@@johnstrawb3521 she wasn't. She married Michael hoping she could change him back to a good man living a normal life but failed. That was the blindness on her part, she was blinded by love. After seeing Michael's transformation, she was sure it was inevitable that her children would have tragic lives too.
@@sds187 To use the Greek’s words, the savageness of man can only be gently tamed not outright change. And that’s the mistake many partners make thinking they can change the other.
@@rodsoncelestin absolutely right. On the other hand, we tame ourselves as a gift to our partners. I know so many people who think they can be in a relationship and still have everything exactly the way it was when they were single. Little by little, they start to look like good ol' Michael Corleone, furious with everyone for not meeting them where they are, and only taking the time to look inward when it's too late and they're all alone. I've been thinking a lot about stories, how they always come down to a single choice. Stories, even the most gentle kind, are always some manner of descent into darkness. But in that darkness, there's some life-changing treasure. The Greek symbol is the healing ambrosia, right? Christian myth has the holy grail, which does the same thing, and can only be found after a long, dark quest. The quest of every story starts with a need to regain control of a life out of balance. But I find that at the center is a need to let go of total control, to make room for other people on their own journey, to choose compassion over total mastery of the world. Michael is right to feel betrayed by his brother. The lesson he had taught himself is that nothing is more important than loyalty and trust. He couldn't let go of his absolute control enough to see that, in taking the risk of forgiving Fredo, he would have started on a road to real loyalty, based on love and compassion rather than fear. He chose absolute control of everyone around him, meaning everyone was bound to him by fear rather than love. And he ended up loveless, and forever afraid. Had he chosen to truly forgive Fredo, he could have broken the cycle of fear and violence, and begun to rebuild his family. Michael went into darkness, but refused the ambrosia. Fear won out over compassion, and so his life became a tragedy.
Yeah, totally agree. The eyes and then the camera angle, first the emotion then the angle serve to make him look animalistic, demonic. The real shadow emerges without any mask. Chilling! And this is the guy we’ve been accidentally on the side of, the antihero, and we suddenly see the hidden evil in ourselves, how it hides. Frightening
What makes it even better is seeing the slow build up of the rage on his face and his lips quivering and teeth clenching before he releases it. Truly was frightening.
He got one for scented woman. That's how those shitty awards work. They won't give you one when you're doing your absolute best, but only years later at an equal performance despite many others doing better that year. Happened to Denzel for Malcolm X. But I don't think there were as many equal performers when he won for Training Day. Or as in Game of Thrones winning awards Season 5-8, they did not deserve any for those seasons. Season 6 is the best in that bunch and it was still dumb AF, but had many memorable moments.
@@HaiLeQuang The awards ceremonies are all just a political circle-jerk of elitists and narcissists patting each other on the backs, and a little bit of favoritism mixed in. Al Pacino was still a young actor in the Godfather films and would not get the recognition he deserved until years later.
@@alpacapines8553 Or how Scorsese was nominated for everything under the sun for The Irishman and didn’t take home a single award. Nobody will ever convince me that that wasn’t because of dirty politics in the film industry. At the very least, Pesci should have won an award for his performance. On the other hand, art, whether it’s films or music or paintings or whatever...is not supposed to be about monetary gain and awards in the first place. So, the real artist...simply doesn’t give a shit. They know it’s a fake bunch of propaganda anyway. Neil Young comes to mind.
@@VC-ps2vm Maybe John Cazale as well. Honestly I was wishing for a reunion between the two brothers and wanted to see them ruling the under world together.
That's actually very true. Unlike Sonny, who flared in anger and then would calm down, Michael fumed over every slight. His silent rage was much more frightening. It's also why he had a Hamlet-like tendency to seek confirmation about what he already knew. He had to hear it from Carlo and Fredo. I don't think his father would have bothered. His way of reading people was more natural and he didn't doubt his instincts has much.
Thank you glad someone gets it. I’m a similar personality and I sympathised with Michael the entire series. I don’t think he was evil I think he was ultra risk averse following constant betrayal or loss to anyone that he cared about and loved.
It did, but not because Michael was loving. Michael took betrayal very personally. He felt deeply, but it was all hate. At least, until the third movie when he thawed...
I really don't think he was trying to manipulate Tom. When you hear him say that he was left out of the business for a reason, you have to remember that Vito told Tom that Tom was out for a reason and that reason would come in time
@@danielolortegui8422 I think it's a bit of both. He clearly does think of Tom as a brother as shown in the first movie, but it would make sense for him to use it now as both a showing of trust but also a bit of manipulation to secure Tom on his side
When compared Michael's look with Don Vito's, I find that Vito, in all of his scenes, never looked at anyone with anger or malice, even his enemies. There were a few times when he showed disapproval - like with Bonasera, Johnny and Sonny - but it was stern, disciplinary, not malevolent, in complete contrast with the way Michael's eyes were filled with venomous intent when looking at Fredo and Kay, his own family.
And in a way, it is somehow showing the positions of the family. Don Vitolooked at them as if a disappointed father, Michael as if he was death himself.
I think Michael possessed a fear of death that his father did not. Don Vito value his principles, morals, and virtues above his own life. Michael valued his own life, and his purpose above all else. I personally identify more with Michael, even though I admire Vito more and wish I was more like him. I think in a different time, Michael would have been more like his father.
Maybe it's a nature/personality thing, maybe it's just the mellowing out that comes with age....I haven't seen the movie/s but I did read the book and it was brilliant...but they were 2 different men from 2 different times...and the dad had a loving wife who was just as hardcore as him standing by his side, it was a shame Michael's first love died, that would have changed his nature more than anything
@@twiceshy9773 Except, in the book, Kay didn't kill their child and didn't leave him. She stuck by him and became a Catholic so that she could pray for his soul.
@@toomuchinformation the exhaustion wasn't pretended, neither was any other emotion.. i can't even imagine the burnout he must have experienced. Bravo e grazie mille, Al!
I honestly feel like if Vito witnessed what Michael has become, he'll be heartbroken to see his youngest child assume his responsibility but lose his humanity in the process.
When Michael hugged Fredo to show "forgiveness", and gave Al that look and the way Al looked away, that's when I knew Michael has no soul anymore. Even his own Luca Brasi was disturbed by his heartless behavior.
@@languageleapers9582 In part 1, Vito himself said "Looks like you found your own Luca Brasi" or something along those lines after the meeting with Tessio and Clemenza.
“One thing I learned from Pop was to try to think as people around you think, and on that basis, anything is possible.” I Kept that proverb close to me for the past 20 years.
That’s one law of power my guy “Think as you like, but behave like others” you gotta blend in with the masses, but have your own motives/moves calculated, don’t make yourself seem too special/unique/smarter than the rest
There is a part in the novel The Godfather where Don Corleone chastises Johnny Fontaine. In this part Corleone likes how Johnny just accepts his reproach whereas his other sons are far different. "Sonny would sulk, Fredo would cringe, and Michael would smile coldly and leave the room and not be seen for three weeks." The last part sums up Michael's character very well.
"Michael would smile coldly and leave the room and not be seen for three weeks." This is why I think that Michael has more in common with a covert schizoid like myself than with a sociopath as many describe. He is not without emotion, without empathy. What we witness over time is his complete estrangement from emotion and empathy. Like a schizoid, his primary preoccupation is with safety. Even a loved one who demonstrates that they are "unsafe" -- Fredo's scheming, Kay's abortion, Tom's not mentioning the job offer -- it's as if they become every bit as dangerous as an avowed enemy, and Michael can't tolerate vulnerability. If those around him were to ask what he felt, he wouldn't be able to give a genuine answer.
