Why did not Vito suspect Barzini until after the meeting with the heads? Are there any clues given to the viewer as to why Vito arrives at this conclusion? He gives the exlanation that "Tattaglia is just a pimp" and doesn't have what it takes, but he does not provide a reasoning for suspecting Barzini. I assume that it was because Vito knew that a) Barzini was powerful and b) Barzini seemed to side somewhat with Tattaglia, i.e. he was not chairing the meeting objectively, but was biased to Tattaglias pro-drug camp. Are there other explanations?

Sure. Watch the way the meeting was conducted. It was supposed to be a negotiation between the Corleones and the Tattaglias over a resolution to the war. When it came time to hammer our the details of how the drug trade was to be run, Barzini took over the negotiations and sealed the deal. This showed that Barzini was using Tattaglia as a front, and that Barzini was the one behind the attempted assassination of the Don as well as Sollozzo all along.

Plus, Barzini gave Vito some other clues:
Although Vito called the meeting, and said that he thanked Barzini for "helping me to arrange this meeting" (emphasis added), Barzini, not Vito, sat at the head of the table. Barzini stepped in by taking Tattaglia's part ("not the action of a friend). And notice that while the other Dons are all smoking cigars, Barzini's the only one smoking a cigarette--a sign that he's not just another "Moustache Pete."

Another fine piece of detail added by FFC. And one that the average casual viewer wouldn't even pick up on or read into.

To add to what both DonT and Turnbull said, it showed how Barzini was the modernized boss. The one most willing to cahnge with the times and forgo the old world traditions and styles.


Don Cardi

But Vito sat in the centre of the long side; some conference tables are arranged with the most important speaker in this position rather than at the "head".



Also, since the beef was supposedly between Vito (for Sonny) and Tattaglia (for his son Phillip), wouldn't it be only natural for a third party to chair proceedings? For Vito to have sat as chairman would have been like sitting as a judge in his own case.

Don Arvido and Dr.Who Fixed Lucy, Here's the transcript of that scene ;

VITO CORLEONE : "When -- when did I ever refuse an accommodation? All of you know me here -- when did I ever refuse? -- except one time. And why? Because -- I believe this drug business -- is gonna destroy us in the years to come. I mean, it's not like gambling or liquor -- even women -- which is something that most people want nowadays, and is ah forbidden to them by the pezzonovante of the Church. Even the police departments that've helped us in the past with gambling and other things are gonna refuse to help us when in comes to narcotics. And I believed that -- then -- and I believe that now."


Now instead of Tattaglia responding to Vito, the one who Vito was supposed to have had the differences with, the one that Vito was looking to make the peace with, BARZINI jumps right in and resonds instead of Tattaglia :

BARZINI : "Times have changed. It's not like the Old Days -- when we can do anything we want. A refusal is not the act of a friend. If Don Corleone had all the judges, and the politicians in New York, then he must share them, or let us others use them. He must let us draw the water from the well. Certainly he can -- present a bill for such services; after all -- we are not Communists."

Of course reading it and actually watching the scene, seeing Barzini's reaction makes a big diference. But if Barzini was really acting as the peacemaker here, then he would have never jumped right in to reply to Vito, and not in the manner that he did. Tattaglia would have been the one to reply, and then Barzini would have acted as the moderator, listening to both sides first and then suggesting an agreeable solution. But he instead responded, basically telling Vito how and what should have been done. And at that moment Vito realized that Sonny had been fighting this war all along with Barzini being behind the whole thing from the onset.


Don Cardi

Right: so Barzini was neutral on the Corleone/Tattaglia beef directly concerning the murdered sons.

Obviously he was not neutral on the narcotics debate. But then none of the Dons were. He was still a better choice as chairman for two reasons: firstly, his non-involvement in the murdered sons issue (at least explicitly) and secondly, he was the appropriate spokesperson for the pro-narcotics Dons.

So the meeting was dual purpose: (1) to resolve the Tattaglia/Corleone murdered sons issue and (2) to resolve the narcotics issue. In the first, Barzini is a "neutral" chair; in the second, he is the speaker "for" while Vito is the speaker "against".

Barzini wasn't neutral in anything. He was behind the hit on Sonny and the attempted hit on Michael which killed Appolonia.

Sonny reacted by having Bruno Tattaglia killed because everyone in the Corleone family thought, at the time, that they were at war with the Tattaglias.

Barzini tried to appear as the neutral Don who would bring these two families together again, but he showed his hand when he jumped in and replied to Vito instead of sitting back like a mediator should. And in that instance, Vito was smart enough to see right through the whole thing.

It was Barzini all along. Tattaglia was a pimp. A figurehead, a puppet dancing on Barzini's strings.


Don Cardi

Behind the scenes, yes, but openly the feud was between Tattaglia and Vito over Sonny and Phillip. Barzini had no "blood" involvement in that feud, so he was in that sense neutral.

Yes, I guess that you can look at it that way.

Barzini couldn't give a damn about either of their deaths. Barzini's main objective was to get Vito to share his political connections with him so that he could get his new business of drug dealing going and make his money. That was all Barzini really cared about getting done at that meeting.

And once he was able to get Vito to agree to share those politicians with him and began to make his money, he would then become the powerhouse family that the Corelones were. He intended to make as much money as he could and become the boss of bosses at the same time. Power and money is all he cared about.


Don Cardi

Sure, that's probably how it would happen in the real world. But in Mobdom, protocol is important, and the top Mob guy would try to assert himself by sitting at the head of the table. In fact, Vito's "relinquishing" of the head-of-table seat to Barzini could have underscored an even more subtle point: Vito deliberately appearing "weak" to fool his enemies--and giving Barzini a chance to show his colors, or enough rope to hang himself, as it turned out.

Barzini was trying to become the most powerful don. He thought he had more power on his side (as far as other families aligning with him) and that Don Vito was old and tired, worn out. He thought that the Corleone family was literally falling apart. That's where he fell into a trap and became complacent. Don Vito let him think that he was quits, but all along he was planning his moves. He was probably a brillant chess player, or could have been one.

sorry to be pedantic...but people keep referring to the corleone family killing phillip tataglia....the son.

his name was bruno tataglia.

phillip was his father, DON tataglia...who yes was eventually killed but not in the circumstances to which people have been referring.

again i apologise for being pedantic. i am british and a stickler for detail.

Everyone?


Don Cardi

Everyone?


Don Cardi

Everyone?


Don Cardi

Exactly right DC, and this is borne out by Moe Green making the mistake of telling Michael what he is thinking when he says "The Corleone family don't have that kind of muscle anymore." and "I talk to Barzini. I can make a deal with him and still keep my hotel."

As Hagen said to the Don and Sonny after he returned from California: "With the money [other families] earn from drugs, they can buy more police and political power than we have. When they think they're stronger than we are, they'll come after what we have." In the novel, he added: "It's just like countries: if they arm, we have to arm."
I still think it's possible that Sollozzo (no dummy, he) originally approached Barzini because Sollozzo, like the Don, saw that Tattaglia was a pimp. But Barzini might have told him, "Look, if Vito Corleone sees that I'm backing you, he'll refuse to help--because he knows I'm the most ambitious of the other Dons and I'll have the most to gain from the money generated by drugs. He'll view helping you as helping me to unseat him. Go to Tattaglia instead. Tattaglia's a pimp--Vito won't fear him. Meanwhile, I'll be your and Tattaglia's silent backer and partner."

I was reading the "GF Legacy" today and came across a picture with the meeting of the five families. I thought I saw a picture of Tattaglia smoking a cigarette. Perhaps I have mistaken him for someone else?