'The Godfather' The Wedding Scene

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 3 (Enzo Arrives)

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 3 (The Arrival of Enzo)

Michael stands in the room with his father. The footsteps get louder and louder as the figure approaches.

Michael is seen looking through the glass, while a number of mid shots are used to show where the footsteps could be coming from. This reflects a sniper hunting its target.

A dark and ominous figure is seen entering the corridor. He is dressed in a long coat and appears in silhouette. The figure’s left hand is hidden, building tension and suggesting that he is concealing a gun.

An anti climax is created as the camera cuts to a front view of the figure revealing that it is Enzo the baker from the wedding. The mise en scene of the flowers being held reveal that there is no gun and no threat.

Michael enters Vito’s room

Over the shoulder shot as Michael enters Vito’s room. Contrast in the lighting between corridor and hospital room.

Mise en Scene of the statue of the Virgin Mary in Vito’s room symbolising the contrasting values of the Corleone family.

Close up of Vito as he lies in bed revealing how much he has suffered as a result of the shooting. Powerful man has been made an invalid.

The nurse arrives in dramatic fashion. Michael calls Sonny and quickly decides to move his father. Michael acts quickly and calmly, revealing elements of his military training.

Michael and the nurse moves his father’s bed. There is a loud banging sound as a door is closed and heavy footsteps can be heard in the distance establishing tension.

• The source of the footsteps are soon revealed as a mysterious and shadowy figure is revealed. The shadow of the figure adds to the sense of tension which is further heightened by the fact that the left hand is not visible. Hidden within his overcoat, this could be concealing a gun or another weapon.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 3 (The Arrival of Enzo)

• With the sound of the footsteps becoming clearer, a close up of Michael reveals his own unease at the situation and his fear. The symbolism of only seeing half of his face reflects the two sides to his life and the fact that he is being drawn into the life of his family business. This is the side he had tried so hard to hide from.
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• An anti climax is created however as mise en scene reveals that the man is in fact carrying flowers and is not a threat.

• We then see a variety of establishing shots of various corridors. This could be suggested as a mirror of Michael’s own analysis of the situation as he attempts to locate the source of the footsteps. This reflects Michael’s army training and his ability to scan and assess a situation. Throughout this sequence, the footsteps become louder and louder.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 2 (Michael Enters Vito's Room)

• The close up of Vito in his bed reveals the extent of his injuries. The once powerful and dominant man is revealed to be frail, weak and suffering. It is clear that his injuries are serious and that his life hangs in the balance.

• As Michael approaches his father’s room, an over the shoulder camera angle is used to reveal that Vito is safe and sleeping in his room. The tension lessens somewhat at this point, however the sudden appearance of the nurse re-establishes the sense that anything could happen.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 2 (Michael Enters Vito's Room)

• The music ceases as Michael moves his father. The sounds of the hospital bed squeaking down the corridor reveal just how isolated the hospital is. While this is happening, we hear clear footsteps coming from somewhere close by. This builds the tension as the audience fear for Michael and his father.
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• Michael impresses and surprises the audience as he realises that his father is in danger. He seeks the help of the nurse to hide his father, stating that he will be killed otherwise. This is the first time that we have seen Michael drawn into the darker side of his family.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 1 (Michael's Arrival)

• Continuing the tension, Michael quickly heads for the stairs. The high angle shot highlights Michael’s vulnerability as he heads upstairs. The darkness of the corridor suggest the danger of what Michael may be entering and the potential dangers that lie in wait for him.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 1 (Michael's Arrival)

• The low foreboding brass music suggests that the tension of the scene is building. The corridor that Michael is now walking through is much narrower and more enclosed. This suggests that the tension is closing in on Michael and that the danger is intensifying.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 1 (Michael's Arrival)

• We then see Michael enter this frame while the camera remains static as he enters the corridor. Michael’s positioning in the sequence places him firmly in the centre of the action. Michael appears to scan the corridors in order to find someone. The tension is established as it appears unusual that nobody is around.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 2 (Michael Enters Vito's Room)

• As Michael walks through the corridor, he enters the empty office. The mise en scene of the half eaten sandwich and the abandoned cup of coffee add to the tension as it is clear that someone has just abandoned the office in quite a hurry.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 1 (Michael's Arrival)

Michael enters Vito’s room

Over the shoulder shot as Michael enters Vito’s room. Contrast in the lighting between corridor and hospital room.