@@leviathanmghaving recently been diagnosed as a schizoid, I've actually begun to believe Michael cold be one as well. I've always related to Michael's personality (pre Sollozo) for those very reasons.
@@pasajerodelabrujula8261 Pacino did not win for Serpico. He was nominated 5 straight years in the 70s but didn't win an Oscar until 1993 for Scent of a Woman.
If Michael was a sociopath it would have come up long before now, especially since he has known about his families dealings for most of his life. Michael starts as a normal truly good person, then makes choices that begin to change that. Michael basically just becomes an evil dickhead. He isn't a sociopath, he's just evil. Him having been trained for war and having seen combat he is able to seperate himself from his actions. He sees his actions as jobs, buisness, just like soilders do. If they didn't they wouldn't be able to do their job. It isn't sociopathy it's more like temporary dissociation. Distancing ones self form their actions to protect the psyche.
@@jwomackandcheese73 he’s a sociopath. You can be a sociopath and still be a good person. Emotional detachment and lack of empathy can come about from many things. Being cold and emotionless is a defense mechanism from a life of abused or neglected emotions. Michaels family was a family he so desperately wanted to free himself from. Kay was his escape. He tried so hard to pull away yet his family kept making the wrong decisions. He believes in the power of love and family but knows emotions will get you killed. He’s a sociopath. A sociopath is not a PSYCHOpath btw. A good example of this is the British tv series Sherlock. Sherlock has anti-social personality disorder, which is sociopathy. Yet he’s not evil. Michael becomes evil because those he loved constantly betrayed him. I relate to the way Michael feels a lot. I can’t go into that but I promise you he’s a sociopath (which isn’t a bad thing)
The closing shot of the film is one of the most memorable - the look in Michael's eyes is just absolute nothingness. A look that conveys that he's completely lost his soul.
@@MikeG82 That's the first and most major change, but I believe a lot of things made him change. Running the family for a long period of time made him change and become more cold. He always had to try to be in control of everyone and everything business wise, and extreme power become very very important to him, but having that attitude alienated him from his family and affected his mood in a very negative way personally. He did not have that same view when he originally started running the family..
I swear Al Pacino has the most penetrating gaze.. As Michael Corleone he’s able to convey calculating, methodical, soulful and at the same time devoid of humanity by the start of The Godfather, Pt. II. It’s a challenge for any actor (I would know) to pull this off, but Al does it so masterfully.
@@BundsBun Totally. He says so much without a word; soulful, penetrating eyes. I think that’s what makes his Michael Corleone character so incredibly compelling.
@@anabella4296 He was absolutely robbed. I honestly believe his Oscar for Scent of a Woman was to make up for getting snubbed for The Godfather, pt. II
I can't even understand how Al Pacino managed to make his eyes look more and more dead as the movies went on. Like how he made his eyes look so glassy in Scent of a Woman. A true master
One of the things I noticed in the first film is how Michael's clothes seem to relay his state of mind. He starts in his uniform looking very sharp. The Marines are where he came into his own, separate from his family. Next, he's in ill fitting suits. Note how the rest of the family have a much more tailored look. He's someone who doesn't have a place. He doesn't really fit in with the family business at this point, nor does he fit in Kay's world. In Sicily, he's normally much more casual and comfortable. This is mirrored in his relationship with Appolonia. She suits him much more than Kay and he truly enjoys her company in a way he never did with Kay. Even as he's getting dressed in a suit, preparing to leave, it's a much more stylish fit on him. Next, we see him working for his father. He's wearing a large overcoat and big hat. He almost looks like he's playing dress up. He's not yet really comfortable in the role of mob boss. However, we see where he's headed. His proposal to Kay is hardly one of love. It's all about his needs and desire to have children to keep the family going. Kay's more convenient than anything. He doesn't have the time to meet and marry anyone. It's an uncomfortable situation and he's wearing clothes he's still not entirely comfortable with. It pretty much skips ahead a few years after than and he's in tailored clothes just like the rest of the family and now it all fits. He's fully assumed the role and his style notes that.
I never noticed that Al looked uncomfortable and somewhat sad when Michael was looking at him letting him know he was being ordered to kill Fredo. Even for Al, it was sad and a bit much.
I think even Al assumed that Michael would figure out a plan where Fredo didn't have to be killed; Michael was always the one who figured things out. But when the realization hit that what Fredo had done was so big that even Michael felt that killing Fredo was the only option, That combination of loyalty mixed with more than a little fear took over and Al knew what needed to be done.
First class narration. Often, Narrators have annoying voices, which spoils the content, but this one is excellent. Superb knowledge of The Godfather too. Well done 👍🏻
I always thought that Michael calling Tom his brother was manipulation. Toms reaction is also a great bit of acting we see the calm cool mannered Tom nearly break down in tears.
I never saw it as manipulation, it seemed like flattery, but somewhat legitimate. I suppose I could have been wrong though, as this video is quite compelling.
@@jonathanaditya6211 It wasn't so much that Fredo himself was "straightened" out. It was the fact that Mo Greene had to straighten out a son of Vito Corleone and thereby damage the image of the family. It reminded him of what happened to Sonny.
I'm a law student studying criminology. The godfather was my introduction to crime many years ago through the game. I finally watched this movie and found his transformation too radical, your previous video layed it out really well and this video has made me was want to re-watch the movies. Great video.
You probably found it too radical because you didn't understand that ordinary people's including you and I, are not precluded from turning into absolute evil
Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors of our time. I’m 28 years old now, but I’m going to cry like a child when he passes. I wish I could give him his roses while he’s still here.
Fredo collapsed stature was John Cazale's idea. He wanted to convey Michael's complete dominance by being physically higher than Fredo. Coppola loved the idea resulting in an iconic shot. This is a very good video analysis and just reinforces what a masterful actor Pacino was back in his heyday (before every film thereafter when it went all shouty). Infamously Pacino got the role when Coppola's wife was looking at the rushes of test screenings and said it was the way Pacino looked and his dead eyes that the role of Michael should go him. The studio bulked at the idea of the unknown Pacino, but thank god Copolla listened to his wife.
Every film after the Godfather saw Pacino get all shouty? Come on, man. That's simply not true. I can roll off a list of films that saw Pacino give subdued, understated performances. And a character losing his temper and shouting does not automatically mean overacting. Michael lost his temper in both Godfather films and no one accused Pacino of overacting. This notion that Pacino does nothing but yell in his rolls is such an overstated misconception. It just annoys me.
@@brandonb.5304 It seems to be something you are passionate about. I may have been a tad hyperbolic but Pacino is an Oscar winning multimillionaire, I don't think he needs to be the worried. Besides calling his acting shouty is not new or original.
@@rosevanderreijden Donnie Brasco, The Insider, The Merchant of Venice, Oceans 13, You Don't Know Jack, Stand Up Guys, Phil Spector, Manglehorn, Danny Collins, Insomnia, Pirates of Somalia, Paterno, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The way his rage slowly shows in his eyes when Kate admits the abortion is some of my favorite acting in anything I've ever seen. It's no wonder Pacino is so celebrated.
This is an excellent evaluation of Michael Corleone, and Pacino's magnificent portrayal. The eyes are truly the most important part of the subtlety of this character, truly one of the best performances of all time.
Your commentary on the character of Michael Corleone is the best out there. I’ve always been fascinated by Al Pacino’s performance in Godfather 2 because of those mesmerizing, terrifying eyes. The fact that Pacino didn’t get an Oscar is a crime.
As I got older, the more I deeply appreciated the skill and talent it took to embody Michael and portray all these emotions and such a cold, calculating character with just the eyes and facial expressions.
