However if Fredo wasn't expecting the Donship, interested in your explanation as to
1. Why did Fredo think Johnny Ola wanted him to open the drapes in Michael and Kay's bedroom?
2. why bring up the Donship?
3. Why would the Donship be even an issue?
Your questions are flawed.
Ola asking Fredo to open the drapes is total speculation. Nothing even close to that happens in the film. Anyone could have done it.
The Donship isn't brought up (explicitly) and it isn't really the issue. Fredo tells Michael exactly what the issue is - respect. He knows that nobody respects him and seems to think that helping Ola will get that for him.
Let me throw a question back at you: How could Fredo possibly think Roth can give him the Donship?
He knows that nobody respects him. Even Fredo couldn't have believed that Roth could somehow make Tom, Rocco, Neri, etc. step back and allow Fredo to take over once Michael was out of the way. And, if he wouldn't be Don, what incentive would he have to facilitate a hit?
As I've posted elsewhere, I don't believe he was promised anything in particular. He was so eager for something on his own that he jumped at vague promises from Roth and Ola.
I also agree with Pete that the impact of the ending is really minimized if you look at Fredo as just another enemy, rather than a prodigal brother who unwittingly was involved in a coup attempt and ended up losing his life over it.
The drapes debated above so I won't repeat
The Donship was brought up (explicitly) in his outburst and I reckon, is really the issue that he may feel will get the respect that he so desperately craves, for him.
As we'd debated previously and recently in "Something in it for me" thread: and elsewhere in this one:
Roth's empty promise carrot was Donship, made sure Fredo listened good and
inferred even if without having to promise and spell out anything in particular or specific. The rightful heir and successor The only male blood Corleone if the current Don was no longer
Fredo was seething with jealousy and resentment, so consumed with being
stepped over, courtesy of Johnny Ola bumped into me in Beverly Hills -- Roth knew fueling his
stepped over, is the
only carrot that would get him, Roth's pawn, on board
Here's the thing Roth
didn't have to make the Donship happen, obviously he can't but
that was never his intention, of course if that did happen, he would have Don Fredo [albeit Roth's puppet]
All Roth wanted was Michael dead exactly what
he set out to do and
his job done
He goes back to living his retired investor on a pension exactly as
he planned
and whether we look at Fredo as just another enemy or the prodigal brother, the fact remains He betrayed his brother for personal gain.