Mise en Scene of the statue of the Virgin Mary in Vito’s room symbolising the contrasting values of the Corleone family.

Close up of Vito as he lies in bed revealing how much he has suffered as a result of the shooting. Powerful man has been made an invalid.

The nurse arrives in dramatic fashion. Michael calls Sonny and quickly decides to move his father. Michael acts quickly and calmly, revealing elements of his military training.

Michael and the nurse moves his father’s bed. There is a loud banging sound as a door is closed and heavy footsteps can be heard in the distance establishing tension.

• The hospital sequence opens with an establishing shot of a dark, dimly lit hospital corridor. The walls are white and clinical and the dominant colour is bland and lifeless. The music throughout this section of the sequence is quiet and foreboding with an ominous piano playing at intervals.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

Section 1 (Michael's Arrival)

• Michael’s arrival at the hospital
• Mid shot of the darkly lit, clinical and cold hospital corridor.

• Quiet and foreboding music suggesting the threat and danger that Michael faces.

• Mise en scene of the sandwich and coffee mug reveals that the hospital was abandoned in a hurry.

• Sensing the danger that he may be in Michael rushes to his father. Downward tilt of the dark staircase suggests he is entering danger/ being drawn into the darkness of the family business.

• The corridors appear to be closing in and becoming narrower, suggesting that Michael is becoming trapped by the corruption.

Key Scene 2: The Hospital Scene

The Hospital sequence can be divided as follows…

• Michael’s arrival at the hospital and his realisation that it is deserted.
• Michael moves his father to safety.
• The arrival of Enzo.
• Michael and Vito inside the hospital.
• Michael’s actions outside the hospital.

Sample PCE Paragraph

The Arrival of Michael

The opening sequence reveals…

• The dangerous and corrupt nature of the business of the Corleone family.

• Vito Corleone as a complex character who is undoubtedly the dominant figure of the family.

• The contrast in the inner and outer workings of the family, illustrated by the contrast between the office sequence and the wedding.

• Michael Corleone as an outsider who does not agree with the actions of his family.

The Arrival of Michael

Key Aspects: The Wedding Scene

• The Dark Dealings of Vito Corleone

One of the key aspects of the opening sequence of the film is our introduction to the private workings of the Corleone family and the nature of the family business.

In a dark and secluded office, isolated from the joy of his daughter's wedding, we witness the business dealings of Vito Corleone. A dark and sinister atmosphere is established as it is clear that Vito Corleone is attempting to build a clear barrier between the public and private spheres of his family.

Vito discusses crimes such as murder and drugs openly and freely revealing the criminal aspect of the family.

Michael and Kay soon sit and he explains aspects of his family life. Michael’s military uniform suggests integrity, strength, noble purposes and honour. However, the use of lighting and the fact that Michael is only half lit is an example of foreshadowing. Here the director suggests that there is a darkness present in Michael which could take over.

'The Godfather'

As Michael arrives, his father Vito keeps a close eye on events through the shutters of his office window. This is significant as to once again suggests the division in the life of the family. The shutters also create a barrier and suggest that the actions inside the office are to be kept away from the life outside.

Key Aspects: The Wedding

The Wedding Scene

Key Aspect: Introduction to Michael Corleone

The contrast to the darkness of the office of Vito Corleone is the wedding of Connie Corleone. The wedding is taking place just beyond the shutters of Vito's office, yet the contrast between these two locations could not be more stark.

The office is dark and sinister while the office is bright, colourful and full of life. The wedding represents the wealth, power and influence of the Corleone family. The wedding is the public face of the family. It represents the respectable smokescreen of their darker deeds.

The arrival of Johnny Fontane allows Michael to explain to Kay elements of his family’s operations. As Johnny sings, Michael explains to Kay how his father helped Johnny to negotiate his way out of a contract. Here he explains that ‘he made him an offer that he couldn’t refuse’. This once again highlights the corrupt nature of the influence of the Corleone family.

The first scene that you must know is the opening scene of the film, known as the 'Wedding Scene'.

In this scene we are introduced to the two sides of the Corleone family. On one hand we have the public side of the family as represented in the wedding of Connie Corleone. To the outside world, the family appear strong, law abiding and well connected. The wedding is bright, colourful and full of joy.

By contrast, there exists a darker side of the family as represented by the dark and sinister business dealings of Don Vito Corleone. These business dealings take place in his dark and secluded office, separated from the joy of the wedding.