Excellent analysis, it's also interesting how Michael's eyes stabilize after shooting Sollazzo and McCluskey, in GF1 his eyes were darting all over the place in the diner, yet after hitting them both he became a different animal. After that his eyes were still but deadened.
He knew there was a boundary he was about to step over and that his life would never be the same. The inner conflict had to be crazy!!!! Especially knowing who he was to the government at the time. A war hero
When it comes to Pacino's portrayal of Michael Corleone, the eyes definitely have it. With each betrayal or loss Michael suffers, he seems to die a little bit more inside. By the time he loses his mother, he seems so dead inside, he doesn't even seem to care about how his coldness is affecting the well-being of his children. Revenge is the only thing he lives for. All of this, Pacino conveys with his eyes.
The narrator is very good, making Al Pacino extremely wonderful in the film. It's the narrator that deserves an Oscar award for making those stares unique and turning them into language
8:56 I've watched Part 2 hundreds of times, but only now have I realized the irony of Kay's line "Oh Michael, you are BLIND" in contrast with Michael's EYES and acute perception in everything around him except for something as close to him as an unborn son. Incredible.
Amazing analysis! I recently re watched The Godfather films and realized how much Michael Corleone‘s character influenced Thomas Shelby‘s in Peaky Blinders. Cold, calculated, highly intelligent and true businessmen
I was thinking along the same lines; that what the narrator describes as "Michael" is more Pacino than the fictional "Michael". In any case the cold stare I interpret not as intimation or manipulation but merely intense scrutiny.
One thing i really respect greatly and that's Michaels loyalty to his wife. He can have thousands if women but he never cheated. Just like his father. Like.
@@Dragon_Lair She wanted a change in Michael's character. That's why she told the truth. Michael only compelled her to marry him. She never expected him to become a don like his father.
I love how they show Michael fortifying his role while they show Don Vito's rise to power. Because Vito had to commit a lot of violence to rise to power but very little to keep it. And Michael inherited it but had to commit violence to keep it. Like most sons Michael is Vito's mirror image
The acting throughout this film, by everyone involved will never be rivaled in Hollywood again. This is the best example of cinematic perfection, in my humble opinion.
Really well done video. Did anyone else get chills in part 1 as Michael leaves the restaurant bathroom with the hidden gun...the slight pause. When Mike walks out of the stall, he is reborn....almost like a baptism
Just when I thought I've seen every possible review and interpretation for this masterpiece. I'm rewatching the best works of Al Pacino and youtube recommended me this. This is such a great "observation" and analysis!
Awesome video. You truly feel that over the course of two movies, Michael Corleone completely loses his soul. At one time he had light and laughter and love in his eyes, then his gaze turned cold and menacing, and finally it simply turned to stone. It's not just that there was nothing left of the Michael we knew. Nothing was left of anything that one could call a regular human being. By the end all that's left is a mass-murdering, brother-killing monster. Absolutely haunting, and only Pacino could make it work.
"....there was nothing left of the Michael we knew." I think that's why Godfather III was a disappointment. It didn't work because it tried to show Michael's attempts to redeem himself. Because there was nothing left of the good man that once was, he couldn't. It was merely sad and futile, never tragic.
@@graceskerp I could still see Michael making the attempt to go legit because he's not someone that accepts failure and he'd try to see that goal to the end. It's the joke cracking, romantic day planning guy he's become that seems disjointed from who he was at the end of Part II.
One of the best observations of Michael Corleone on youtube. Ever. When you look at Micheal eyes in opening scenes of GF1 you notice not an innocence, but a a definite humanity and a light behind them. His looks are detached, clever and observational but definitely human. The only time I saw genuine fear was when he went to the hospital after his father was shot and and no one was guarding him when as he slept in his hospital bed. Personally, the exact moment for me the light behind Michael's eyes changed for good and his stare became cold, intimidating and dead (except for his kids, and his brief moment of happiness with Appellonia) was when Sargent McClusky struck him and broke his jaw outside the hospital moments before he was saved by Tom Hagen. It was brief stare but I knew that everything about Micheal had changed and Sargent Mclusky had signed his own death warrant and the man Michael 'would become' was born.
Michael embodied the underworld. Looking into his eyes is like looking into the eyes of the devil. When he came back from Cuba he looked more and more like a zombie or a ghoul. Great video 👍👍
This whole thing is fantastic and precise. But I'm extremely impressed when you talk about Connie and that scene where she wants permission to get married, that whole breakdown even with her fiancee not acknowledging him, perfect. Its often overlooked but you summed everything up intelligibly.
Michael has always been dark, intimidating and ruthless mob businessmen..no doubt! But remember it's Al Pacino who gave Michael that soul and life..Al Pacino the greatest ever! Thank you sir for everything you have done to the industry..you're the G.O.A.T of Hollywood..🙏🏼
His portrayal of Michael is one of the best acting performances in film history. I enjoyed him just as much as Brando who is the reason I watched the first. Oscars dropped the ball again smh
Michael's character arc is a masterpiece. He's such a different person in each movie, with the same character traits, but rearranged. Always stoic, loyal, determined. In part 2, we see Michael in his darkest aspect, as a veritable monster. The allusions to him as a vampire are too numerous to be a coincidence. The way he looms in backgrounds, and creeps into rooms, echo the sinister Nosferatu. And his dark, piercing gaze seems telepathic, almost clairvoyant. He even looks similar to Christopher Lee's Dracula, especially in the close-ups where he seems to tower over his victims. It's very fitting, considering the way Michael sucks the life out of everyone around him while attempting to immortalize his family's legacy.
Al Pacino's Performance as Michael Corleone has to be One of the greatest ever. Paul Newman in the Sting, Jack Nicholson in One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest. And of course Paul Newman as Cool Hand Luke an Judge Roy Bean. I been blessed to see these Actors in their prime. Thee Greatest
Al Pacino gave a masterful performance! This video was very good as well, showing that acting isn't all about speaking lines. I always felt that Michael Corleone did trade his soul to try and make everyone happy and in the end he did lose everything dear to him. When you sell your soul, the Devil takes everything from you.
This video astounded me with how unbelievably poignant, succinct, and thought provoking it was on so many levels. Not something you see everyday on TH-cam. Instant subscribe.
This is an amazing essay on a diabolical ice cold ❄️ performance. The Oscar should have been his. I met him in his dressing room after a Broadway performance. He was humble and unassuming.
The scene with Kay is one of the most powerful ever filmed. His soul comes to the surface one last time, and then he crushes it forever by throwing her away. By the time he kills Fredo, he's not even there. There isn't even a reason for it. Nobody else cares what Fredo did, or gives him any credence at all. But the soulless gargoyle version of Michael hates the reminder that he was ever human; hates his brother's vulnerability and the memory of having been part of a family.
To be fair what Fredo did was a big problem but it seemed unlikely that it was on purpose and unlikely that it would happen again. Given that he was kind of a fuckup it seemed like he could be forgiven. If someone cared about their brother they probably would. It was just business. Think about it, if fredo was raking in millions and had some kind of similar innocent fuckup he probably wouldn’t have been killed.
@@huntertoledo8989 Oh, it was definitely on purpose. Remember, Fredo says that he was "angry at Michael" and that he didn't know that they would put a hit out on Michael...but he definitely KNEW he was helping the enemy of his brother. He felt bad about it, and I wish he hadn't been killed, but ultimately Michael didn't trust him and didn't see him as a brother after that
@@cmg2651 Nobody trusted him in the first place. Nobody, especially among Italians, would have thought Michael was weak for letting his brother live. Mike was just too far gone into evil to realize or care.
This is incredibly insightful. Pacino's performance was amazing, and yes, should have won the Oscar. It is amazing to think that Coppolla had to fight to get Pacino cast in the first film.
