for anybody whos read the novel or even for anybody who hasnt why do you think Vito Corleone's dying words were "life is so beautiful"? I mean he had lost many loved ones Im sure including his own son Santino, what are some of your theories on why you think the Don still had an immense amount of respect for life?

i believe when he said this before dying(last glimpse). Don Vito saw the ray of sunlight and smell the fruits in his garden and said "life is so beautiful." he appreciates nature . . .

GoodFella

i always viewed don vito as a very warm, generous, and caring man to those he loved as family and friends. however, he did have his darkside. "with that aside".....

i think after he retired, vito could live the life he always wanted, the type of life that was taken away from him when he was 12.

everytime i view the scenes of young vito and mama corleone, i get soft in the heart because of their loving scenes (bringing the pear home to his wife, before eating...holding his wife's hand and giving her a kiss, admiring baby santino, devastated by fredo's pneumonia). anyways, as you can see vito was a loving man by nature, but had to live the mafia life to provide for his family, and simply put, he believed it was his destiny.

in the novel, puzo wrote that vito's favorite thing to do was care for his garden. it is clearly shown in a deleted scene w/ michael in the garden where mike asks vito about avenging sonny and appollonia's deaths, where vito looks at tomato plants and softly says "beautiful...beautiful."

i feel that after his retirement, vito got to enjoy life and thus died a happy man. besides, he was not afraid of death as he escaped don ciccio's men, and told his beloved consigliere genco, "but, don't be afraid of death." besides, vito was a man of confidence, and surely didn't waste his time brooding over things.

The producers purposely left out Vito's dying words from the movie, caving in to pressure from church groups fearing those words would make him seem "too human". They couldn't possibly predict that the character of Vito Corleone would soon become one of the most revered movie characters of all time.

This discussion is being moved to the "Novel" forum.

I agree, Puppeteer. Contrast Vito's statement with Michael's apologia to Kay at his party in GFIII: "I spent my life protecting my family from the horrors of this world." "But you became my horror," Kay replies. Says it all right there.

I think he was happy that a gun didn't end his life.

great point once again, turnbull!

there's just so much parallel intentional and unintentional that come up between vito and michael, and so many angles, too.

vito and michael's lives are similar, but yet michael's life is significantly different from vito's...michael seemed to get the worst thing happen to him.

vito did lose santino, but michael lost mary when the bullet was meant for him. michael lost two wives. he lost his family.

and, like you said in a different post before, turnbull...michael, as don, had to face challenges and live in a time that brought up circumstances that vito didn't have to deal with. also, IMO it's harder to stay on top than to rise to the top. thus, IMO michael always had the harder life ahead of him (well, since the time he killed sollozzo and mccluskey).

I agree with Omar, but I think he appreciates Nature very much (just as I do).

I sort of thought the "life is beautiful" saying was corny and i am glad that they took it out of the film. Expecially when it comes from a man who was responsible for killing countless of men.

Vito dying happy in his garden while playing with his grandchild with the sun on his face was a peaceful setting. He just wanted to provide a good life for his wife and children and his children's children.

After Reading this part in the book, I see what all of you were saying about his love for nature.

(quote from the book)- He smelled the garden, the yellow shield of light smote his eyes, and he whispered, 'Life is so beautiful'.

I think the Don was happy were he died: his peaceful garden. I also think that he was glad that he didn't die in a pool of his own blood(which is were most gangsters die), instead, he died in the most peaceful place on Earth.