Something about the movies has often puzzled me. Why does Vincent succeed Mike and not Sonny's other son (i only know of one, maybe there are more)? Where is Sonny's wife? It seems as though we, the audience, are purposely kept away from her and Sonny's children for a reason, but I can't quite make out why (if this is even the case)

It is very puzzling. For the life of me I cannot understand why FFC didn't go for the Sonny's legitimate son angle. Truthfully there were so many different angles that FFC could have gone with.


Let's face it, he slapped that movie together for the $$$$.


Don Cardi

oh yeah... I understand, but it just hinders the whole trilogy, in my eyes. But, yeah, I guess you're right... must be the $

If Sonny's widow was Tom Hagen's mistress, as has been suggested elsewhere, it may be that Michael didn't want Sonny's son to be too close to the family business. Also, I seem to recall there is a deleted scene in GFII where one of Sonny's daughters brings her fiancee to get Michael's blessing for their wedding. In that scene Michael advises the young man to finish a business degree, and the young man says something about having a lot of money. Michael then tells someone to make sure she gets a big dowry because he doesnt want the boy's family to think she comes from a poor family. So maybe with Sandra at the head of Sonny's family and Tom having an influence on the kids, they all became legit, thus leaving Vincent.

ok... good explaination DonT. That's one that I can live with.

Actually, I think it was just a dramatic device that FFC chose. The unknown child that emerges from nowhere to eventually take the reins of the family is dramatic. Of course, for the audience, at least those who had read the novel, it was totally unexpected. For those who didn't read the novel, FFC arranges for Connie to introduce Vinny to Michael("... Sonny's boy." "Oh yeah, I forgot."

thanks Olivant. I agree, although I know that it's more dramatic, that doesn't make it logical. And it would seem unprobable, knowing Michael Corleone, that it would happen like that. oh yeah, is this the first time Michael ever sees Vincent???

No this is not the first time Michael has seen vincent. In the scene with Joey Zasa, Michael says he had offered Vincent the opportunity to work for him in the legitimate world, but that he (Vincent) chose not to, and that Zasa, out of the kindness of his heart gave him a job working for him.

I thought so, but I was confused by olivant when she stated: "For those who didn't read the novel, FFC arranges for Connie to introduce Vinny to Michael("... Sonny's boy." "Oh yeah, I forgot."

what does this imply???

Again, the introduction of Vinny to Mike by Connie was for the audience's benefit. If you read the novel, you could reasonably infer that Vinny was Sonny's and Lucy's son. If you didn't read it, then you'd wonder where this kid came from. All by itself, the introduction doesn't make any sense beacuse then, as posted above, Mike acknowleges that he knows Vinny.

oh... ok... i guess that makes sense. thank you

Olivant, I am not sure what you are talking about here. Vincent does not appear in the novel at all. He is purely a figment of FFC and Puzo's imagination in GFIII. If you look at the actual dialogue, Vincent is summoned to Michael's office after Zasa complaints about him. Connie comes in nwith vincent and the following dialogue takes place:

Connie - Micheal, You know Vincent, Sonny's boy.

Michael - Vincent - How you doin Mr. Corleone.

Since the novel details the relationship between Sonny and Lucy and since that relationship is illustrated in one of the more infamous scenes in the film, one could infer that Vinny was conceived as a result of that relationship.

It makes no sense for Connie to tell Mike that Vinny is his brother's son when a few minutes later Mike acknowleges that he previously offered Vinny a legitimate job. That introduction was for those in the audience who were not aware of the intimate relationship between Sonny and Lucy expressed or illustrated in either the novel or the film.

I thnk you are right here. If anyone has followed the three movies, this would be a gratuitous line, especially in light of the fact that we see Vincent enter the party with Lucy Mancini (he uses the name) and we also see Mary saying she is his cousin, and finally we hear Zasa referring to him as "the one who says he's related to you --- a bastard." It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he was Sonny's boy....especially a minute later when Michael observes "temper just like his father's."