In ways Michael was more suited for the Boss of the family than even his father. Sonny would've been good had he not had that emotionally charged temper. Michael was proven to be patient, methodical and strategically vicious. He knew that he was in the business of murderers.
To me he lack of sympathy, i think vito would have not allowed micheal to kill fredo despite what have happened instead give fredo a lesson. Because at that point how can he be loyal to a family when he have no family anymore. He could be a great war general but not a family leader.
@@ilmanaizad6204 i think alot of people forget how vito rose to prominence in the first place as a young man. You see him in godfather 1 and you think what a nice jovial man he is . The only difference is time vito had gotten older so he needed strong men to protect him like a dangerous luca brasi tessio clemenza. What im saying is vito was no saint and he would have killed his brother for the act of betrayal as a young man . In the mafia you betray you die brother or not . Fredo had broken the ultimate rule so he got dealt with .
Kudos! Bravo!. This was absolutely excellent! You have given me new insight into one of the greatest character arcs in film and renewed appreciation for Al Pacino's perfect performance.
This is an absolutely FASCINATING lens through which to watch GF II. I have watched the trilogy many times, and I have only noticed Al Pacino's eyes subconsciously. Watching this video was an amazing revelation, and the next time I watch the trilogy (every Christmastime) I will keep this in mind. Thank you, my friend.
Al Pacino did a really great job in Godfather 2 his character development and how he stares into people’s souls without looking away I love Godfather 2 I can watch this movie everyday and never get bored
I watched this with my dad and I had no idea what was going on. I've watched Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, GOT, and plenty of other complicated shows but nothing has made me more confused than The Godfather 1/2. But in a good way. When my dad (who had watched it many times before) explained what was happening to me it all made perfect sense. That is what a good complicated movie should be instead of just confusing.
This was so insightful and well done. It did justice to the progression of the character and his descent and ruin. Few stories have a telos of narrating descent like this. Powerful.
The Look of a man who put the idea of Family and Business above all, and who in the process sacrificed his soul on the altar of his convictions and values. So sad and so powerful at the same time!!
I’ve never seen a character that can astound you with just mimics, especially when it comes to so important life depending situations. Thats insaaane! Love everything about this movie!
The Godfather II is the greatest film of all time. There is nothing to happen to film again like The Godfather II. Michael Corleone is one of the most legendary and iconic protagonists I have ever seen. The masterclass development of the character and the legendary portrayal of the character by Al Pacino. Hats off to Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, and Al Pacino to make alive the character such as Michael Corleone. This video is an outstanding case study of Michael Corleone's glancing. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is Pacino's best performance as Michael.. The first movie is already great but in this movie, he's on another level. Michael is a monster in Part 2
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Great video, keep it up 👍
@@pessimistprime4877 The narrator is me. This is my voice.
I absolutely enjoy this content. In fact, there's one key term/interesting factor regarding the character of Michael Corleone, is *"Intimidation".*
Well done!
@@JustanObservation that's ominous
“Studying everyone else’s soul while losing his own” That was deep
Kay was a soulless abomination.
@@johnstrawb3521 she wasn't. She married Michael hoping she could change him back to a good man living a normal life but failed. That was the blindness on her part, she was blinded by love. After seeing Michael's transformation, she was sure it was inevitable that her children would have tragic lives too.
@@johnstrawb3521 She killed her own son out of revenge...that's says a lot about her.
@@sds187 To use the Greek’s words, the savageness of man can only be gently tamed not outright change. And that’s the mistake many partners make thinking they can change the other.
@@rodsoncelestin absolutely right. On the other hand, we tame ourselves as a gift to our partners. I know so many people who think they can be in a relationship and still have everything exactly the way it was when they were single. Little by little, they start to look like good ol' Michael Corleone, furious with everyone for not meeting them where they are, and only taking the time to look inward when it's too late and they're all alone.
I've been thinking a lot about stories, how they always come down to a single choice. Stories, even the most gentle kind, are always some manner of descent into darkness. But in that darkness, there's some life-changing treasure. The Greek symbol is the healing ambrosia, right? Christian myth has the holy grail, which does the same thing, and can only be found after a long, dark quest.
The quest of every story starts with a need to regain control of a life out of balance. But I find that at the center is a need to let go of total control, to make room for other people on their own journey, to choose compassion over total mastery of the world. Michael is right to feel betrayed by his brother. The lesson he had taught himself is that nothing is more important than loyalty and trust. He couldn't let go of his absolute control enough to see that, in taking the risk of forgiving Fredo, he would have started on a road to real loyalty, based on love and compassion rather than fear. He chose absolute control of everyone around him, meaning everyone was bound to him by fear rather than love. And he ended up loveless, and forever afraid. Had he chosen to truly forgive Fredo, he could have broken the cycle of fear and violence, and begun to rebuild his family. Michael went into darkness, but refused the ambrosia. Fear won out over compassion, and so his life became a tragedy.
The look of pure rage on Michael's face as Kay tells him that she aborted their son sends chills down my spine.
Yeah, totally agree. The eyes and then the camera angle, first the emotion then the angle serve to make him look animalistic, demonic. The real shadow emerges without any mask. Chilling! And this is the guy we’ve been accidentally on the side of, the antihero, and we suddenly see the hidden evil in ourselves, how it hides. Frightening
It's very Don Draper esque in that he reminds of our fathers and other highly respected authority figures we wouldn't dare want to antagonize.
What makes it even better is seeing the slow build up of the rage on his face and his lips quivering and teeth clenching before he releases it. Truly was frightening.
I was frozen watching that scene. Just waiting to see what Michael would do. Pacino took his role serious 🔥
the same exact look when he finds manny and gina
It's unbelievable Al Pacino doesn't get an Oscar from this role
He got one for scented woman. That's how those shitty awards work. They won't give you one when you're doing your absolute best, but only years later at an equal performance despite many others doing better that year. Happened to Denzel for Malcolm X. But I don't think there were as many equal performers when he won for Training Day. Or as in Game of Thrones winning awards Season 5-8, they did not deserve any for those seasons. Season 6 is the best in that bunch and it was still dumb AF, but had many memorable moments.
Nobody. I mean none, remember who won Oscar for Best Actor that year. But this role is legendary.
@@HaiLeQuang yup. That same year, Jack Nicholson was up for it for Chinatown, thats all I know about that year.
@@HaiLeQuang The awards ceremonies are all just a political circle-jerk of elitists and narcissists patting each other on the backs, and a little bit of favoritism mixed in. Al Pacino was still a young actor in the Godfather films and would not get the recognition he deserved until years later.
@@alpacapines8553 Or how Scorsese was nominated for everything under the sun for The Irishman and didn’t take home a single award. Nobody will ever convince me that that wasn’t because of dirty politics in the film industry. At the very least, Pesci should have won an award for his performance. On the other hand, art, whether it’s films or music or paintings or whatever...is not supposed to be about monetary gain and awards in the first place. So, the real artist...simply doesn’t give a shit. They know it’s a fake bunch of propaganda anyway. Neil Young comes to mind.
Its a shame that during the filming nobody realized what dimension of acting Al really belonged to. Without him Godfather wouldn't be as good.
He gave the best performance in the trilogy
@@VC-ps2vm Maybe John Cazale as well.
Honestly I was wishing for a reunion between the two brothers and wanted to see them ruling the under world together.
@@mayukhsen8195 I think pacino was better than brando
@@VC-ps2vm Much better bro. Like saying just "better" is an understatement.
@@mayukhsen8195 thoughts on de Niro in godfather
Michael was actually sensitive and felt things deeply. Any betrayal from family or someone he trusted hit him to the core.
