great, the reasons are endless. As far as I know, it was the first film to put the Mafia/gangsters in a sympathetic light. The family here doesn't go for drugs, prostitution, the things that they saw as corrupting influence on society. There was a code of honor that was strictly upheld. These people weren't just The Bad Guys from all the gangster movies from the 1920s-1960s, they were people we cared about. We cared about the family and the family honor.

Also, the film felt authentic. It came from a director who knows Italian culture well and the Italian community (and apparently members of the Mafia) endorsed the film enthusiastically, saying that what you saw on the screen was accurate. Somebody finally got it right.

Plus the cast is stellar. There are no weak links. I always cite The Maltese Falcon as the greatest cast, but if I see The Godfather a few more times, that might present an offer I just can't refuse. (Sorry, I know that was weak!)

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

See...I didn't really feel bad for any of them. They are gangsters. They break the law and kill people. And while Michael snickered at Kay for being "naive" when she said that, I have to say, as dirty as the government can be, I'm pretty sure they are not AS dirty as gangsters. And it was his decision to start shooting people.

Plus, I found it really hard to watch because that world is so misogynistic. Perhaps that's why it is a genre that appeals to male viewers more often than female viewers (I'm not saying no women like the movie, my aunt used to watch it non-stop). But for me, as someone who is a big fan of kickass ladies and strong, smart women, it was really difficult to watch a movie where the women are just abused baggage. But, again, that is part of what that culture is about.

But I guess it was the start of that genre. When I read the Wiki article, that was the thing that it said too, but I felt like there should be more. Wonder if i can find a good film crit. article somewhere that breaks it down a bit more.

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

I have never watched it, and honestly...I don't feel a need to. lol.

I still get the pop culture references, and know the gist of the story. I do like a lot of movies that appeal almost exclusively to men, but that's just not one of them. haha.

[andy-wolverton.livejournal.com]

Again, I think you have to look at the film in light of the time in which it was released. That was the first time you saw anything likable about those guys. Yes, that world is misogynistic and I'm not excusing that, but those characters were given a far greater depth than they'd ever been given before. That (the misogynistic aspect) could be one of the reasons I haven't revisited the film(s) more and hesitate to buy them.

(Your earlier comment about Citizen Kane is very applicable: its greatness can really only be measured in light of what came before it.)

I'm sure there are many film crit. books out there on the entire Godfather saga. I'll let you know if I run across any! In the meantime, to counterbalance this film, I recommend something light and goofy like Stripes!

[marshmallow.livejournal.com]

I loved The Godfather, but I saw it before I ever studied it, and it was just one of those things where both my dad and grandpa were like, "this movie is the best.. you should watch it." So I went into it with the expectation that it would be good, but not in the context of an Important Film, and I think that's always kind of a mistake. I had the same reaction to Citizen Kane the first time I saw it, because it was just built up so much, for so long, as the end all of cinematic greatness that there was just no way any film could live up to it. And repeated viewings, I was like, okay, yeah, this is incredible. But it still never lived up to the hype machine that had been grinding away for decades before I was even born.

That said, I do believe that The Godfather IS important. But I think especially an older film like that, part of why it's important is that so many films in the decades since have been built on its shoulders. Which makes it important, but also robs it of some of its impact, because already, its effect is diluted. The gangster story is one of those very American genres, and The Godfather took what was previously kind of a just a pulp approach to the subject matter (including the book upon which it was based.. I've read it, and, well, it's not the same experience) and turning it on its head and elevating it into this grand, lush epic, all at once beautiful and terrifying and violent. The scale of the thing, the cast, the filmmaking, the story. It the corruption of the American Dream, presented completely unflinchingly and without judgment. And there was just nothing like it at the time.

You'll probably have to be logged in (or at) your library to see the full text, but Pauline Kael wrote a stunning piece on it here.

But of course, if you're just not into gangster movies, it was probably a losing battle from the start. ;)

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to have seen it just because now I can talk about it a bit more. But I doubt I would ever watch it again. Not really what I would call a fun movie.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I watched Citizen Kane for the first time while I was taking a film class, so I had a professor there to say "look, THIS is important because it was the first time they did XYZ and shot something QRS" and I was like "oooooh okay". I feel like I need that professor back to really appreciate Godfather.

I'll check out that article for sure!!!

Yeah, I'm not really big on gangster movies anyway. I just don't can't seem to care when storytellers try to make me see a villain as the hero...though looking at your icon, I start to think of 3:10 to Yuma...I mean, he was a villain but I liked that movie. Maybe because it was more about the balance between him and Bale's character...okay, see now I want to watch THAT again...