By III, I believe that both Kay and Michael came full circle in their own way.

Kay in the sense that she had reached a point where she went back to her original roots, but at the same time became 100% wise to the kind of person that Michael had become.

Michael in the sense that he became remorseful. He too went back to his roots which made him come to the realization that the road that he chose to take did not lead to the destination that he had fooled himself into believing that he would one day reach.

Wow... great stuff... enjoyed reading the responses...

I think it was a few things as well...

1. I'm with you now pop.
2. Watching Sonny as Don... he saw Sonny's inability to be reasonable as a weakness... not to mention his temper. Sonny - more muscle, common mafia hood(I got that from Kay LOL) than DON
3. I believe Michael in GF3 when he says he tried to protect the family from the horrors of the world. He was IMO. The shooting at him and Kay in their bed was something he could not avoid... Fredo.. too close... betrayal. Michael could never see that coming. Which is why he killed him... because it could have happened again and Michael could not see it coming.

I just had a conversation with a counterpart, and he had some very interesting (to me at least) insight... he believes that we start to see Michael's "morph" when he reads the newspaper about his father's shooting. I can definately see this view. Thoughts???

Good catch by your friend Frank.

I always noticed that the first time we see Michael's "eyes" is in that frame of him opening the newspaper. If it's true that the eyes are a window to the soul, your friend is right on the money.

At the hospital.

Care to elaborate?

I can tell you with certainty it was not at the hospital where they went to see Genco in that cut scene.

Maybe it was when he ordered the nurse to move the bed....he got an adreniline rush out of having people do what he says, and from that moment on he wanted to be the boss.

My thoughts are.... you see "those eyes" when he tells Kay about Luca and the Bandleader... you do I swear LOL

I really believe the eyes you see in this scene are eyes of embarrassment/shame.

Disbelief. Shock. His father had been shot and he did not know if he was dead or alive.

oh, DC, I think you misunderstood. I was talking about the look when he was telling Kay of Luca and the bandleader. the good ol' "My family... not me" scene.

My mistake Frank. Sorry.

However I really don't know if he was sincerely embarrassed or was just putting on that look for Kay. I've always felt that his telling Kay that little story was a window for us to see who and what Michael really was deep down. A hint that he WAS indeeed really a Corleone. It was almost as if he was trying to impress her but at the same time make her believe that it was his family and not him. I think that underneath the surface Michael really got off on what his family was and who his father was. And even he didn't realize it himself at that time. Let's face it, at first Michael fooled himself into thinking that he was not like his family. Then when he became a part of his family, he began to trick himself into thinking that he could legitimize the family. But instead he became more and more of a common mafia hood, only pretending to be this legitimate businessman.

I think that he was trying to impress Kay with that story.

Oh ok... no problem. Good point as well. He may have, very well, been trying to impress Kay at that point. Heck, i think this was impressive to him, as well. Before this time, it's clear taht Mike was rebelling against the family completely (being a soldier, getting with Kay, etc.). So... hmmmm... could this, very well, have been when Mike starts to change as ScarFather mentioned??? interesting POV

I don't think that he was begining to change at that point. It has always been my belief that his change occurred when he was standing outside that hospital and scared off the hitmen. I believe that at that point the real Michael, who had been buried away deep down inside of himself, had finally emerged, and he saw it himself. And his being hit by McClusky only served to advance his true inner self to emergance.

He was a Corleone at heart, and the one most like his father. That is why I believe that he was rebellious at a young age. He, like his father, had a mind of his own. He like his father, would do things his way. And after his father was shot, and the family threatened, we see him convince his bother, Tom and the capos to do things his way.

Really, does Michael ever change and from what to what? As DC says, he was a Corleone at heart and was rebellious. He had the genes. Perhaps he was deluding himself by telling Kay that that's his family, not him. In fact, why would he tell Kay anything unless he was proud of it? He was a Corleone , but wanted to do things his own way according to his own schedule.

At the end of Michael's conversation with Carlo his tone changes pretty rapidly when he tells him "Get out of my sight." I don't think Vito would have displayed a temper like that

Vito may not have displayed an "emotion" like that. But the point is that out of Sonny, Fredo and Michael, it was Michael who inherited most of his father's traits.

Sonny had Vito's trait in that he had a fondness for his family, a love for family.

Fredo had Vito's warm heart.

But Michael had Vito's cunning, had his manipulative ways, his patience, and his strong will. He was calculative like Vito. Like Vito he had the mind and the smarts to analyze a person and a situation. The one thing that Vito had that Michael did not have was a warm heart.

You cannot deny that Michael was like Vito in many different ways. More so than the other boys.

Exactly. Vito could get angry; Sonny inherited a propensity for anger. Vito was warm-hearted; Fredo was, also. Vito was intelligent, cunning, and manipulative. So was Michael. Of course, Vito had all of these characteristics which he used opportunely. The sons had only some of them which tended to dominate their actions.

There is an amazing subtly about his transformation IMO, it's my thesis that Michael is a powder keg of Corleone waiting to go off. I.e. he was either in completly or out, there was no in between and that is Michael's amazing quality his persistance and dedication. Back on topic, when visiting Genco (cut out scene), Vito explains that he should finish college but he has plans, Al Pacino, IMO, acts amazingly here and doesn't say a word but expresses disapproval and hesitation and unease here, including respect for Genco's condition and his father. You know if Vito wasn't Vito, he would say "no way buddy". It's true he ALWAYS had it in him, there is no doubt. He was always calm and cool and in the know, he just showed his amazing capacity when the match was thrown by having his father shot.

This all out or in quality about Michael was why he didn't want any part of it, he was absolutly resistant. Michael is proud and wanted to do everything on his terms, but he decided to come in when Vito was shot. This quality is kinda like being a control freak in a sense and is IMO why he has every tom dick and harry whacked that hint at crossing him.

Michael now knew that Carlo had his brother killed. That reaction is normal I would think.

You say Vito would have never displayed that temper(emotion)?... Well... he never had that happen to him(lose a brother)....

Oh wait... yes he did...

A Young Vito displays a "temper like that" right after cutting open Don Ciccio(man who killed his brother, father and mother).

These reactions by young Vito and Michael are somewhat parallel in more ways than one.