That's actually very true. Unlike Sonny, who flared in anger and then would calm down, Michael fumed over every slight. His silent rage was much more frightening. It's also why he had a Hamlet-like tendency to seek confirmation about what he already knew. He had to hear it from Carlo and Fredo. I don't think his father would have bothered. His way of reading people was more natural and he didn't doubt his instincts has much.
Thank you glad someone gets it. I’m a similar personality and I sympathised with Michael the entire series. I don’t think he was evil I think he was ultra risk averse following constant betrayal or loss to anyone that he cared about and loved.
It did, but not because Michael was loving. Michael took betrayal very personally. He felt deeply, but it was all hate. At least, until the third movie when he thawed...
I really don't think he was trying to manipulate Tom. When you hear him say that he was left out of the business for a reason, you have to remember that Vito told Tom that Tom was out for a reason and that reason would come in time
@@danielolortegui8422 I think it's a bit of both. He clearly does think of Tom as a brother as shown in the first movie, but it would make sense for him to use it now as both a showing of trust but also a bit of manipulation to secure Tom on his side
When compared Michael's look with Don Vito's, I find that Vito, in all of his scenes, never looked at anyone with anger or malice, even his enemies. There were a few times when he showed disapproval - like with Bonasera, Johnny and Sonny - but it was stern, disciplinary, not malevolent, in complete contrast with the way Michael's eyes were filled with venomous intent when looking at Fredo and Kay, his own family.
And in a way, it is somehow showing the positions of the family. Don Vitolooked at them as if a disappointed father, Michael as if he was death himself.
I think Michael possessed a fear of death that his father did not.
Don Vito value his principles, morals, and virtues above his own life. Michael valued his own life, and his purpose above all else.
I personally identify more with Michael, even though I admire Vito more and wish I was more like him. I think in a different time, Michael would have been more like his father.
Maybe it's a nature/personality thing, maybe it's just the mellowing out that comes with age....I haven't seen the movie/s but I did read the book and it was brilliant...but they were 2 different men from 2 different times...and the dad had a loving wife who was just as hardcore as him standing by his side, it was a shame Michael's first love died, that would have changed his nature more than anything
I think he thought those people knew him better and was hurt that they didn’t.
@@twiceshy9773 Except, in the book, Kay didn't kill their child and didn't leave him. She stuck by him and became a Catholic so that she could pray for his soul.
He really IS Michael Corleone, not an actor pretending to be Michael Corleone. Phenomenal.
He said that it took him a long time to recover from playing this role; it must've been as draining as hell.
@@toomuchinformation the exhaustion wasn't pretended, neither was any other emotion.. i can't even imagine the burnout he must have experienced. Bravo e grazie mille, Al!
No
I agree with you. Al Pacino acting too realistic. In front of the camera, Al becomes Michael.
@My names Jeff Sherlock holmes
Al Pacino - His acting is unreal. Emotions. His look.
Al’s just legendary
Whats that name? DUNKACHINO
@@alexbaker9578
Al Pacino: “Burn all the copies.”
I honestly feel like if Vito witnessed what Michael has become, he'll be heartbroken to see his youngest child assume his responsibility but lose his humanity in the process.
“I never wanted this for you”
"look how they massacred my boy"
"I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since 10am"
Yeah, but the Family business comes first.
I think on some level he expected it, which is why he was so worried to begin with.
When Michael hugged Fredo to show "forgiveness", and gave Al that look and the way Al looked away, that's when I knew Michael has no soul anymore. Even his own Luca Brasi was disturbed by his heartless behavior.
Luca was already dead by this time. The Turc had him killed during the attempt on Michael's father. (1st movie /Story)
@@languageleapers9582 Al was Michael's version of Luca Brasi. I didn't mean Luca Brasi literally....
@@flintironstag2381 I already knew what you saying. Lol some people slow
@@languageleapers9582 In part 1, Vito himself said "Looks like you found your own Luca Brasi" or something along those lines after the meeting with Tessio and Clemenza.
Whoo boy. That scene is cold as ice. Al Neri was so horrified by Michael's reptitlian stare and coldbloodedness he couldn't look him in the eye
“One thing I learned from Pop was to try to think as people around you think, and on that basis, anything is possible.”
I Kept that proverb close to me for the past 20 years.
It’s a proverb that I over time to see as very accurate.
Wtf you talking bout
Try to think? How do you stop? Lol...sounds like your pa was popping in and out of consciousness and having black outs. Hope it ain't genetic.
Mouth breathing potential high.
That’s one law of power my guy
“Think as you like, but behave like others”
you gotta blend in with the masses, but have your own motives/moves calculated, don’t make yourself seem too special/unique/smarter than the rest
There is a part in the novel The Godfather where Don Corleone chastises Johnny Fontaine. In this part Corleone likes how Johnny just accepts his reproach whereas his other sons are far different. "Sonny would sulk, Fredo would cringe, and Michael would smile coldly and leave the room and not be seen for three weeks." The last part sums up Michael's character very well.
ehhh, not really.
@@plasticweapon it was literally in the novel, word for word
"Michael would smile coldly and leave the room and not be seen for three weeks." This is why I think that Michael has more in common with a covert schizoid like myself than with a sociopath as many describe. He is not without emotion, without empathy. What we witness over time is his complete estrangement from emotion and empathy. Like a schizoid, his primary preoccupation is with safety. Even a loved one who demonstrates that they are "unsafe" -- Fredo's scheming, Kay's abortion, Tom's not mentioning the job offer -- it's as if they become every bit as dangerous as an avowed enemy, and Michael can't tolerate vulnerability. If those around him were to ask what he felt, he wouldn't be able to give a genuine answer.
@@leviathanmghaving recently been diagnosed as a schizoid, I've actually begun to believe Michael cold be one as well. I've always related to Michael's personality (pre Sollozo) for those very reasons.
One of the most convincing roles of sociopathy in cinema history. Shame on the Academy Awards
@@pasajerodelabrujula8261 Pacino did not win for Serpico. He was nominated 5 straight years in the 70s but didn't win an Oscar until 1993 for Scent of a Woman.
his role have very little to do with sociopathy. sociopathy is a personality disorder
If Michael was a sociopath it would have come up long before now, especially since he has known about his families dealings for most of his life. Michael starts as a normal truly good person, then makes choices that begin to change that. Michael basically just becomes an evil dickhead. He isn't a sociopath, he's just evil.
Him having been trained for war and having seen combat he is able to seperate himself from his actions. He sees his actions as jobs, buisness, just like soilders do. If they didn't they wouldn't be able to do their job. It isn't sociopathy it's more like temporary dissociation. Distancing ones self form their actions to protect the psyche.
@@jwomackandcheese73 he’s a sociopath. You can be a sociopath and still be a good person. Emotional detachment and lack of empathy can come about from many things. Being cold and emotionless is a defense mechanism from a life of abused or neglected emotions. Michaels family was a family he so desperately wanted to free himself from. Kay was his escape. He tried so hard to pull away yet his family kept making the wrong decisions. He believes in the power of love and family but knows emotions will get you killed. He’s a sociopath. A sociopath is not a PSYCHOpath btw.
A good example of this is the British tv series Sherlock. Sherlock has anti-social personality disorder, which is sociopathy. Yet he’s not evil. Michael becomes evil because those he loved constantly betrayed him. I relate to the way Michael feels a lot. I can’t go into that but I promise you he’s a sociopath (which isn’t a bad thing)
@@TonyTars pretty much like Leo DiCaprio
Throughout all Pachino's looks, the look on his face when he finds out about Fredo is Priceless.....
