To those of you that know me well, it is no secret that I am a huge fan (to say the least) of the classic movie “The Godfather.” Being the introspective person that I am, a few days ago I asked myself a simple yet profound question- “Why do I like “The Godfather” so much?” At first blush it seems to me that I am totally taken in by the guns, wealth and Cadillac sedans that are present in every scene of the movie. Plus, who can forget classic phrases like “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” All the tough guy stuff is pretty appealing to a 22 year-old kid. When I think about it more, though, I think that the Godfather is a personal favorite because of the fact that Michael Corleone, the main character, continually is searching to find happiness in life. In the beginning of the movie Michael is seen attending his sister’s wedding with his girlfriend, Kay. Later on in the film, Kay and Michael begin to drift apart as the Corleone family needs Michael to attend to “family business” as his father becomes increasingly ill. As Michael becomes more involved in the family business and eventually begins to head the family business and is crowned the Godfather of the family, he becomes increasingly paranoid that the other mafia families in the area are plotting to kill him. He then orders the killings of the heads of the other 4 mafia families in New York
In short, I think that I like the Godfather because I can identify with Michael, although I probably will not be running an Italian gang in the near future (hmmm…never know). Michael was initially concerned with the basic joys of life like having a woman and a family that loved him. However, as Michael became more powerful he began to acquire Cadillacs, expensive suits and a large ego to match it. As William Pitt put it “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This phenomenon can be attributed to Michael Corleone’s life. I hope that this will not be true for my life. As I continue in my education and professional work experience, and become more independent and financially set apart from my family, I hope that I do not neglect the simply yet fulfilling joys to life like family, friendship and love. I do not want to be power hungry and get caught up in the things that do not have eternal value. There is, however, that continual desire to gain my power and influence- more control I suppose. One of Kanye West’s latest hits “Power” he claims that “he has the power [to] make yo’ life so excitin’.” I don’t want my life to be exciting because of the power and wealth that I have accumulated, but rather I want it to be exciting because of the reality that my very existence is tethered to its ultimate purpose.
One of the things that I have had to come to terms with as of late is actually how fleeting power tends to be. To continue with your Godfather analogy; Michael spends his entire life building up power and influence but at the end of The Godfather Part 2 he finds out that Kay aborted his son. Michael made millions, literally controlled the lives of all those around him and yet he was unable to prevent the loss of his son. He had it all, but does anyone really think he would not have traded it for his son. Or, and I know this is tantamount to Godfather heresy, but in the Godfather Part 3 with the loss of his daughter.
ReplyDeleteThe scene in the Godfather movies that speaks to me the most is at the very end of the Godfather Part 3 when you see him, as an old man, sitting in the chair alone and then he dies. He had anything and everything and at the very end he is alone and neither his money, nor his power could provide him with the things that he truly desired; love and family.
You make a hell of a point Dan. We are ambitious men. We have plans and designs for this world. In short, part of us wants power. The trick seems to be not letting that power corrupt us and become an end to itself.
Keep up the posts Piva