I know this is old stuff to most of you, but I am new at watching the DVD.

In the deleted scene where Fannucci is getting attacked by the thugs, does he realize it's Vito standing by holding the box of groceries? He looks in that direction, and Vito is intentionally holding the box to cover his face, but does Fannucci recognize him? The DVD said that was to be a scene prior to Vito Killing Fannucci. As he was staggering toward Vito's direction, I couldn't make out if he said his name.


TIS

I would say that he doesn't recognise Fanucci, TIS. I think if he had, Fanucci would have kept a low key with regard to not wanting to humiliate himself in front of Vito. He probably was aware of somebody's presence there, but he was too concerned about blood on his suit to notice who Vito actually was.

Mick

I believe he was yelling for help in Italian. Pretty sure he did not see or recognize Vito.

wil.

Hi TIS,

Good questions. I always saw this scene as how vulnerable Fannucci was and he was basically out there on his own with no back-up. Young Vito saw this as an opportunity with little risk or no risk

Yeah, that's when Vito realizes Fannuci is basically a fraud. A tough-talking hood with no men at his command, and little or no connection to the Black Hand, or any feared Costa nostra family at the time.

Thats the scene where he realised he could kill Fanuchi

I know, but Vito wouldn't have tried to kill Fannicci if he really was connected to the Black Hand, or had a powerful Mafia ally like Maranzella.

Im very sure Vito would kill fannucci wether he was connected to the black hand or not. I mean its not in the movie this scene, so if you only watch the final cut, then vito just simple decides to kill him. Also I'm not sure if fannucci is losing credit as a gangster when he is mugged by thugs. I mean, he seem's confident to take on those little punks and is playing with them almost. Then out of nowhere he gets cut.

I dont remember fannucci looking in his direction...perhaps a little down. To me it seemed like he did not see anyone there...i mean Vito is hiding and fannucci is running by screaming, so that would seem weird if he saw him all along.

Peace

CCDevlin

Fanucci lost face as a gangster in two ways: First, because he did not generate enough fear or force to discourage two kids from trying to kill him. Second, the novel notes that he killed one kid, but allowed the other kid's family to pay him a tribute to save their son's life. A real "man of respect" would have killed the kid no matter how much money was offered. As Vito said to Genco in the film, "In my town, if you attack a man, you better finish him off." What he meant was: if you let someone off the hook, he'll try to kill you later. That's why Vito later returned to Sicily to kill Don Ciccio, and why Michael was so ruthless with his enemies.

True Turnbull, but the scene left out of the film because why then? It was apearently not needed for us to think that Fannucci was less of a gangster. Vito saying that in his town you better kill some on off if you atack him is acording to you responding to a situation that we dont see in the movie, so that would be a gap in the film right?

CCDevlin

I disagree. Vito would not be stupid enough to kill a man who was a member of the Black Hand, since he knew that would pretty much be suicide. Plus, Vito didn't have just himself to worry about, he had a wife, and 3 kids, and I don;t think he wanted his wife a widow, and his kids fatherless. After the knife scene, for the reasons that Turnbull wrote, Vito knew Fannucci was a fraud, and there would be no danger from the Black Hand if he killed him.

I agree on that if the deleted scene was still in the picture. But it was taken out. So then you're saying that copolla left out a scene that was importantly influencing the way Vito got the idea that he could get away with killing fannucci, since he wasnt that tough.

CCDevlin

I don't know why he left it out, but it wouldn't be the first time FFC let us in the dark about certain events (the specifics of Paulie and Fredos betrayls come to mind.)

FFC was under great pressure to bring the GF films in at "reasonable" lengths. Hours and hours of film weren't included in the Trilogy. About 45 minutes of deleted scenes have been acknowledged and have been made available to us--either on the extra disc in the DVD set, or in the "Saga" version that is shown periodically on TV. All of those deleted scenes, imo, were important. The Fanucci-vs-kids scene was important. But there were others. For example, there's a scene in GF when, after Connie's wedding, Vito, Michael, Sonny, Fredo and Johnny Fontaine visit Genco on his deathbed. Vito also has a dialog with Michael about his future. That scene tells us why Tom became consigliere. It also tells us much more about Michael's estrangement from his family, which adds power to the later scene, in the hospital, when he says, "I'm with you now, Pop."

I think the 'specifics' of Fredo's betrayal are made perfectly clear in that classic boathouse encounter. Fredo expresses rage and jealousy at his being passed over in favor of his younger brother. Probably for the first time. Even without the deleted scene between himself & Deanna at the film's opening (..."Because he's head of the family."...), we are made aware that this has been eating away at Fredo for years. He went after the chance at something for him, on his own; and even though he wasn't aware of a planned hit...was perfectly willing to sell out his brother in order to get it.

I don't think FFC left us in the dark at all about Fredo or his betrayal.

Apple

That's not what I meant by the specifics of Fredo's betrayl, Apple. What I meant was how exactly Fredo betrayed Michael in the first place, i.e. leaking info to Johnny Ola about other entrances into the compound, opening the drapes, etc.

Oh, ok.

Actually though, none of those specifics matter when you just take into account that Fredo DID leak info to Johnny Ola.

That's where the story is, not in the incidentals.

Apple

The way the released version was edited, Vito anonymously kills Fanucci, which means he is relatively safe. His partners Clemenza and Genco are unaware of his plans, he only tells them he will pay Fanucci less than Fanucci demanded and will reason with him to agree. Vito then does this in an open place, a business. If Fanucci has connections, there is no real link to Vito as the likely killer. Rather, there are scads of suspects; everyone hated him!

Had other scenes been included to the finished version, then perhaps the first script, the one where Vito tells his partners he plans to kill Fanucci, would be more important.

As it stands, the fact that Vito takes $100 from his two partners, pretends to pay Fanucci, and makes $100 from them for the murder without their knowledge, adds so much more to Vito's character as the burgeoning Don. Sprinkle in his concern for a woman and her dog, and you have a cool, calculating, ruthless man with a soft edge for loyalty, love and faithfulness.

I agree with that Arthur. though everyone seemed to know that vito killed fannucci after he did it. He gained respect from Tessio and Clemenza and become their leader after he had been the lesser one of them in their mind for a while. Then also the people are so nice to him, giving him free things. Also the landlord becomes very afraid of vito after he hears from the street ( listening to them on vito's advice ) that he is very capable of certain things. I 'm sure they told him about the murder on fannucci.

But perhaps you took al this in your story.

CCDevlin

You bring up a good point CC Devlin. It was never shown that everyone knew Vito killed Funnucci. I assumed probably just Clemenza and Tessio knew.

Yet, when he told Signor Roberto, to "ask around about me", etc I suppose that would indicate he had earned a respect and/or "rank" of sorts. I guess it just doesn't seem to me that Vito would want something like that to be common knowledge, even tho I'm sure everyone who knew Funnucci was glad he was killed.

TIS