Also the about-to-explode look when he finds out about what Kay did. Pacino gave me second hand fear with that lmao
@@robertreyes8792 When I first saw his look at Kay, I legitimately thought he was going to kill her right there.
@@joes7378 never felt more concerned for a fictional character than at that moment
@@joes7378 I thought so too
The closing shot of the film is one of the most memorable - the look in Michael's eyes is just absolute nothingness. A look that conveys that he's completely lost his soul.
he lost his soul when Appolonia died, it's crazy how different his eyes looked before and after
@@MikeG82 Nah, he still had it. He just lost the ability to take things personal
@@MikeG82 That's the first and most major change, but I believe a lot of things made him change. Running the family for a long period of time made him change and become more cold. He always had to try to be in control of everyone and everything business wise, and extreme power become very very important to him, but having that attitude alienated him from his family and affected his mood in a very negative way personally. He did not have that same view when he originally started running the family..
I swear Al Pacino has the most penetrating gaze.. As Michael Corleone he’s able to convey calculating, methodical, soulful and at the same time devoid of humanity by the start of The Godfather, Pt. II. It’s a challenge for any actor (I would know) to pull this off, but Al does it so masterfully.
Penetrating gaze, indeed. Al Pacino's eyes are very expressive. It's amazing.
@@BundsBun Totally. He says so much without a word; soulful, penetrating eyes. I think that’s what makes his Michael Corleone character so incredibly compelling.
@@tajcee He was cheated out of an Oscar
@@anabella4296 He was absolutely robbed. I honestly believe his Oscar for Scent of a Woman was to make up for getting snubbed for The Godfather, pt. II
Yeah he is really scary.
I can't even understand how Al Pacino managed to make his eyes look more and more dead as the movies went on. Like how he made his eyes look so glassy in Scent of a Woman. A true master
He said he would purposely zone out to actually seem blind because there’s no focus on anything or anyone that way.
One of the things I noticed in the first film is how Michael's clothes seem to relay his state of mind.
He starts in his uniform looking very sharp. The Marines are where he came into his own, separate from his family.
Next, he's in ill fitting suits. Note how the rest of the family have a much more tailored look. He's someone who doesn't have a place. He doesn't really fit in with the family business at this point, nor does he fit in Kay's world.
In Sicily, he's normally much more casual and comfortable. This is mirrored in his relationship with Appolonia. She suits him much more than Kay and he truly enjoys her company in a way he never did with Kay. Even as he's getting dressed in a suit, preparing to leave, it's a much more stylish fit on him.
Next, we see him working for his father. He's wearing a large overcoat and big hat. He almost looks like he's playing dress up. He's not yet really comfortable in the role of mob boss. However, we see where he's headed. His proposal to Kay is hardly one of love. It's all about his needs and desire to have children to keep the family going. Kay's more convenient than anything. He doesn't have the time to meet and marry anyone. It's an uncomfortable situation and he's wearing clothes he's still not entirely comfortable with.
It pretty much skips ahead a few years after than and he's in tailored clothes just like the rest of the family and now it all fits. He's fully assumed the role and his style notes that.
Great Take!
Very interesting observation
You, sir, have the observant eye of Michael Corleone
Your 100% right! Jeez the lengths they went to create this masterpiece of cinematography
Good take.
I have been on a Godfather binge, you uploading this is icing on the cake
same here
Michael Corleone is undoubtedly Al Pacino's most iconic character.
Unmatched to this day.
Tony Montana
@@_Greg_4289nope
Robert de niro in taxi driver.
I never noticed that Al looked uncomfortable and somewhat sad when Michael was looking at him letting him know he was being ordered to kill Fredo. Even for Al, it was sad and a bit much.
I think even Al assumed that Michael would figure out a plan where Fredo didn't have to be killed; Michael was always the one who figured things out. But when the realization hit that what Fredo had done was so big that even Michael felt that killing Fredo was the only option, That combination of loyalty mixed with more than a little fear took over and Al knew what needed to be done.
First class narration. Often, Narrators have annoying voices, which spoils the content, but this one is excellent. Superb knowledge of The Godfather too. Well done 👍🏻
Ikr
Some...times...with...long...pauses...for...no...reason...
@@sakhile_nkomo hh
My compliments.
That's a Irish accent
I always thought that Michael calling Tom his brother was manipulation. Toms reaction is also a great bit of acting we see the calm cool mannered Tom nearly break down in tears.
I agree it was manipulation. But why would Tom break down? Being happy?
@@CameronsCars Cause at the back of his mind, Tom always had doubts he was actually family.
I never saw it as manipulation, it seemed like flattery, but somewhat legitimate. I suppose I could have been wrong though, as this video is quite compelling.
@@ajttambo You're right. In the books Michael was proud to have Tom as a brother. Michael never used that as manipulation. It was genuine.
@@TK0S3 But then, he killed Fredo.
“You straightened my brother out?”
Might be his best delivery
And yet he killed his brother. The irony
@@jonathanaditya6211 I guess in his mind, it's better him than someone else
@@jonathanaditya6211 Fredo didn’t betray him in the first movie which is when he said that
@@jonathanaditya6211 It wasn't so much that Fredo himself was "straightened" out. It was the fact that Mo Greene had to straighten out a son of Vito Corleone and thereby damage the image of the family. It reminded him of what happened to Sonny.
I'm a law student studying criminology. The godfather was my introduction to crime many years ago through the game. I finally watched this movie and found his transformation too radical, your previous video layed it out really well and this video has made me was want to re-watch the movies. Great video.
Cool thanks!
that's when the innocent, uniformed Marine died in him. he became soulless.
You probably found it too radical because you didn't understand that ordinary people's including you and I, are not precluded from turning into absolute evil
Can you steal more with a briefcase than a hundred men with guns?
Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors of our time. I’m 28 years old now, but I’m going to cry like a child when he passes. I wish I could give him his roses while he’s still here.
Me too! He is the greatest for me and coincidentally I am too 28 mate
I know!
AWWW
Fredo collapsed stature was John Cazale's idea. He wanted to convey Michael's complete dominance by being physically higher than Fredo. Coppola loved the idea resulting in an iconic shot. This is a very good video analysis and just reinforces what a masterful actor Pacino was back in his heyday (before every film thereafter when it went all shouty). Infamously Pacino got the role when Coppola's wife was looking at the rushes of test screenings and said it was the way Pacino looked and his dead eyes that the role of Michael should go him. The studio bulked at the idea of the unknown Pacino, but thank god Copolla listened to his wife.
Every film after the Godfather saw Pacino get all shouty? Come on, man. That's simply not true. I can roll off a list of films that saw Pacino give subdued, understated performances. And a character losing his temper and shouting does not automatically mean overacting. Michael lost his temper in both Godfather films and no one accused Pacino of overacting. This notion that Pacino does nothing but yell in his rolls is such an overstated misconception. It just annoys me.
@@brandonb.5304 It seems to be something you are passionate about. I may have been a tad hyperbolic but Pacino is an Oscar winning multimillionaire, I don't think he needs to be the worried. Besides calling his acting shouty is not new or original.
I figured there was a reason as to why he was all slouched on a chair like that,, love the details
@@brandonb.5304 Like what? I missed those performances.
@@rosevanderreijden Donnie Brasco, The Insider, The Merchant of Venice, Oceans 13, You Don't Know Jack, Stand Up Guys, Phil Spector, Manglehorn, Danny Collins, Insomnia, Pirates of Somalia, Paterno, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The way his rage slowly shows in his eyes when Kate admits the abortion is some of my favorite acting in anything I've ever seen. It's no wonder Pacino is so celebrated.
Al Pacino played the hell out of his part in the Godfather. He deserved an Oscar!
