The godfather part 2 scene analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6rcv-njj3Y 2;46 

  

This is the final scene of the godfather part 2. It is a flash back scene from before the events of the first film. Its Vito's birthday which happens to be the same day as Pearl Harbor. All of  vito children are here and its one of the only times you see them having fun and not talking about family business.  

  

 Mise en scene  

• Michael's hair for the majority of the second film is greased back like his fathers which represents him becoming the new godfather but in this scene his hair isn't because at the time he was staying away from the family business. 
• Michael and Connie are both wearing brighter clothes compared to the other siblings which is possibly done because at the time have are most disconnected from the family businesses and the haven't been drawn to the darkness. 
• most of the characters faces are very dimly lit with the shadows covering half e their face except Michaels which is well lit and bright which highlights his innocence's. Copploa uses this approach in apocalypse now. 

Cinematography 

  

• Michael is left alone when his family greets their father and you also see him alone in the modern day which show not much has changed in his life becoming don. he still feels isolated. 
• Michael is the only one on his side of the table 
• the clips when he's alone in the garden he’s remembering the importance of family with the flashback and a really brief bit with him and his son together. The reason he would need reminding of this would be because the terrible things he does to his family in this film 
• the scene begins with a fade in which shows it's a flashback 

This scene really highlights how Michael is complete disconnected from the family. He is known for doing his own things and not living under his family's shadow. His father and Sonny believe to fight for some people that you don’t know is stupid but Michael thinks its the right thing to do , to fight for your country which is a very noble and honorable why to think. This is why its such a big change in character  when Michael becomes such an evil man in the second film. 

  

links to apocalyes now  

  

• coppola uses a lot of shadows in all his films to highlight the good and evil within a person. in apocalypse now this is most prominent in the scene where Willard and Curzts first meet. in the godfather part 2 you can see this technique being used whenever Michael has someone killed or is acting aggressive  
• coppola gravitates to having a sort of antihero as the protagonist. Michael and Willard are similar in that way. you can say that they are good people in the beginning but the lose them self's with  both their lives  going in ways the couldn't expect or even in a way that they didn’t as they both have to do some really questionable things in their own films.