To create something as indelible and culturally moving as The Godfather seems to be a possibility beyond human imagination. At the heart of the classical Francis Ford Coppola Film is Don Vito Corleone, the threatening but loving mafia boss played by Marlon Brando in a performance that transcended the medium of cinema. Vito is one of those rare characters that anyone can recognize, even if they haven’t seen it, through cultural osmosis alone. The Godfather. All of his distinctive features, the tuxedo, the throaty voice and the plump cheeks, are iconic. As an artist, Brando was known for his unique and inspired choices, but Vito was not the sole product of his imagination. In fact, the powerful Don was based on a a handful of real gang bosses and an unexpected civilian which contributed to the most essential character traits of the character.

The Godfather (1972)

Don Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son Michael. However, his decision inadvertently puts the lives of his loved ones in great danger.

Release date

March 14, 1972

director

Francis Ford Coppola

Duration

175 minutes

Main genre

crime

Authors

Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola

studio

Paramount Pictures

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Francis Ford Coppola examines America and family in “The Godfather”

In The GodfatherVito Corleone is less a mafia boss than a powerful king who is taking his last breath on the throne. After the ageing Corleone patriarch survives an assassination attempt, he must pass the family business on to his descendants. In the end, it is Michael (Al Pacino), the youngest son and idyllic war veteran who becomes the next generation don after breaking away from his family’s illegal trade. Even when Vito is off screen, his presence overshadows the lives of Michael, Sonny (James Caan) and Tom Hagen (Robert Duval). They all feel the pressure of not living up to their father’s (or surrogate father’s) legacy. Vito, with his family values ​​and moral code, embodies the nobility and romance that permeates the public perception of the Italian mafia. Although he is soft-spoken and gentle, he has an innate killer instinct. With a single gesture he can influence politics or, if he is happy with the offer, have anyone killed.

Compared to the realism of Martin ScorseseCrime films, Witches Cauldron, GoodfellasAnd casino, The Godfather is not defined by the raw roughness that audiences expect from gangster films. Instead, Coppola’s film is more of an allegory about family and capitalism in post-war America. The essence of the Corleone family is is based on a text by Shakespeare and resembles a royal family rather than a local mafia gang. Nevertheless, Vito Corleone’s criminal activities, social influence and personality can be linked to various real-life mafia bosses of the 20th century, including Carlo Gambino, Frank Costello, Joseph BonannoAnd Joe Profaci.

Marlon Brando’s Vito Corleone is based on various real gangsters

Carlo Gambino, who greatly influenced Vito Corleone, reflected the character’s humble early roots as an Italian immigrant who fought for power at the height of organized crime in the early 20th century. In The Godfather – Part IIa young Vito (Robert De Niro) is a simple foot soldier and debt collector before murdering the local boss and transforming into the grim Don. After a series of internal coups and power shifts, Gambino eventually became the boss of the Anastasia crime family, which was renamed the Gambino crime family after it seized power. Under his rule, the Gambino crime family gained a strong hold on the construction industry, and had influence over the teamsters and unions that controlled the building materials coming into New York. Gambino, like Vito, had a humble personality. He put family values ​​above all else, preferred not to boast about his power, and avoided drug trafficking. As if the connections weren’t obvious enough, Gambino was nicknamed the “Godfather.”

Frank Costello, not to be confused with the fictional Jack Nicholson Mafia boss in The Departedis the other key figure who shaped Vito Corleone. Anthony M. DeStefano, Mafia historian and author of Biggest gangster: Frank Costello, Prime Minister of the Mafiareported that Costello was not the typical tough guy we associate with gangsters, but rather a political figure. Like Gambino, Costello grew up in poverty and had to work his way up the ladder of organized crime. “He wanted to be remembered as someone who was legitimate because he wanted to get rid of the image of the poor immigrant and gangster,” DeStefano said of Costello: “The attitude of the bootlegger is reminiscent of Vito, who sees his illegal business as something noble and familiar. Although he was a criminal under the law, he wanted nothing to do with drugs because they are immoral.”

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Coppola showed the studio that he was the Don of production.

Joseph Bonanno is less well-known in the annals of American mafia history, but he shares many of the characteristics of the most notorious gangsters, as he was also an Italian immigrant who feuded with rival gangs over several decades. Whether Vito or Michael ran their criminal empire, the Corleone family needed legal businesses to secure their underworld, and Bananno had money in many legal industries, including clothing factories, dairy farms, and funeral homes. Throughout his life He emphasized that he was a “man of honor” and a “venture capitalist.”The Godfather shows the Corleone family in the midst of a gang war in New York City after the assassination of Vito by Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri). No real gangster was more immersed in the world of mafia wars than Joe Profaciwhose family led the bloody wars between Profaci and Gallo in the 1960s. Through his involvement in drug trafficking, organized crime and gambling, Profaci had his hands in many pockets.

Mario Puzo’s unusual source of inspiration for “The Godfather”

It is clear that Vito Corleone is not primarily based on a single gangster. The film chose various elements of these notorious gangsters to create a composite character. However, ruthless and power-hungry gangsters were not the only figures that inspired Marlon Brando’s legendary character. Mario Puzothe author of The Godfather In his novel, it would have been difficult to base Vito solely on gangsters, because “I’ve never met a real, honest gangster,” he once said. Fortunately, Puzo had his own version of a don in his family. “Whenever the Godfather opened his mouth,” the author wrote, “I heard my mother’s voice in my mind.”I heard her wisdom, her ruthlessness and her unwavering love for her family and for life itself.” Puzo’s mother, Maria Le Conti Puzomay not take the comparison to a Mafia boss who cuts off horses’ heads as a compliment. But her son captures a crucial element that makes Don Corleone a cultural benchmark. Vito’s ruthless leadership and drive for success are complemented by his love and affection for his family and other beauties in life. “He gets his humanity from her,” Puzo said of Vito’s connection to Maria Le Conti Puzo.

The lively collision between classic storytelling, real-life inspirations and a forward-looking reflection of America is why The Godfather became an instant box office phenomenon upon its release in 1972. During the film’s tumultuous production, Francis Ford Coppola faced many doubters, but his seamless balance between traditional and new sensibilities was the product of a true visionary who went beyond the work of Mario Puzo and the history of the Italian-American Mafia.

The Godfather can be streamed in the US on Paramount+

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