This is an excellent evaluation of Michael Corleone, and Pacino's magnificent portrayal. The eyes are truly the most important part of the subtlety of this character, truly one of the best performances of all time.
Pacino literally deserved oscar for this... and you should get more appreciation for this video
Your commentary on the character of Michael Corleone is the best out there. I’ve always been fascinated by Al Pacino’s performance in Godfather 2 because of those mesmerizing, terrifying eyes. The fact that Pacino didn’t get an Oscar is a crime.
Michael Corleone degenerated into pure evil. His blank stare could unsettle Dracula.
"The eyes never lie, chico" -Tony Montana
I do not classify the "Godfather" movie trilogy as crime movies but as tragedies. Too many passings and emotional pain.
Crime movies are often tragedies, they're not mutually exclusive
Oh man, this is not "Just an observation", this is the best of it.
As I got older, the more I deeply appreciated the skill and talent it took to embody Michael and portray all these emotions and such a cold, calculating character with just the eyes and facial expressions.
Excellent analysis, it's also interesting how Michael's eyes stabilize after shooting Sollazzo and McCluskey, in GF1 his eyes were darting all over the place in the diner, yet after hitting them both he became a different animal. After that his eyes were still but deadened.
Early in the first movie, he was far less likely to look people in the eye. He changes to the stare as he becomes the Don.
He knew there was a boundary he was about to step over and that his life would never be the same. The inner conflict had to be crazy!!!! Especially knowing who he was to the government at the time. A war hero
Damnit man, the explanation 🔥🔥🔥
When it comes to Pacino's portrayal of Michael Corleone, the eyes definitely have it. With each betrayal or loss Michael suffers, he seems to die a little bit more inside.
By the time he loses his mother, he seems so dead inside, he doesn't even seem to care about how his coldness is affecting the well-being of his children.
Revenge is the only thing he lives for.
All of this, Pacino conveys with his eyes.
Man this is amazing.... You just made me go and watch this masterpiece again. !!!
Where did you watch it, it’s was removed from Netflix in March ?
It's a tradition for me to watch this masterpiece once a year in winter.
@@takharamazanpolat7610 me too. I'll never get bored of rewatching both Godfather 1 and 2
The narrator is very good, making Al Pacino extremely wonderful in the film. It's the narrator that deserves an Oscar award for making those stares unique and turning them into language
8:56 I've watched Part 2 hundreds of times, but only now have I realized the irony of Kay's line "Oh Michael, you are BLIND" in contrast with Michael's EYES and acute perception in everything around him except for something as close to him as an unborn son. Incredible.
Amazing analysis! I recently re watched The Godfather films and realized how much Michael Corleone‘s character influenced Thomas Shelby‘s in Peaky Blinders. Cold, calculated, highly intelligent and true businessmen
I first saw Al Pachino in Transformers and You don't mess with Zohan. I thought to myself: Man this guy sucks!
thomas shelby has to be my second fave character all time, first being a tie between Michael or Tony Montana
OMG...I just watched Peaky Blinders season 1 and you're absolutely right. I didn't even realize that
They couldn’t have casted a better actor to be Michael Corleone than Al Pacino 👍👌🔥🔥🔥 Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson? I don’t think so!
Cillian murphy
No brooo😂😂😂😂
I was thinking along the same lines; that what the narrator describes as "Michael" is more Pacino than the fictional "Michael". In any case the cold stare I interpret not as intimation or manipulation but merely intense scrutiny.
Coppola is a casting genius!! Nobody & I mean NOBODY wanted Pacino from the studio. Coppola reran screen tests until they reluctantly relented
@@Sapientia-in-senectute He's an amazing Tom Shelby but as Michael Corleone?? No. Especially since he's not exactly Sicilian or Italian
One thing i really respect greatly and that's Michaels loyalty to his wife. He can have thousands if women but he never cheated. Just like his father. Like.
I agree.... and then she betrayed him by killing their baby
But she didn't want her child to become like Michael. So she aborted her baby.
@@igauthams Does that make it any better that she killed their baby?
@@Dragon_Lair She wanted a change in Michael's character. That's why she told the truth. Michael only compelled her to marry him. She never expected him to become a don like his father.
@@igauthams No, she also wanted to punish him, which is why she told him the way that she did.
I love how they show Michael fortifying his role while they show Don Vito's rise to power. Because Vito had to commit a lot of violence to rise to power but very little to keep it. And Michael inherited it but had to commit violence to keep it. Like most sons Michael is Vito's mirror image
The acting throughout this film, by everyone involved will never be rivaled in Hollywood again. This is the best example of cinematic perfection, in my humble opinion.
Really well done video.
Did anyone else get chills in part 1 as Michael leaves the restaurant bathroom with the hidden gun...the slight pause. When Mike walks out of the stall, he is reborn....almost like a baptism
Just when I thought I've seen every possible review and interpretation for this masterpiece. I'm rewatching the best works of Al Pacino and youtube recommended me this. This is such a great "observation" and analysis!
Awesome video. You truly feel that over the course of two movies, Michael Corleone completely loses his soul. At one time he had light and laughter and love in his eyes, then his gaze turned cold and menacing, and finally it simply turned to stone. It's not just that there was nothing left of the Michael we knew. Nothing was left of anything that one could call a regular human being. By the end all that's left is a mass-murdering, brother-killing monster. Absolutely haunting, and only Pacino could make it work.
"....there was nothing left of the Michael we knew." I think that's why Godfather III was a disappointment. It didn't work because it tried to show Michael's attempts to redeem himself. Because there was nothing left of the good man that once was, he couldn't. It was merely sad and futile, never tragic.
@@graceskerp I could still see Michael making the attempt to go legit because he's not someone that accepts failure and he'd try to see that goal to the end. It's the joke cracking, romantic day planning guy he's become that seems disjointed from who he was at the end of Part II.
@@carlrood4457 yes I thought 3 made sense also because as Men age they become calmer and softer
One of the best observations of Michael Corleone on youtube. Ever. When you look at Micheal eyes in opening scenes of GF1 you notice not an innocence, but a a definite humanity and a light behind them. His looks are detached, clever and observational but definitely human. The only time I saw genuine fear was when he went to the hospital after his father was shot and and no one was guarding him when as he slept in his hospital bed.
Personally, the exact moment for me the light behind Michael's eyes changed for good and his stare became cold, intimidating and dead (except for his kids, and his brief moment of happiness with Appellonia) was when Sargent McClusky struck him and broke his jaw outside the hospital moments before he was saved by Tom Hagen. It was brief stare but I knew that everything about Micheal had changed and Sargent Mclusky had signed his own death warrant and the man Michael 'would become' was born.
Michael embodied the underworld. Looking into his eyes is like looking into the eyes of the devil. When he came back from Cuba he looked more and more like a zombie or a ghoul. Great video 👍👍
This whole thing is fantastic and precise.
But I'm extremely impressed when you talk about Connie and that scene where she wants permission to get married, that whole breakdown even with her fiancee not acknowledging him, perfect.
Its often overlooked but you summed everything up intelligibly.
Michael has always been dark, intimidating and ruthless mob businessmen..no doubt! But remember it's Al Pacino who gave Michael that soul and life..Al Pacino the greatest ever! Thank you sir for everything you have done to the industry..you're the G.O.A.T of Hollywood..🙏🏼
His portrayal of Michael is one of the best acting performances in film history. I enjoyed him just as much as Brando who is the reason I watched the first. Oscars dropped the ball again smh
I’m so glad that video essays are still being made of the trilogy that changed my life 👍🏽
His quiet charisma was impeccable.
