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The base of power has to be preserved. The methods to be employed can vary from one family to another depending on the adversary.
They might include displays of wealth and opulence, superior manners assented to by subservient behaviour, violent instincts coupled
with the will to kill, and even acts of generosity, fairness, belligerence and intimidation. The main purpose is to let the opposite party
know or realise that this family has all it takes to be respected, obeyed, served - and died for (or against). The core of it all is
manipulation. This is the central theme of the simple trick above.
Say something like, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."
Above: the film poster art; below: the soundtrack album cover art.
Film poster art by Laurent Durieux, soundtrack album produced by Tom Mack.
Paramount 1972.
It has been successfully argued that no film has had as much impact on cinema as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. The 1972
powerhouse not only defined the entire subsequent genre of mob-related films, but remains a brutally memorable exhibit of
dramatic storytelling at its most compelling. The adaptation of Mario Puzo's best-selling and controversial novel, accomplished by
Coppola and the author himself, was so encapsulating that it warranted every minute of its nearly three-hour running time, leaving
enough room for the longer plot of the second film to expand even further upon the same characters.
The story of the now famous trilogy of films follows the progression of the original New York mafia families in their efforts to survive
and adapt in the times from the 1900's to the 1990's, the first two films tackling the initial threat posed by the introduction of the
drug trade into the traditional operations of these bases of power. The trilogy ultimately defines itself as the story of Michael Corleone,
desperate to retain the Sicilian traditions of his father while moving the family forward into these new, more global avenues of wealth.
His ultimate failure, foreshadowed in his ascension in The Godfather and progressively more shocking in the endings of the two sequels,
guides the music of these films to a similarly depressing end. Like the films, the work of Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola for the
soundtracks is engrained in the memory of the mainstream, defining the sound of mafia music much like the characters. If you boil
down the plot elements of The Godfather to their most basic ingredients, they would be tradition, love, and fear. Rota's score for the
film perfectly embodies these three aspects of the story.
Rota's themes for the first film are the lasting sounds of the franchise, played longingly on street corners around Europe for decades to
follow. The role of original score in The Godfather was held to a minimum by the director, limiting the amount of development that
Rota could explore with his themes.
The style of Rota's work was important in merging the sonic sensibilities of Sicily and America, incorporating the flair of solo
instrumentation native to the former region with the larger, symphonic tone of the latter. The scenes directly connecting the plot to
Sicily are served with a mandolin, accordion, and acoustic bass, sometimes aided by sentimental strings. Solo trumpet performances are
the bridge between the folk elements of the past and that choral and orchestral development that dominates the score by its conclusion.
There are fewer fully symphonic expressions of grandeur in The Godfather than The Godfather Part II, the latter addressing the
romanticism of Vito Corleone's immigration and ascension with a more verbose orchestral heart. Rota uses the entirety of The Godfather
to slowly add layers to his themes until the final cue, reflecting the fearful discovery by Michael Corleone's wife, Kay, of her husband's
own ascension, reprises all three of the score's major themes with fully realized, almost religious gravity. Filmtracks, The Godfather
follow. The role of original score in The Godfather was held to a minimum by the director, limiting the amount of development that
Rota could explore with his themes.
The style of Rota's work was important in merging the sonic sensibilities of Sicily and America, incorporating the flair of solo
instrumentation native to the former region with the larger, symphonic tone of the latter. The scenes directly connecting the plot to
Sicily are served with a mandolin, accordion, and acoustic bass, sometimes aided by sentimental strings. Solo trumpet performances are
the bridge between the folk elements of the past and that choral and orchestral development that dominates the score by its conclusion.
There are fewer fully symphonic expressions of grandeur in The Godfather than The Godfather Part II, the latter addressing the
romanticism of Vito Corleone's immigration and ascension with a more verbose orchestral heart. Rota uses the entirety of The Godfather
to slowly add layers to his themes until the final cue, reflecting the fearful discovery by Michael Corleone's wife, Kay, of her husband's
own ascension, reprises all three of the score's major themes with fully realized, almost religious gravity. Filmtracks, The Godfather
(A) Main Title (The Godfather Waltz) - I Have But One Heart - The Pickup - Connie's Wedding - The Halls of Fear - Sicilian Pastorale
(B) Love Theme from The Godfather - The Godfather Waltz - Apollonia - The New Godfather - The Baptism - The Godfather Finale
