The Godfather Opening Scene Analysis

The Godfather is a tragic tale of life, death, family, murder, and vendettas. At the heart of this tragic story is Michael Corleone, the son of Don Vito Corleone. In the beginning of the film Michael has just gotten back from the war and he’s a hero, who tries to disassociate himself from his family, due to their illegal activities. That is until his father gets shot and he is practically forced to run the family. He is the definition of a tragic hero. The film opens on a big day in the Corleone family, the wedding of the Don’s daughter. Within this opening sequence, there are many scenes with Michael sitting with Kay and talking about his family. He goes as far as to tell Kay about family secrets and how there was a hit put out on someone and how his family was involved. Kay is taken aback by this naturally, but the audience is even more taken aback because they’re seeing a member of the Corleone family go against family code. That opening scene contrasts from the final scene in the first film in many ways, but a big difference between the two is how Kay asks Michael about the family business and he lies to her after he’s done screaming at her for even asking about his business in the first place. He completely shuts her out by the end of the film, which shows just how much his character changes from the moment we
All of these events molded Michael into the character we see at the end of the film. A hard-boiled, tough, aggravated, and ruthless mob boss. Who doesn't take crap from nobody and takes care of business the only way he knows how,