Michael's character arc is a masterpiece. He's such a different person in each movie, with the same character traits, but rearranged. Always stoic, loyal, determined.
In part 2, we see Michael in his darkest aspect, as a veritable monster. The allusions to him as a vampire are too numerous to be a coincidence. The way he looms in backgrounds, and creeps into rooms, echo the sinister Nosferatu. And his dark, piercing gaze seems telepathic, almost clairvoyant. He even looks similar to Christopher Lee's Dracula, especially in the close-ups where he seems to tower over his victims. It's very fitting, considering the way Michael sucks the life out of everyone around him while attempting to immortalize his family's legacy.
Al Pacino's Performance as Michael Corleone has to be One of the greatest ever. Paul Newman in the Sting, Jack Nicholson in One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest. And of course Paul Newman as Cool Hand Luke an Judge Roy Bean. I been blessed to see these Actors in their prime. Thee Greatest
Love your work, my friend 💪🤓
Pacino himself is quite a flamboyant and colourful person and it always shows in his performances. Except when he's Michael.
Michael soul stayed with Apollonia in Sicily.
someone took that away from him, now he took everything away from everybody, fair trade if you'd ask me.
@@charon7320 Yes. I agree with you.
@@charon7320 Especially because Apollonia was pregnant with twins.
Great analysis
Pacino should’ve won an Oscar for this
Al Pacino gave a masterful performance! This video was very good as well, showing that acting isn't all about speaking lines. I always felt that Michael Corleone did trade his soul to try and make everyone happy and in the end he did lose everything dear to him. When you sell your soul, the Devil takes everything from you.
This video astounded me with how unbelievably poignant, succinct, and thought provoking it was on so many levels.
Not something you see everyday on TH-cam. Instant subscribe.
As they say... the eyes are the gateway to the soul. So beautifully ironic.
This is an amazing essay on a diabolical ice cold ❄️ performance. The Oscar should have been his. I met him in his dressing room after a Broadway performance. He was humble and unassuming.
Lost all respect for “the academy “ when they withheld the best actor from Pacino for this. Absolutely brilliant performance!
Pacino was gifted with amazing eyes, and that's a real blessing for a film actor.
Michael’s eyes wiped out more people than a Thompson.
The scene with Kay is one of the most powerful ever filmed. His soul comes to the surface one last time, and then he crushes it forever by throwing her away. By the time he kills Fredo, he's not even there. There isn't even a reason for it. Nobody else cares what Fredo did, or gives him any credence at all. But the soulless gargoyle version of Michael hates the reminder that he was ever human; hates his brother's vulnerability and the memory of having been part of a family.
To be fair what Fredo did was a big problem but it seemed unlikely that it was on purpose and unlikely that it would happen again. Given that he was kind of a fuckup it seemed like he could be forgiven. If someone cared about their brother they probably would. It was just business. Think about it, if fredo was raking in millions and had some kind of similar innocent fuckup he probably wouldn’t have been killed.
@@huntertoledo8989 Oh, it was definitely on purpose. Remember, Fredo says that he was "angry at Michael" and that he didn't know that they would put a hit out on Michael...but he definitely KNEW he was helping the enemy of his brother. He felt bad about it, and I wish he hadn't been killed, but ultimately Michael didn't trust him and didn't see him as a brother after that
Fredo had to go, couldn’t be trusted again.
@@cmg2651 Nobody trusted him in the first place. Nobody, especially among Italians, would have thought Michael was weak for letting his brother live. Mike was just too far gone into evil to realize or care.
This is incredibly insightful. Pacino's performance was amazing, and yes, should have won the Oscar. It is amazing to think that Coppolla had to fight to get Pacino cast in the first film.
Incredible narration
In ways Michael was more suited for the Boss of the family than even his father. Sonny would've been good had he not had that emotionally charged temper. Michael was proven to be patient, methodical and strategically vicious. He knew that he was in the business of murderers.
No
To me he lack of sympathy, i think vito would have not allowed micheal to kill fredo despite what have happened instead give fredo a lesson. Because at that point how can he be loyal to a family when he have no family anymore. He could be a great war general but not a family leader.
@@ilmanaizad6204 i think alot of people forget how vito rose to prominence in the first place as a young man. You see him in godfather 1 and you think what a nice jovial man he is . The only difference is time vito had gotten older so he needed strong men to protect him like a dangerous luca brasi tessio clemenza. What im saying is vito was no saint and he would have killed his brother for the act of betrayal as a young man . In the mafia you betray you die brother or not . Fredo had broken the ultimate rule so he got dealt with .
Phenomenal video! Your analysis was on point, I’m super impressed!
Kudos! Bravo!. This was absolutely excellent! You have given me new insight into one of the greatest character arcs in film and renewed appreciation for Al Pacino's perfect performance.
This is the best channel on TH-cam. Thank you.
This man gave us hours of facial expressions with very few words and still captivated us.
This is an absolutely FASCINATING lens through which to watch GF II. I have watched the trilogy many times, and I have only noticed Al Pacino's eyes subconsciously. Watching this video was an amazing revelation, and the next time I watch the trilogy (every Christmastime) I will keep this in mind. Thank you, my friend.
"if michael corleone could meet michael corleone and look into his eyes, what would he see" bro's last sentences are just iconic
Who needs dialogues when you got Al Pacino's stare.
I don't understand how this channel is so underrated
Michael Corleone is my favorite movie character ever, and this video was great ! what a time to be alive 🙏🏼
Al Pacino should have gotten an Oscar just for his heart-breaking eyes 💔
This analysis, this goddamn analysis, is the best I have ever laid my eyes upon regarding Michael Corleone
Grear content
staring into the soul of those around you while gradually loosing his own..woow thats deep observation sir..very good
Al Pacino did a really great job in Godfather 2 his character development and how he stares into people’s souls without looking away I love Godfather 2 I can watch this movie everyday and never get bored
I watched this with my dad and I had no idea what was going on. I've watched Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, GOT, and plenty of other complicated shows but nothing has made me more confused than The Godfather 1/2. But in a good way. When my dad (who had watched it many times before) explained what was happening to me it all made perfect sense. That is what a good complicated movie should be instead of just confusing.
This was so insightful and well done. It did justice to the progression of the character and his descent and ruin. Few stories have a telos of narrating descent like this. Powerful.
You forgot to speak about Al's sad eyes when michael looked at him to kill Fredo
11:42 for reference
@@shizutanako5553 I noticed that Al's eyes kind of sunk.
@@psilvakimo Yeah, Al seemed way more remorseful than Michael.
@@carlrood4457 when you give the order to whack your own brother, there was a little bit of fear there too
if only Al refused to kill fredo.. that whould be much better end of a movie imho
Such a beautiful analysis. Enjoyed every second, thank you.
The Look of a man who put the idea of Family and Business above all, and who in the process sacrificed his soul on the altar of his convictions and values. So sad and so powerful at the same time!!
I’ve never seen a character that can astound you with just mimics, especially when it comes to so important life depending situations. Thats insaaane! Love everything about this movie!
So impeccably insightful and well written. Really good job, sir.
man this channel is a gem
Pacino was brilliant in these two films. Another excellent video from you, sir! I always look forward to your videos. Keep up the great work
The Godfather II is the greatest film of all time. There is nothing to happen to film again like The Godfather II.
Michael Corleone is one of the most legendary and iconic protagonists I have ever seen. The masterclass development of the character and the legendary portrayal of the character by Al Pacino.
Hats off to Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, and Al Pacino to make alive the character such as Michael Corleone.
This video is an outstanding case study of Michael Corleone's glancing. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is Pacino's best performance as Michael.. The first movie is already great but in this movie, he's on another level. Michael is a monster in Part 2