I find when Anothany is in bed in The Godfather Part II and Michael is speaking to him to be a touching scene between a father and son. When Anothany tell his father that he wants to come with him and help him. I often feel that way towards my father, since my mother has passed away, but he always says it's ok. I just like that scene as I think it's good one for establishing father and son relationship.

and to top it off..michael looking down at anthony on the left, blends into young vito looking at santino on the right.............wonderfully done

yeah that's really a great touching scene.

That's the scene I would refer to in a GF IV storyline which would feature Anthony changing his mind about being in the "family business" after the murder of his sister.

We see at an early age that Anthony really did have a desire to follow after his father, but in the years between GF II and III Kay has worked to suppress that desire in him.

Becoming an opera singer is about as far from the "family business" as you could get, but seeing a traumatic event such as Mary's murder (and the attempted killing of his father) might cause something inside Anthony to snap and he could become obsessed with vengeance and power.

And he would also come to realize, "Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in ..."

At that age though he didn't know what his Father's job was and didn't know anything about the family business. He as a son wanted to help his father and wanted to be closer to Michael.

Don Lights right Anthony was just a little kid wanting to be with his father. Michael was corrupted enough at that stage to consider bringing Anthony into the business when he was older with the comment about one day he could help him

FH

Frankly, I find this scene very sad because it becomes all too evident as the film progresses that there is really NO relationship between the father & son.

As a young boy it is perfectly normal for Anthony to want to help Michael, go along with him on trips, and be curious about his father's business. Michael does love his son, but at this point hasn't the time nor the skills to develop and nurture any kind of relationship, or get to know the boy at all. This is so obvious in so many ways later on. When he asks Tom what Christmas present he got for Anthony, "...so I'll know...". Upon returning home, he steps over the abandoned toy sitting in the snow. When Kay, about to leave him laments, "Look at what's happened to our son...", Michael claims he's fine.
And finally, it is the doomed Uncle Fredo who ends up spending quality time with Anthony, taking him fishing while dad runs the family business.

Complimenting all of this are the alternating scenes of young Vito...who in contrast DID find a way to make time for his family.

Apple

Just a hunch on my part. I too thought that scene was touching, yet sad. However, In remembering Michael's response to Anthony's question...."someday", I just feel (and it seemed to show in facial expression to me), that Michael was not thinking in terms of a child going to work with his "daddy", how cute, but rather of the possibility of the child following in his footsteps of crime when the time was right.

He loved his kids, I believe that, but I think, at least at that time, his desires/ambitions for his only son, would be to follow in his footsteps because at that time he lived and breathed the "family" business. Everything/everyone else took second/third place.

Just my opinion.

TIS

PS, for some reason it bugs me not to put at least one graemlin in my post....so here

All little kids want to go away with thier dads on business trips. I dont think Michael necessarilly wanted Anthony to be the Don, but maybe the new consiglerie. At that time Tom was getting on his nerves, and even in Part 3 he still wanted Anthony to go to law school, much like Vito wanted Sonny and Fredo(in the book)to.

My only problem with Anthony is this, don't you have to be 100% Italian to join the Mafia never mind be a key figure in a family. Correct me if i'm wrong but Kay wasn't Italian was she?

No, Kay wasnt Italain but she wasnt on the business end of the family either.

Yes maybe Anthony could be consiglieri of Vincenzo in the godfather part 4