Someone posted this quote and it made me think. I get what Connie was saying "he is helpless without you", but sweet without you. What does she mean by that.

I think she meant he was sweet.

And he was helpless without Michael.

I have to assume that since Michael was on the outs with Connie in GFII (as in the boathouse scene with Merle and dinner afterward), he certainly didn't tell her about Fredo's treason--or at least not the full details. But Fredo probably told her a highly colored account of it that made him sound like he was the victim and Michael was being wrathful, vindictive, unfair, etc. Connie was probably pissed at Michael, but for the purpose of trying to change his mind, she got on her knees and took the supplicating-sister approach.

If Fredo had not told her their quarrel at the boathouse, Connie would never have known it, then would never have come to Micheal to supplicate.
So Fredo must have done so. But another question arises, did Fredo approach Connie on purpose in order to tell her about his problem with Micheal when he sensed his possible death ordered by Micheal?

That clears it, thanks. I dont think fredo did it on purpose, he was just to stupid to fight his own battles.

Connie's speech to Michael in the boathouse is one of the more underrated pieces of the story. While she is intervening for Fredo, she tells Michael that she wants to stay close to home now, and that he needs her to take care of him. She tells Michael she now realizes that during her wayward period she was acting out of anger at Michael for what she now realizes is his being strong for the family. What she is really saying is that she ran around with men who used her "like a whore" to get back at Michael for killing Carlo. Then in a stunning statement she tells Michael that SHE forgives HIM for what he did and asks can't Michael forgive Fredo? Had this been anyone but Connie, I think Michael would have gone nuts. To Mike at that point in his life, there was nothing he did which needed anyone's forgiveness, yet he lets Connies statement stand. Michael must realize that he does need what will be his only surviving siibling. As a gesture of doing Connie a favor, Michael
comes into the house and hugs Fredo while simultaneously giving Neri the visual order to kill him. It is then Connie who summons Anthony away from the boat in which Fredo says his last Hail Mary.

At that point I doubt that she was aware of the degree of Fredo's betrayal, but she was acutely aware of how little it took to set Michael off, and she was asking Michael to forgive Fredo just as she forgave Michael. Whether she ever believed the cover story about Fredo's death is something we can speculate about, but the next insight into all of this comes in GFIII after Michael tells Connie that he made his confession (i.e. a request for forgiveness).

Connie says she is surprised that Michael would confess "to a stranger," and Michael tells her it was "the man" who was a "real priest" who motivated him. Right there Connie makes a comment about "poor Fredo drowning" and how all that is in the past. So by then she knows for sure that Michael ordered the hit on Fredo and that this forgiveness issue has now gone full circle.

By that point of course, she is pretty savvy to the family business, and really becomes the power behind Vincent's rise. It is worthy to note here that it is Connie who is the last of Vito's children to make her bones, and she does so after Michael is officially out as Don. She does it with a cannoli.

Spot on analysis here. Great post.

A very astute analysis, dt. Thanks!
I want to put my spin on something you posted, to wit:

"As a gesture of doing Connie a favor, Michael
comes into the house and hugs Fredo while simultaneously giving Neri the visual order to kill him. It is then Connie who summons Anthony away from the boat in which Fredo says his last Hail Mary."

One of Michael's coldness/rationals ia rhat he didn't want to do something, but others wanted him to do it.
So: was it vicious, coldhearted, unconcionable, etc., for him to stand godfather to Carlo and Connie's son on the very day he had
Carlo whacked? Why, no-- Connie asked him to do it, otherwise he'd never have done it. And, did he want to take Fredo in after that betrayal? Why no-- Connie asked him to welcome Fredo back. Pretty nasty that Anthony was going fishing with Fredo on the day Fredo got whacked. But did Michael want Anthony to go fishing with Fredo? Why, no--Fredowanted to go fishing with Anthony.
Michael's attitude wasn't simply, "The Devil made me do it." I think it was, "If they had any sense, they'd know what was what and would never hope that I'd give a traitor a pass."

You are correct TB, interestingly the way Michael comes to be godfather to Connie's child is through Kay who says Connie is "afraid" to ask Michael to stand as godfather. Why? Does Connie suspect Carlo had something to do with Sonny's death? She certainly indicates that when she shows up in Michael's office at the end of GF I and accuses him of killing Carlo saying "everyone" thought he was comoplicit with Sonny's murder.

When she reconciles with Michael she forgives him for this, and
in III she basically tells Michael she agrees with his whacking Fredo.

Does this make her Michael's supreme enabler?

Excellent posts by the both of you!

We continually focus on Michael's transformation from GF all the way through GFIII, and in doing so we've neglected to realize what an amazing transformation the character of Connie makes over the course of the trilogy. She goes from being this innocent and abused bride in GF to becoming the Corleone family matriarch and protector by the end of GFIII. When you really stop and think about it, the character of Connie is a very interesting and somewhat complex character.

On the Michael forgiving Fredo and looking at Neri scene, is it me or does Neri look somewhat upset when Michael gives him the nod?

[quote=dontomasso
When she reconciles with Michael she forgives him for this, and
in III she basically tells Michael she agrees with his whacking Fredo.
[/quote]
She agrees his whacking Fredo? Maybe not. She just consoled Micheal by saying 'poor Fredo...'

I started a thread a long time ago about Connie being perhaps the most interesting character in the trilogy, going from spoiled guinea brat to to someone almost as cold blooded as Michael (she did give the order to whack Zasa).

As for Neri, I did not think he was upset. I thought his expression was one of clarification that Michael's gesture at the funeral changed nothing about his previous order to allow nothing to happen to Fredo while their mother was still alive.

In GFII it is Connie who calls Anthony back to the house just as he's about to go on the trip with Fredo. She had to at least suspect something after learning that Fredo died on that same trip.

And in GFIII, I don't believe that it was a coincidence that she brought up Fredo just as Michael is telling her about his confession. At that point Connie knew. Even the kids had an inkling because in an earlier scene we see Mary ask Vincent if it was true that her father killed his own brother. We also see Michael having a diabetic attack and blurting out "Fredo" during that attack, in the presence of Connie.

I am convinced that Connie knew.

Damn, I should have used the search feature.

I don't know DT. Everytime I watch that "Michael's nod" scene, it seems to me like Neri gets this upsetting look when Michael gives him the nod, as if he's saying to himself "I can't believe that he's going to have his own brother killed."

I'm not sure that Neri was capable of that feeling. I think that he was so used to killing on orders from Michael, plus there was the whole "competition" between him and Rocco for Michael's favor, that I don't think he would have even registered an emotion.

WATCH THE SCENE AGAIN! WATCH IT!!!


j/k

Seriously, the next time that you watch the scene, focus on Neri's face.

I will watch it. I promise!!!




Oh, and Fredo knew.

Easy big fella! OK OK I'll watch it, I promise.

I seem to recall that Neri sort of casts his eyelids down as if to communicate that he understands.