I kept hearing this same word over and over used for the Italian
characters in these mafia movies (I'm not repeating it here because
after googling I learned its an ethnic slur for Italian people) and
given the time period this movie is set in (the Godfather is set in the
40s I believe) I do think the racial factor of the film is really
interesting from my own perspective. I am a Black American so I'm not
too bothered by them dropping the N-slur over and over lol it is an old
film after all and that's just what people said back then.
But
I also noticed that the characters view themselves as the underdog, as a
disenfranchised group that has to show to others constantly that they
can play on the same level as all of these other people. And after
researching and googling stuff, it seems to be that the reason for that
is because back then they also weren't considered to be "White" in the
way italian people are white today.
So at the same time while
they're constantly looking down on Black ppl in America in this film,
they view themselves as a minority group that is comparatively more
oppressed than other white people because of their culture and
complexion etc. I find that interesting because it reminds me of the
hypocrisy often shown in "Goodfellas". The characters are all terrible
people but they literally call themselves "Good guys" or "Wise men"
despite all of their actions and beliefs. The thing that ultimately ends
up uplifting them and putting them on the same pedestal with these
other white men in these films is hitting down at someone else beneath
them.
I mean, in the scene where Don Corleone has called a meeting to stop the war from happening, they actually downright say they'd all be fine with drugs circulating around Black neighborhoods, they just don't want it in other places. And their justification for this is because they don't even see Black people as human beings who deserve the same level empathy. To see them go from "noooo we can't circulate drugs in these neighborhoods kids could get to them, and we're men of honor" to "Actually maybe getting involved with the drug business is fine as long as we just leave it to the black neighborhoods instead who cares about them?" in real time is just so T_T It really puts into perspective that these aren't actually good men.
And
it's not even that the crimes they're committing makes them not good
men, it's the way they're willing to just hurt anyone they want
regardless. All of their pantomiming about being modest men with family
values is for appearances. It's like how people completely change their
tone of voice and manner of speaking when they have to go to an office
meeting. They don't actually care about anyone but themselves, they're
all wholly selfish men. Even Don Corleone is an inherently selfish man
despite having this appearance of a family man. A "Godfather" to
everyone.
And its in the scenes where the family is all
together and they're eating dinner or having a celebration, that you can
almost forget that none of the men in this family are good people. Like
why was Sonny the only one who was willing to help Connie with her
shitty abusive husband? Why wouldn't mike Tell Kay about how he
literally got remarried and everything instead of trying to keep her in
the dark (and why even go back to her when you know you're going to lead
a mafia war and she clearly doesn't want to be involved in that). It's
because deep down...they're all bad people. (Which i find SUPER cool i
love movies about bad people!)
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