favorite subtlety in the trilogy

after watching the first 2 movies again today, it made me really think about how godfather is obviously famous and well-loved for all the obvious reasons like the acting, mob background, etc. but what amazes me about the movies is all the little subtleties found throughout the trilogy, not just the so-called "major scenes". i was just wondering hwat everyone elses favorite "little scene" would be. the scene that made me think of this topic was the "get the f*** outta here" look hagen gave neri in geary's hotel room after he peaks around the corner after he gutted the hooker. you can almost see the pride in neri's face about the job he did and he just wants to watch geary cry a little more.

My favorite has to be the look on Michael's face when Geary tells him ...."You and your whole F**king family!" That look on Michael's face is priceless! A look of, "you just sealed your own fate you F**king ass**le! Do you know who your F**cking with?" Priceless!


Don Cardi

There are many priceless, subtle moments. Brando's hand gesture, signaling Hagen to get Bonasera a drink right at the beginning, was worth an Academy right there. So was his gesture to Hagen to leave his chair alone at the Don's convention. And the way Brando made his face rise and fall when told of Sonny's death, and when telling Bonasera, "Look how they massacred my boy!." All wonderful.
Another subtle moment: Michael on Roth's hotel room terrace, smiling humbly when Roth says, "The doctors would disagree [about Roth's prospects for living], but what do they know," when Michael is planning all along to kill him.

My favoite is probably when Tom Hagen tells Don Vito that Sonny has died. The scene was played out perfectly-the way Hagen said "He's dead" made you feel his sadness and you knew that he wanted to cry. And after Hagen tells the Don, the way Brando looks at Duvall with his krinkled forehead, and his pitiful body slouched over with a glass of Anisette to his side-and yet you still felt a sense of power in Don Vito, a sense of honor across his diminished face. You knew what the Don was thinking, how he was feeling. This is one of those scenes that even if you didn't see any other scene in the movie, you still felt the sadness, you still felt for the characters.

I have to say the closing scene in GF1 with Clemenza coming in and Kay being shut out. The deleted scene after the death of Apollonia when Michael asks for Fabrizio. Also young Clemenza when he throws the guns in to Vito still wearing a cloth around his neck from dinner.

The look Mike gives Frankie when he says he wants the Rosato brothers dead. Sends chills up my spine every time. Also, Mike to Fredo: "Fredo, you're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again." That would have been enough, but he added the "Ever." Made me never wanna take sides against my family. My favorite though, has to be one Turnbull mentioned, when Don Vito, very non-chalantly waves off Tom's attempt to move his chair. Awesome. Another reason why Brando is the greatest ever.

I laughed at the look on young Michael's face when Vito took him to Sicily and fed him a grape which he obviously didn't like. :-)

Duvall's performance is full of subtleties from the beginning to end - I may say any scene with him. For example, when he is looking at Tessio being driven away in the end.
But my favorite scene for subtle playing is that of Mike and Vito in the hospital, when he kisses his hand and says "I'm with you now, Pop." They both are equally perfect, doing the most important conveyance with their looks only.

My favorite is when the Vito escorts the Baker out of his office after asking for the Don's help. He closes the door turns, raises his eyes and gives a sigh. Seems like he is saying "OK whats next?"

I like that one too Marty! The look on that little boy's face! Haaa!


Don Cardi

Hagen's facial expressions were always terrific..for example at the wedding when Vito told him to get Sonny..and Hagen had this pained lok on his face knowing where Sonny was and what he was doing!!

...to say nothing of that patented Duvall grin when he heard what Sonny was up to...

That has to be one of the best,But my faviorate is in GF2 where Senetor Geary is making his speech, introduces Michael and Kay and Antoney and them,then someone whispers in his ear and quickley introduces the boys choir as if he set it all up as he didn't want to talk any longer.Always makes me Chuckle.

As said before, Duvall's facial expressions are the best. Aside from the ones already mentioned here, I think my favorites are:

The scene with Johnny Fontaine in the Don's office

The scene when Michael offers to kill Sollozzo and McKluskey

The scene in GF2, when Michael tells him Tom that he's the only one he can trust, that he thinks of him as a brother, and Tom just looks so darned grateful.

I also love Diane Keaton's eyes right after the assassination attempt in Tahoe, when she's cuddling Mary on the sofa. If looks could kill...

I would have to say that my favorite sublety, (although the film is rife with them), is when you witness Woltz's horror and screaming at the sight of his $600,000 horse sperm-donor's bloody head on his bed and while he is screaming, the film pans to Don Vito sitting very casually in a chair with his eyebrows lazily raised up in a sort of nonchalant expression of indifferentism as if to say "so what did you expect?". The look lingers a little while and then he asks Tom if he was too tired to talk about the Solotzzo business. Priceless...Brando was a nutcase, but he was a heckofan awesome actor. Truly, there are none like him today...none.

~~ Lolly

It also happens to be one of my all time favorite scenes-when Fredo walks into his father's room and sits there in the window. No one says anything but it says so much about both Vito and Fredo.

