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.
I agree with you idea of doors. Throughout the evidence shown in the movie The Godfather, we can assume that Francis Ford Coppola is interested in the idea of doors. I can see why you would say that a door in the film represents some sort of barrier or threshold between the mafia world and the real world. Another idea to keep in mind is that most of the shots that were inside were usually in some sort of darkness and most of the shots that were outside were in light. This shows a different perspective to the viewers as well as gives them a contrast between the two. The darkness inside in a way represents the evil that has happened and the light can represent the innocent. However, the light and darkness can also represent and classify the hopeful and the hopeless. It all depends that context of the scene and what is happening. There were some instances in the film where a characters face was hidden half in darkness and half in light. This shows that they are in a predicament and are uncertain of their decision. Overall, I strongly agree with your points about the motif of doors.
ReplyDeletewell written, Matthew. Strong work
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