Some visuals carry a sense of permanence with them. In movies, such visuals endure because of the powerful imagery they carry within.The ending shot of The Godfather (1972) gives us one such visual. With a simple closing of a door, director Francis Ford Coppola says everything that needs to be said about the film’s protagonist. The beauty of this scene is that it’s quiet, deceptively simple, and yet completely shattering.With this door shut, a lie is exposed that was told just a few seconds ago, trust and hope are broken forever, and a soul is thrown, hurling towards its damnation.Onscreen, the door shuts on Kay, but it traps Michael inside his new, dark fate.Michael: The Promising HeroTo understand the gravity of the downfall of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), we have to start with the hope that he once offered as Captain Michael Corleone—the golden boy, the war hero who stayed away from the world that would eventually consume him.An Outsider by ChoiceWe first meet Michael at his sister, Connie’s (Talia Shire) wedding, where he enters with his girlfriend, Kay (Diane Keaton). Michael, a US Marine Captain, is dressed in his military uniform, which distinguishes him from everyone around. As if his antithetical image isn’t screaming that he is an outsider, he spells it out to Kay, saying, “That’s my family, Kay. That’s not me.” When he says it, he believes it, so does Kay, and so do we. He is the Golden Boy personified—the son who broke away from his...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today