Analysis of a scene from 'The Godfather'

In this scene from 'The Godfather', Apollonia dies.

This is my Take on the death of Apollonia referencing Sun Tzu's 'Art of War': 

Art Of War, Chapter 9: The Army on the March

“Pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the neighborhood of valleys”

The Godfather (Mario Puzo): “Every man has but one destiny”

In this scene, Michael is still in exile in Sicily after murdering a New York Police Captain and a drug dealer. During his exile, he marries a young Sicilian woman woman named Apollonia. They are staying in the villa of a local Don who is a friend of The Godfather but for only a short time. Enemy spies are also in Sicily and Michael can’t stay in one place for long. His car is booby-trapped with a bomb that kills his new wife and this death of an innocent represents his baptism into his father’s world and seals his destiny to take over the Corleone empire. The Biblical metaphor here is that his love for Apollonia represented the one thing that could come between himself and complete unconditional love for his father. Apollonia’s death and the poverty of his homeland enables Michael to fully understand his father’s determination to not be a puppet on the string of no one else. Also, as explained in the previous clip, the Don had cleared the way for Michael to return to America and if Apollonia had not died, Michael may not have made the decision to return to America and stand by his father. Throughout this film, death complements life in some form or another. 

A scene-by-scene examination of 'Ali: Fear Eats The Soul'

A scene by scene analysis of 'Ali: Fear Eats The Soul'

You can follow this Analysis with the DVD

Title 2 (1:34-20:26) (19:52) Stop after they make love and hug

The story is set in Munich, Germany. It is raining outside and the sound of Arabian music draws Emmi into the Asphalt Bar where she meets Ali. A young woman dares him to dance with Emmi and he asks Emmi to dance.  Afterwards, he walks her home and she invites him up to her apartment until it stops raining. Over a cup of coffee and brandy, they talk. She and her father were in the Nazi party. He is a Muslim and comes from a large family. He is guest worker from Tismit in Morocco.He stays over the night and they make love.  

My viewpoint

Right away, it is clear that both Emmi and Ali are lonely. The rain is her loneliness and the Arabian music is Ali calling out to her and drawing her into the bar. At first when the young beautiful Arabian woman dares him to dance with Emmi, it seems like he’s simply playing along. However, as they dance and talk about themselves and share their pain with each other, you can clearly see that there is something there and the girls at the bar see it, too, which is why they don’t look so happy about it. Ali and Emmi have a connection that goes beyond their differences. Another thing that Thomas D. and I discussed at the Meetup (12/3/16) is how the younger women in the bar are the ones who show their insecurities against a woman who is twice their age and unattractive (in the conventional sense of the word). Usually, this would be the other way around with the older, unattractive woman being the one showing insecurities against younger attractive women. I believe that the younger women in the bar could “feel” something about Emmi that they themselves lacked. Emmi brings warmth.

The apartment where she lives is like her, old and worn, but at the same time, warm. They talk in the vestibule. She has 3 children but only sees them on special occasions. They live their own lives. She cleans for a living and lives alone. Emmi opens the door to see if it is still raining. It is and she invites him to stay until it stops. She makes a beautiful statement that sums up the whole move: “I’ll go see if the rain’s stopped,” she says, and seeing that it hasn’t she says, “It’s still pouring. Why don’t you come up for a while? I’ll make us a coffee, and maybe the rain will stop.” Great moment! 

Ali and Emmi are emotional opposites. Ali doesn’t show or express his feelings and Emmi does. With Ali, it is impossible to know from his face if he is not simply leading Emmi on. But when he shows up in her room and sits on her bed and starts caressing her arm, and, most importantly, sharing his pain with her, only then is it certain that Ali is as taken with Emmi as she is with him. From this point in the film, Emmi shares Ali's pain and Ali is able to deal with the racist attitudes from her society.  

Wikipedia 

• The film was shot in just under two weeks, and was planned as an exercise in film-making for Fassbinder, to fill in the time in his schedule between the work on two other films, Martha and Effi Briest.

• Ali is played by El Hedi ben Salem, who was Fassbinder's partner at the time. Barbara is played by Austrian actress Barbara Valentin, who was in the 1980s a partner of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the band Queen. 

Title 7 (26:17-29:13) (2:56) Stop after “Your mother’s got a screw loose.”

Emmi tells her daughter and son-in-law that she’s in love with Ali, a Moroccan 20 plus years her junior and they think that she is joking, not really taking her seriously at all. 

My viewpoint

This is a great scene from the standpoint of the cinematography and costume design. Her white daughter has on a black nightie that suggests that her outlook on her mother’s relationship will be polarized and racist. Contrast this with Emmi’s dress which is multi-colored coinciding with her attraction to Ali. Also, note the crucifix hanging in the corner suggesting what will happen to her and Ali from this point forward as they make their relationship public. 

Wikipedia

The man playing her son-in-law in this scene is Fassbinder himself who was in a relationship with the actor playing Ali in this film 

Title 11 (43:22-46:05) (2:43) Stop after children leave 

Emmi breaks the news of her marriage to Ali to her children who all disown her and leave. 

My viewpoint

Emmi is devastated by the way her children react to her marriage while Ali is almost completely unemotional. The 2nd half of the film reverses the emotional roles he and Emmi play in the 1st half of the film. Now, though, it is Emmi who acts as the safety-valve for the both of them. 

