Taking the old-fashioned gangster movie to new heights, "The Godfather" used traditional storytelling, freed from the strict censorship by which the bad guys always got their reward. There are no good guys in it, and we think of little glimmers of hope in the darkness of corruption, or wonder how our good and pleasant lifestyle is supported, to some extent, by corruption. In dark, Rembrandtian back rooms, Don Vito Corleone and his family serve, bless, and generally manage their friends in the real, vibrant, beautiful world. The father of the bride traditionally grants any wish, and petitions come from afar, when Don Corleone's daughter arranges a colorful wedding celebration on the street. Outside in 1945. Everything is changing. Drugs are a new big industry, alluring and tempting, which other mafia families have already entered. Don Corleone is cautious, but his competitors are jealous of his control of the police and judges and want to get his hands on him. Soon a bloody war begins between the gangs. In The Godfather, dark and light are constantly contrasted, external demonstration with cruel muddy depth, the piety of gangsters is emphasized. In one of the episodes, the scene of the family's christening is interrupted by brutal murders on the orders of the head of the gang (who is in the church). A further similarity to the Roman Catholic Spanish Inquisition can be caught in the scene where, immediately after, a confession is sought from a gang member who has committed a double crime - he is promised to be redeemed, but executed anyway.
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