Shots Using the Door

Shots through a door has been a recurring theme throughout the movie. The door could mean many things, but I believe that it is a symbol for transitions.  There are many instances that support my thought throughout the movie.  The first is at the beginning of the movie.  Bonasero is inside requesting mafia to help him.  Outside; however, is a huge party.  The shots that are from inside the door are more sinister, but, once the camera is outside the door, everything is nice and happy.  Another instance of a shot through a door is when Luca Brasi is gettting ready to meet the Tattaglias.  The fact that it is shot through a door makes you think that something is up.

Doors can also be symbolic for a threshold.  When the shots are shown outside or through a door, things seem to be calmer and more civilized.  When the shots are inside, the mafia's work is there.  The shots could be a metaphor that every man is not what they appear.  There is what he projects on the outside, but there is a sinister side to him and this is shown through the shots inside.  The shots through the doors are able to give the audience a view of the inner workings.  They give the viewer the sense that they are there and are on the verge of finding out what is going on, but not quite there.  This is an effective technique that the director has used to create more suspense in the film.

The Hero of "The Godfather"

Who is the hero of The Godfather?  I believe that the hero of the film is Vito Corleone.  I believe that he is the hero because of the deeds that he does for others.  In the very first scene of the movie, Bonasero comes to him for help.  According to dictionary.com, a hero is, "a person who, in the opinion of others has heroic qualities" (dictionary.com).  I have not watched a lot of the film yet and I do not know the whole story; however, i have watched enough to distinguish a hero to the point that I am at.  In the eyes of Bonasero, Vito is a hero because he has provided him with the justice that the courts could not.  He has performed a heroic deed by making the kids that beat on his daughter suffer.  Another character that could consider Vito a hero is Johnny Fontaine.  Vito has done many things that have helped him.  He got him out of a contract so that he could begin his career.  Then he convinced the director of a movie to give him a part in a movie.  These are deeds that normal people could not accomplish.  Whenever Johnny Fontaine has needed help, he has turned to Vito Corleone.  Every time that he has turned to Vito, the Don has been able to help him.  That is one reason that Vito is the hero of the story.


Michael Corleone could be considered to be the hero of the film.  I, however, do not believe that.  In the parts that I have watched, Michael has not been a factor in the story.  From what I have watched, Vito has been, not only the main character, but the hero as well.  "There are certain characteristics that every hero's journey has" (Joseph Campbell).  Vito has either done or is in the process of many of these characteristics.  Vito lost his parents when he was a young boy and had to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  Vito has a loyal band of followers in the Mafia.  His sons to Luca Brasi to other smaller families are all his followers and under his control.  While I think that there are certain parts that Michael will go through, he has not shown that he has embarked on a journey so he can not be considered a hero.