Title 12 (46:05-49:15) (3:10) Stop after Emmi leaves store

Store owner refuses to serve Alit. Emmi confronts store owner and he throws her out

My viewpoint

Ali is unemotional when he is mistreated by the store owner who refuses to serve him; Emmi is the opposite, confronting the store owner directly

Title 13 (52:17-57:34) (5:17) Stop after police car leaves

One of Emmi’s co workers has lost a sister and stops by to ask if Emmi can stand in for her. But when Emmi introduces her friend to Ali, the woman changes her mind and leaves. Ali wants to go see his buddies but Emmi tells him to invite his friends to their place. Emmi’s neighbors call police on her for playing loud music. 

My viewpoint

Emmi begins to distance herself from Ali in the form of denial. When the woman sees Ali then leaves Emmi blames the sudden about-face on the fact that the woman just lost a sister even though the woman was obviously disturbed at the sight of Ali. The pressure has weakened Ali but when Barbara invites him to her place he still has the will-power to refuse her invitation. Another thing to note is the rejection of his culture when the police order them to turn down their music. It’s not that the music is loud but the fact that it is Arab music. You also notice that all of the rejection comes from Emmi’s society. Ali’s side has no problem with Emmi being white. 

Title 14 (59:57—1:03:08) (3:11) Stop after Emmi says “They will.”

Emmi and Ali are at a table on the patio of a restaurant. The employees of this restaurant are gathered together staring at them. Emmi cries but Ali is unemotional. 

My viewpoint

This is the pivotal scene in the film but 1st I want to comment on the cinematography. The scene begins with a very wide shot showing the couple surrounded by empty tables and space. They are totally alone as they have been ostracized by Emmi’s family, her friends, and her society. The close ups focus on Emmi’s face which is worn down with age and fatigue. This scene compresses everything they’ve dealt with being together. This scene is also the breaking point for Emmi, that she has reached the limit of her strength.

Title 15 (1:04:41-1:10:52) (6:03) Stop after Ali leaves

Mrs. Ellis, who once insulted Emmi and Ali, asks to borrow Emmi’s storage space and Emmi agrees, getting Ali to move the woman’s stuff. Next, Anton, the grocery who refused to serve Ali and who threw Emmi out of his store sees her and is all smiles. He drags her into his store. Next, Emmi’s son Bruno asks her if she can babysit his kid for a given time and Emmi agrees to do so. This is the same Bruno who kicked in her television when he found out she was marrying Ali, a Black man.

My viewpoint

Emmi tells Ali to be nice to Ms. Ellis “and she will be nice to you.” This is the statement that defines Emmi from this point on. Everyone in this scene needs something from her and are willing to “tolerate” Ali and hide their true feelings. Emmi wants so badly to be accepted that she is blind to the fact that none of this is real. She even goes to the point of condemning Ali of the one thing he has to remember his own culture by refusing to make couscous for him. He left his Arab friends, the bar where he used to hang out and listen to Arab music, everything that he identifies with for Emmi’s culture where he has no friends, only those who wish to use him. And now that Emmi feels accepted again, she won’t even make his favorite dish! Emmi is no longer expressing her feelings and now all of the pain Ali’s been holding in begins to show in various ways.

Title 17 (1:18:23-1:19:44) (1:21) Stop after Ali leaves

Emmi allows her racist friends to grope Ali, feeling his muscles. He is insulted and leaves

Emmi is selling her soul to be accepted by her friends at Ali’s expense. Now, she’s showing him off like a freak. Again, the feelings he’s been able to suppress earlier in the film begin to show.

Title 17 (1:21:12-1:22:38) (1:26) Stop after they fall on couch

Ali visits Barbara who own the Asphalt Bar. They make love and he stays the night. 

My viewpoint

Ali is weakened by Emmi’s rejection and to address his pain he seeks pleasure in the form of sex with Barbara. Barbara, is much younger and far more attractive then Emmi but she can’t replace the warmth Emmi gave Ali. Without Emmi’s warmth, Ali seeks sex as a distraction. Again, the cinematography in this scene is very effective in showing the coldness of their lovemaking as the camera perspective is far away from them, almost detached, turning them into vague forms enclosed by darkness. 

Title 19 (1:25:22-1:33:12) (7:50) end of film

Ali is at Barbara’s bar gambling and losing all of his money. Emmi stops in the bar and she and Ali dance. Ali doubles over and is taken to the hospital to have a perforated ulcer removed. 

My viewpoint

Ali’s pain expresses itself in diversion, in this case, the diversion is gambling. Slapping himself foreshadows the perforated ulcers in that both are him attacking himself. Without Emmi as an emotional safety-valve, Ali implodes. When they reunite and dance as they danced in the beginning of the film, he tells her of his affair with Barbara and they make up. But by this time the damage is done and it is too late. However, there is a glimmer of hope at the end of the film as Ali lay unconscious with Emmi at his side holding his hand. Once again, as she had in the 1st half of the film, she cries, and in doing so, gives expression to his pain. 

Baptism: a scene from 'The Godfather'

In this scene from 'The Godfather', I will examine the baptism of Michael Corleone's godson.

Art Of War, Chapter 4: 

Tactics

“The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.”--Sun Tzu

Chapter 6:

Weak Points and Strong

“All men can see the individual tactics necessary to conquer, but almost no one can see the strategy out of which total victory is evolved.”--Sun Tzu

Again, in this clip we see the organic relationship between life and death as Michael attends the baptism of his godson as his soldiers kill off the heads of the other 4 New York Families. By the time the godson is baptized and the heads of the 4 New York Families are executed, Michael emerges in all of his glory as the undisputed Don of Dons, the reincarnation of his father, Vito Corleone. By pretending to be weak, closing the Family’s New York businesses and moving everything out to Vegas, Michael and his Family were not only underestimated, but their enemies became arrogant to the point of letting their own guard down as the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 18: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”