The most powerful ONE WORD in The Godfather...

When you think of one liners of The Godfather, many great ones come to mind...

but how many "one worders" can you think of that were spoken and were so indiciative of that character...rarely can someone say ONE word in a movie and you feel such overall intensity and great acting from the delivery...No single word delivery in any movie, was ever so telling to me like this one:

When Michael is in the car with Sollozzo and says..."Wer'e going to Jersey?"....

Sollozzo stares him down with cold precision and in his low, powerful tone says...

"Maybe...."

"Dad."- Mary Corleone

GoodFella

I don't know about most powerful, but they are intense.

GF - "sonofabitch" - Sonny Corleone when he sees Connie beat up.

GF2 - "Morte" - Frankie P. tell Michael how he wanted the Rosatos.

GF3 - "Bastardo" - Joey Zaza whispering in Vincent's ear

Michael's 'ENOUGH...!!' to Kay at end of GF, when she's trying to find out if he really had Carlo killed.

Apple

Yes "Enough"...very powerful.

How about Michael yelling "Appollonia" just before the car blows up and he gets thrown back from the blast, not completely finishing her name.


TIS

No!

That No in the GF is the Best Line EVER!

how about "refuse"? that's a pretty significant word in film 1. Or overall, "business".

defintely:
"Dad?"

I agree with Apple about "Enough" but I also think when he lies to Kay by simply saying "no" is extremely powerful also.

I think when Mike says, "Enough!!" and slams his hand on the desk is a good one. Then when he says "NO", and lies to his wife soooo convincingly. Thats a crucial scene with great "one-worders".

I also believe when Mary says "Dad?" is heart-breaking. It seems to me to be a very real response to what happens to her.

hmmm..what else? The Godfather is full of these things though..like when..oh I can't think of any right now. I swear I must watch this film again, its that time of the year.

Good topic! How about this word, which shows Michael's increasingly business-like, detached behavior: "Ever."

Now it does need the sentence before it ("But don't ever take sides with anyone outside the family again."). Michael is warning Fredo not to cross him. As we find out later, Fredo paid with his life for taking sides against the family.

im going with enough

i think that's "enough" too

"No" to Kay at the end of I

"Uhm!"- Lucy Mancini

GoodFella

That would undoubtedly be Michael's "No." in the end of The Godfather.

"Morto"

"Reason" as in "I'll reason with him" (meaning he'll see it my way, or he'll be dead).

Lets break down "enough" since we are doing character analysis. Before, Micheal, the soldier, was always telling kay stuff about the family even though she was not directly involved. So, kay asks expecting to get a straight answer, and when Micheal gives here the "ENOUGH" is when he becomes a new man, he becomes the don: head of the Corleone family.

I always liked Fredo's pleading "Mikey" right after Michael says the whole "not a brother not a friend.." part and walks away. I find his "Mikey" so heartbreaking. ........

I agree with you, IM. In fact, as I've said before, John Cazale's Fredo was one of the true gems of the entire Godfather II movie.

uhh... we're all forgetting the obvious here:
"family"...?

I think "Enough" is the clear answer to this question, but I also think that when Fredo says "Mikey" is pretty good too.

How about when Mama Andolini asks Don Chiccio to spare her son's life and he says simply "No!"

You can take it even further by stating examples of most powerful moments when absolutely NOTHING is said at all!

One that springs to mind is when Fredo believes he has been welcomed back to the fold as Michael slowly, but surely, raising his head to stare straight at an awkward looking Al Neri to give the signal.

Incredible moment.

along with Mary's "Dad,
i would say in the hospital when Connie finally concedes to Michael to listen to him. "YES!"

I would say

"Apollonia."

after Michael asks Vitelli his daughter's name. A vert beautiful name.

Vaffanculo!

PAPA! - Fredo

i think its interesting that the word "mafia" was never said

In GF3 Vincent shoots Joey Zaza and says ZaaaZaa.

wil. BTW. Welcome Keyser Sose. Another one of my personal favorite movies. "What about it, pretzel man, what's your story"?

As I understand it, the word "mafia" was never spoken because Joe Colombo and his Italian American Defamation Society (or whatever it was called) lobbied heavily to keep it out of the movie.

This was obviously before he was assassinated during a rally in Columbus Circle by the Gambino Family!

Canolli did you know that the plural for cannoli is cannoli? Do you spell it like that (cannolis) because Clemenza seems to use the s at the end?

From Websters:
Main Entry: can·no·li
Pronunciation: k&-'nO-lE, ka-
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Etymology: Italian, plural of cannolo small tube, diminutive of canna
Date: 1943
: a deep-fried tube of pastry filled with sweetened and flavored ricotta cheese


wil.

That's the line he used. I have no idea what the plural of the word is. I just like to eat 'em. I don't parse 'em.

Cannoli LOL. good answer. I hope you don't mind me using the Clemenza avatar and the cannoli tag line. I had no idea you had them when I registered. I will change them if you want me to.


wil.

Doesn't bother me any.

"son of a bitch!" - sonny
not one word, but if you insist.
"sonufabitch!"