Originally posted by Don Cardi:
Now we know that Vito had says to Mike later on that " I never wanted this for you." But yet Clemenza tells Kay that Vito thought Mike the best to take over the family business.
But he never said it, except in the movie!
This entire passage, about senator etc, is FFC's creation. It was not in the book, and really its logic is beneath criticism.
We know that he wanted this for Michael from the very beginning, as you pointed out, and there's one more mention of his plans in the 1-st chapter.
What seems equally obvious for me, is that Vito could never be so stupid as to think seriously about any political career for his sons. Their relationship with him would make it absolutely impossible. Their opponents would implicate them in ties with mafia even if they couldn’t prove it.
We remember what happened when Vito was shot. In Kay’s words: “….he seemed like such a nice man at the wedding. I can’t believe the things the papers are printing about him.” And Michael’s: “If the newspaper guys get ahold of your name and background you’ll be on page three of the Daily News. Girl from old yankee family mixed up with son of big Mafia chief. How would your parents like that?”
We may imagine WHAT will papers print if Mike joined any election campaign. Vito was too smart and realistic to pronounce all that Senator-Governor stuff FFC invented for him (I guess he did it later, because we don’t see that scene in the draft screenplay). And I can’t say that it was the most clever improvement he made to the plot, though it sounds so romantic. (And so unlike Vito…) And this was no time to lie, so he wouldn’t say “I never wanted this for you” either. Because he DID!
I think FFC got the idea from this Vito’s speech at the meeting with other Dons: “I have grandchildren now and I hope their children may someday, who knows, be a governor, a President, nothing’s impossible here in America.”
But children of your grandchildren and your own son – there’s a little difference….