Another key aspect of the opening sequence of the film is the intoduction to Michael Corleone. Michael is the youngest son of Vito Corleone and from this scene it is clear to the audience that he stands outside the dark and dangerous elements of the family.

Michael arrives following his successful contribution in the Second World War. His nobility as a war hero and his low key arrival to the wedding are in contrast to the inner workings of his family.

Crucially, Michael tells his girlfriend Kay that the darker and more dangerous element of the family business is nothing to do with him. 'That's my family Kay. It's not me'. This statement becomes more significant as the film progresses and Michael finds himself drawn into the corruption of his family.

Vito's Office

The sense of darkness and corruption is further highlighted in the opening scene as the character of Vito Corleone is revealed.

The director establishes a sense of mystery around Vito Corleone as the camera pans out from Bonasera, before cutting to a mid shot of Vito Corleone. It is clear that Vito is a man of some importance as he sits behind the desk in a dominant manner. Lighting is used effectively to suggest the darkness of the proceedings in the study, as Vito is half lit from the shutters behind. The shutters are symbolic as they reflect the manner in which Vito and his familyek to shut out the light and the brightness from their public life and keep the family business separate. This division in the two sides of the Corleone family is highlighted throughout the film.

The film opens in the office of Vito Corleone. The sequence begins with a close up of Bonasera who is asking reeking revenge on those who attacked his daughter. Vito and the office are slowly revealed as the camera zooms out. An over the shoulder camera angle is used to build a sense of mystery around Vito.

The Arrival of Michael

When Vito stands up, the director uses an upward tilt. This reveals that he is a figure who is to be looked up to and admired by others. The red flower on his suit suggests a more loving side and builds on the suggestion that he is a character with very clear divisions in his personality.

The Arrival of Michael

A key moment in this scene is the arrival of Michael Corleone and his partner Kay. Michael is first seen with his back to the camera in this mid shot, which enhances the feeling that he is distant from his family. This is enhanced by the fact that he has arrived at the wedding celebrations late.

Vito's Office

Michael reveals the truth about his family to Kay in a very matter of fact manner. He is clear to her however that ‘That is my family Kay. It is not me’. Despite this the audience are aware of the underlying difficulty of that statement. No matter how much he tries, Michael’s family will always be a part of him and will exert an influence on his life.

The director then cuts to a mid shot of Vito Corleone. He is half lit from the shutters behind. This suggests the two sides to his character. This is further emphasised in the manner in which he plays with the cat. In one move here is a man who is both threatening and loving. The shutters separate his public and private life.

The Wedding

The scene ends with a family wedding photo. Once again we see the public and legitimate face of the family. In this mid shot, the composition of the photograph reveals Vito to be in the centre, while Michael is symbolically in the background. Michael also literally and metaphorically drags Kay into the picture. This symbolises that in this moment she is dragged into the workings of the Corleone family.

The Wedding

Sample PCE Paragraph

From the dark solitude of the office, which symbolised the private and secretive nature of the Corleone family’s business, the director cuts to an establishing shot of the wedding that is taking place outside. The scene marks a dramatic shift in colour and atmosphere and the music is lively and upbeat.

The director further develops this contrast between the public and private worlds of the Corleone family through a succession of mid shots which reveal various members of the family enjoying the wedding celebrations. Combined with the bright colour and upbeat music this further contrasts with Vito’s office.

The Wedding

One effective aspect of the opening sequence is the manner in which Francis Ford Copella establishes the darkness and corruption of the business of the Corleone family. This is effectively revealed through the opening scene in the office of Vito Corleone.

The scene opens with the screen cast in black as the melancholy music of a lone trumpet plays in the background. This helps to establish a sinister atmosphere which foreshadows the darkness and the corruption that is to dominate the film. The camera then cuts to a close up of Bonasera the undertaker. Lighting is used effectively to create a chiaroscuro effect, highlighting the isolation and vulnerability of the undertaker as he makes a dangerous request to a mysterious figure. This scene highlights once again the corruption and the darkness at the heart of the film and the secretive nature of the Corleone family business.

Almost immediately, however, we are reminded that all is not as it seems. A visible symbol of the corruption in this family is seen in the mid shot where the FBI check the cars of the guests at the wedding. Such a presence at this event reveals that the Corleone family have two very distinct sides.