In a deleted scene, when Vito and his son's go to visit the dying Genco, Vito stops Michael in the hallway of the Hospital and asks him about his medal of honor. Michael explains to him that it was for an act of bravery, for killing a man. The Don remarks something to the effect of what you did for strangers, etc. The he goes on to ask Michael what his plans are. Michael tells him that he wants to finish school and Vito says good. My question is what do you think Vito was thinking for Michael's future. Was it then that Vito figured that he could mold Micahel into a legitimate Businessman, or did Vito realize that being that Micahel had a strong will of his own, did what he ( Michael ) wanted to do with his life and had been honored for killing someone, that this was the son who would take over the Corleone empire?


Don Cardi

I think the second one. I think Vito realized that Michael is going to do what he wants to do. I say this comparing Michael to Fredo and Santino. Fredo would have done what everyone else told him to do. Santino didnt think before he acted and didnt really listen to anybody. I think Michael was a perfect "combination" of them. When everyone was signing up for the war he didnt have to and people have had to have said to him not to do it. But he thought it over and came up with his own decision. I think that is what Vito liked about him is that he was brave enough to kill a man and showed leadership, but also that even if his decisions were not CORRECT Vito knew that Michael would have thought that they were.

Hmm, some really good points that you make. I have always felt, especially reading the book, that Michael was definately Vito's favorite son. Vito loved him in a very special way seeing that he was the most like himslef ( Vito ). But you say that you think Vito knew that Michael was the one who would inherit the Corleone family. If that is the case how do you explain Vito's remarks to Michael in the garden after his return from Italy when he said "This is not what I wanted for you, Senator Corleone, Governer Corleone...." ?

Don Cardi

When Vito comes home from the hospital, and is lying in bad at home, notice the grimace on his face when Tom tells him "It was Michael who killed Sollozzo".

Then later, in their conversation in the garden before Vito's death, Don C. tells Michael "I never wanted this for you...."

I don't think Vito ever intended to have Michael enter the family business.

first off let me start by saying I didn't read the book.

My take on what he said about that and it could be wrong is this:
I think what he meant when he said this is not what I WANTED for you he was saying it as when Michael was younger. Kinda like the good kid who goes bad kinda person, like I wanted you to be a Lawyer but now you are a street thug kinda thing. I think that he wanted "Michael the child" to be the Governor type of thing but when he saw "Michael the Man" his opinion changed.

What is your take on what he meant?

Plawrence, yes, you can clearly see that Vito is totally disgusted with his family because they involved Michael. To back up your take on this even further :

In another deleted scene after Vito is gunned down and Michael enters Vito's office, Sonny tells Michael to leave the office with one of the reason's being that " Pop will kill me if he knows you I let you hear this..." ( something to that effect ). That line tells me that Vito had discussed Michael's future with Sonny and probably made it very clear that Sonny was never to involve Michael in the business.


Don Cardi

It always sounded to me that Vito wanted Michael to be in government politics, that is, being the one pulling the strings - "Senator Corleone, Governor Corleone". As things don't go as planned, Vito says that there "wasn't enough time", meaning he didn't have time to groom him into the don position. If Michael were in President today, I wonder how he would deal with the Iraq situation? LP

Well, I'll go by what he told Sollozzo in the book...

"The profits....are huge, but so are the risks. Your operation, if I were part of it, could damage my other interests. It is true, I have many friends in politics, but they would not be so friendly if.....

.....this business of yours is too risky"

wasnt that vito?

Yeah, it was. You're right

Michael would have probably nuked 'em.

lol

come on Michael had his own Brother killed and I'm blanking right now but didn't he watch it as well?


I think he'd send out Al and Clemenza over there and wipe em all out........they have elevators and turning doors in iraq right??!?!

From the book's influence on me, and the subtle hints in the film, I definitely think that Vito wanted Sonny as the new don. Not the bad tempered and impulsive Santino Corleone that we all know, but a new one that would learn and eventually learn to peacefully progress through with the family business, and maybe even eventually bring it to a close and move into legitimacy.

In Michael, Vito saw a new hope for the family. He saw that Michael was completely independent and he might be the first to successfully escape the web of crime. Unfortunately for Michael, he kept getting drawn in by all of the minor circumstances.

DC, in the deleted scene, Michael didn't say he got the medals for killing--he said they were "for bravery." Of course, we can infer that killing was part of the bravery.
It's clear that Vito never wanted Michael to run the family. He said so in the famous garden scene: "I never wanted this for you, Michael...Senator Corleone, Governor Corleone." I think that when he said (in the deleted scene) that he "approved" of Michael finishing college, he probably figured that Michael would be a lawyer, which would lead to a career in politics. (In the novel, Vito wanted Sonny to be a lawyer because "a lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a thousand men with guns.")

We should keep that quote in mind if we speculate on what Vito would have wanted from Michael if he had become a Senator or Governor. It's hard to imagine that Vito would simply have let the Corleone empire fold, and have been content simply to see his son in the Senate or or Governor's mansion.

Well put my friend. But for some strange reason, I could have sworn that part of Michael's answer about his Medal was, along with bravery, for killing a man. COuld it have been in the book, or maybe the script? Now I have to go look for it. But your overall veiw on this topic is right on the money. You are both a mob historian in the real mob, and the movies!


Don Cardi

Trunbull,

You are right, it was not said in the deleted scene. But I knew that I read it or heard it somewhere. In the original script, it plays out like this :

DON CORLEONE : What was this for?
MICHAEL : For bravery.
DON CORLEONE : And this?
MICHAEL : For killing a man.
DON CORLEONE : What miracles you do for strangers.


Don Cardi