The Godfather Part I: Glorifying The Mafia? (Class Discussion on the American Dream)

Glorifying the mafia or organized crime in general, was not the initial purpose of The Godfather. In what was seen so far in the movie, the director Francis Ford Coppeli, showed how dark and dangerous organized crime is. The lighting in The Godfather, shows the audience how frightening participating in organized crime. How there are life threatening and difficult decisions that need to be made, like when Tom Hagen is captured by Sollazo. Sollazo makes him an offer to join him in the drug business. The director chose to have the entire set dark, except for half of Tom Hagen's face. This lighting technique shows the audience that there are conflicting ideas inside Tom Hagen's head. Even though, he is not a blood-related member of the Corleone family he is treated like he was. Now, he has been offered to be apart of the drug business, which the Godfather (Don Corleone), had turned down before, because it would not be the safest business for the Corleone family to take part of. The Godfather shows how there are many conflicts. Whether they are personal or conflicts between two different families. However; the movie also portrays "The American Dream", and how people, mostly immigrants (from Italy in this case), can get extremely desperate for a free easy "American" lifestyle. Then of course, things do happen. For example; Bonasera's case. He brought his family from Italy, because he "believe[s] in America" and wants "The American Dream" lifestyle for his family. Then his daughter gets taken advantage of by two American boys, and justice is not served, so then he goes to Don Corleone to help him take the law into his own hands. In a way, The Godfather shows how people take drastic measures, to be happy. To have "The American Dream". The Godfather does not really glorify organized crime/ the mafia, because it shows how life-threatening this business is. Instead, The Godfather shuns the romanticized idea of "The American Dream" by showing how badly people want it and how they make dangerous decisions to be happy. Francis Ford Coppeli shows how getting help from the mafia is an option of gaining "The American Dream". The Godfather shows the sick addiction people have for "The American Dream" and what they have to do to get it.