An actor that doesn't get mentioned here, but does my favourite bit of subtle actibg, is Sterling Hayden. When McLuskey is shot the second time, right through the middle of the forehead seconds he actually seems to be trying to stare down death - and for a few scant seconds actually looks as if he's managing to do it.

Another is a point a Catholic friend of mine made many years ago...that Fredo's "Hail Mary " out on the boat is cut of by Neri's bullet after he says "Pray for us sinners now..."

The next words are, I believe, "...and at the hour of our death ".

Brrrr....

Warmest regards

dave

Warmest regards

Yes, you're right. These are the next words. And it is not fortuitus. Fredo KNEW he was going to die, I believe.

Nahhh, no way that Fredo knew he was going to die! Mike made him feel comfortable again, accepted him back, allowed him to intermingle with his son Anthony, so therefore Fredo never knew that he was going to be killed. He really thought that he was praying to catch that fish! The poor bastard never knew what hit him!


Don Cardi

Where's Apple when you need her?

My two favorites...

- The pickpocket as Young Vito walks through town with a basket of groceries

- Senator Geary's cannon point during the meeting with Michael

I dont know if this is a subtlety or not but in GF11 when Geary introduces Mike doesn't he mistakenly say Pat instead of Kay..and then corrects himself...

I love all the ones previously mentioned. To me, all the subtle eye gestures are what does it for me. When Vito rolls his eyes when Michael makes Kay get in the family picture. All of Tom's eye gestures. They're so simple, but they say volumes.

I may be wrong, but I think Fredo knew the family rules, after all. He was stupid but not to the point that he really believed his betrayal was forgiven. I suppose he felt safe until Carmela was alive and then as long as Anthony was around. But that very time when Anthony was not allowed to go fishing with him, I believe Fredo felt something was going to happen.

Lets not get into that again
Apple and I carry on page long arguements over that fact. If you type "Did Fredo know" in the search feature, you should be able to come up with a few of those said arguements.

One of my definite favorites from the 3 GF movies was in Godfather Pt II, right before Fredo is about to be shot in the boat, when Connie calls Anthony to the car.

When Fredo is leaning out of the boat, telling Anthony that he'll use the secret trick to catch the fish, if you look in the background at Al Neri's face, he's got this really broad grin on his face. I always was a little bit shocked by it considering what he's about to do to poor Fredo. Definetly not something you're supposed to notice, but I always did.

One more thing I like is Michael's look when Clemenza is kidding hib about the girl - I love ya with all-a my heart! - And he goes to pour water and rolls his eyes - just a second, but so priceless!

My favorite scene is when Fredo shows the group "Superman". When Fredo says that Johnny Ola showed him the place, and the way Mike's face changes is amazing. That is the best acting.

Man, all of you folks must have telescopic eyesight! To be able to see these eyes rolling and eyes going up and down in some of these scenes is amazing! For example, I don't know how anyone could have seen Vito's eyes rolling when Michael insisted that Kay be in the picture! But then again, my eyesight is not all that great. So, more power to you guys!

~~ Lolly

Lolly, after you watch the movie a few times it is easier to pick up on little thing.

For instance, the Tahoe Assassins. You watch the movie the first time and think Mike is having a party, he's about to go to sleep and SOMEONE tries to kill him. Go outside find out that the Assassins aren't going to tell you who sent them because they are dead- move on with the story.

I watched it a second time and just looking for little things I missed and when the guards are running through the trees I thought who in the world killed them?

Of course people might have picked up on it the first time they watched it but for me I can only look for the "overall" theme of the movie the first time I see it.


And most of us here have seen it 20/30/40 times. When you know what is happening you are able to look at other things. Vito's hand in the hospital for example.

All mentioned here are great but one scene gives me chill the most and that's the look Michael gives Kay when he finds out about the abortion.

Oooooh, the abortion look. Mike took on the look of Satan in that scene. With his eyes tearing up, his lip shaking, wow.

The little half-smile Michael gives Carlo with the reassurance "Come on, you think I'd make my sister a widow? I'm godfather to your son Carlo"

Here's one more subtlety that I like so much - It's the drunk Fredo at wedding, and how he kisses Kay. Cazale is unimitable in this scene.

As stupid as Fredo was, I gotta say, IMO, he put in the best performance in GFII. The scene that sealed his fate, the "IT AINT THE WAY I WANTED IT" scene, is one of the best and most emotional movie scenes I've ever seen. You could feel is anger, his jealousy. The 2nd or 3rd time I saw it, I found myself screaming at my TV "SHUT UP FREDO! JUST SHUT UP! AND HE MIGHT LET YOU LIVE!"

The abortion scene is so awesome,the slow yet dramatic changes in Michael's face during that scene reminds me of old werewolf movies where the innocent man turns into a savage muderous beast. ALL HAIL PACINO!!

The abortion scene is great in another respect as well. The scene starts with children walking back and forth and inside the room kay and michael begin to argue. Against the backdrop of the children happily running around the floor, the argument inside turns really violent. Somewhat reminescent of the baptism scene.