why did barzini want to kill michael

Fredo was not a major member of the Corleone Family and would never take on a position of power, so Sollozzo decides to have his men kill Vito and kill Fredo only if he poses a real threat to them, as killing Fredo would only cause additional bad blood and make Sonny even less likely to agree to a truce and commit further violent actions against the Tattaglias. This is slightly alluded to in the film. The camera tracks around the conference table as Don Corleone thanks all the heads of the Five Families, before stopping on Don Corleone. While this savage blow established Michael's reputation, it took another year before he firmly re-established the Corleone family as one of the most powerful Mafia families in the nation until their disbandment at the hand of DeVazzi family, when Carmine DeVazzi personally killed Michael. Edit, Yes, but the scene didn't make it into the final version of the film. Cuneo was one of those men who loved children and carried a pocket full of sweets in the hopes of being able to pleasure one of his many grandchildren or the small offspring of his associates. Tessio's wife Lucille and his children were provided for by the Corleones after his death. Although it initially appears that Don Philip Tattaglia is responsible for organizing the anti-Corleone alliance, Vito soon realizes that Barzini is the true mastermind. But, after Vitos death, the remaining heads all had motivation to come after Michael. As soon as the war started, the Tattaglia, allied with the Barzinis, along with Stracci and Cuneo families went straight to the mattresses, hiding out in various venues. This subplot has little to do with the main story of Vito and Michael, and so it was easily excised for the screen version. Clemenza makes a joke of it. I want no act of vengeance. He was an obstacle to the . Why didn't the Don have Carlo punished for beating Connie? And how was the special effect with the glasses & blood done?? Edit, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the aging Don (head) of a New York Mafia family, has three sons: passionate hothead Santino "Sonny" (James Caan), weak and ineffectual Fredo (John Cazale), and youngest Michael (Al Pacino), as well as daughter Connie (Talia Shire), and adopted son (and attorney) Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall). Because the war could go on for months or years, the apartments would be outfitted with mattresses for the men to sleep on. Also it should be remembered that Michael is a World War II Marine Corps veteran who had killed men in combat prior to his career as a mafioso. 12. We know that in the movie, Michael did take out all four heads of the fellow Five Families members, and the reason he had to was, Michael had killed a New York City Police Captain, breaking a long-standing mafia tenet, which the other family heads could not condone, nor appear to support in any way, even if only by way of indifference. Edit, From the beginning, Carlo was never a trusted member of The Family, as evidenced by his low position as bookmaker (aka: "bookie", i.e., running a gambling office and not being given a higher post in the family's crime dealings) and Vito's instructions to Tom to allow Carlo to earn a living but to never discuss Family business in front of him. We are unable to answer questions regarding film unless otherwise noted in the text. Believe it or not, there are rules and an expected code of conduct within the mafia, and there are certain actions that require the approval of a family Boss. Part of that meant cleaning out the old guard, so that he could negotiate with other up-and-coming mafia leaders who would be more open to establishing peaceful and profitable terms with the Corleones, rather than simply trying to muscle them out, as the older, more experienced dons would have likely tried to do. Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the aging Don (head) of a New York Mafia family, has three sons: passionate hothead Santino "Sonny" (), weak and ineffectual Fredo (John Cazale), and youngest Michael (), as well as daughter Connie (Talia Shire), and adopted son (and attorney) Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall).Don Vito has always envisioned a "legitimate" career for his youngest son, Ivy Leaguer and . The war began after the murder of Virgil Sollozzo and police officer Mark McCluskey by Michael Corleone at Louis Restaurant. Tessio understood immediately that it was merely to prevent the two from plotting against their boss and complied. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. The police force got the word that McCluskey had been on the take from Sollozzo for several years and that one of his sons went to Fordham together with Bruno Tattaglia, Don Tattaglia's first son. After the Barzinis began chipping away at their territories, Tessio and Clemenza asked for vengeance, but Michael ordered them to wait. Also he committed two acts of cold-blooded murder (Virgil Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden)), because he felt he was the only one who could get close enough to those two men -- remember, Michael specifically says "Sollozzo's gonna kill Pop". But to their surprise the recovering Don Vito called a hasty peace at a sitdown, and the war was seen to be over. The beating that Sonny gives to Carlo earlier on was very public -- it took place on the street, right in front of the bookie's office that Carlo managed for the Don. Apollonia skips away, and the Don tells Michael that for his safety, he must move to a villa near Siracusa. Greene is incredulous and proclaims that the Corleone family is a fading power and that the Barzini family is chasing them out of New York. Is there any explanation in the film as to why Cuneo and Stracci are also murdered? The bankers complained to the caporegimes, who brought their complaints to the family council table. Before he died, the elder Corleone had explicitly warned his son that the family's enemies would attempt to kill him in exactly this manner at a supposed peace meeting with whoever approached him with the proposal unintentionally exposing themselves as a traitor. The apartments would be used to house soldiers that could be deployed to conduct "battles" between the families at a moment's notice. It also is not the same as the one on the Godfather Wedding Album LP. In hopes of holding on to what he still had, Tessio made a deal with Barzini, in which he agreed to set up a peace summit on Tessio's turf in Brooklyn, at which Michael was to be assassinated. The camera tracks around the conference table as Don Corleone thanks all the heads of the Five . Edit, During a gang war, the soldiers stay in "safe houses" set up by the Family, instead of in their own housesin order both to keep dependents out of the line of fire and to ensure secure communications. In Clemenza's opinion it is better to deal with Sollozzo now, rather than try to appease him and have to deal with him in the future when he's much more powerful. There was no way any of the other families would look the other way. Additionally, this section offers more parallels between Michael and his father. The car explodes an instant later. Why does Sonny cheat on his wife with Lucy Mancini? Carlo is a cowardly thug who knows that he is not valued by Don Corleone, but he cannot take his frustrations out on Vito, Sonny, or any of the other high-ranking members of the Family, so he does the next best thing - he is abusive toward Connie. Union officials, who owed allegiance to the Five Families, were warned to stay neutral, and when the Corleone bookmakers and loan sharks were still barred from the docks, Sonny Corleone sent Clemenza and his regime to wreak havoc upon the longshore. Fredo shouts at his brother for disrespecting Greene, but Michael stays seated and warns Fredo not to ever "take sides with anyone against the Family again. But none of that was the case in the film. But once Connie made up her mind and got married to Carlo anyway, Vito decided to allow the abuse as a means of saying "I told you so" about Carlo being abusive and violent. First, he has Sal Tessio (Abe Vigoda) escorted away, presumably to be killed. Thus, to "go to the mattresses" is to begin a war with the other Families. What Did Edward Snowden Actually Reveal About the U.S Government? Edit. Tattaglia family pimps were shot to death in Harlem, dock goons were massacred. Edit, Vito, as the Don of the Corleone family, was against allowing his people dealing narcotics. This is probably the point at which he turned into the Don he would become. Track 10 on The Godfather. Emilio Barzini is based on several real-life mobsters. In the late summer of 1948, Sonny Corleone was lured into a trap and was killed at the Jones Beach Causeway by Barzini family hitmen in order to avenge Carlo. What was Michael's rank as a Marine? How did Barzini and his crew so successfully set up Sonny's assassination? It was 1972, so we can rule out CGI. Don Vito has always envisioned a "legitimate" career for his youngest son, Ivy Leaguer and Marine captain Michael. I see no evidence of this phrase in the novel, The Godfather. Edit, In the canon of The Godfather, there are five organizations, or "Families," in the New York area (Vito) Corleone, (Emilio) Barzini, (Philip) Tattaglia, (Anthony) Stracci, and (Carmine) Cuneo. Even some of the banks were located and raided, with heavy financial loss. As Don Corleone says, "Times have changed - it's not like the old days where we can do anything we want". You must understand that I helped the Tattaglia family and once I make a deal, I seek nothing but peace. At Don Corleone's funeral, Barzini has his mole in the Corleone family, caporegime Salvatore Tessio, approach Vito's successor, Michael Corleone, with a request for a meeting, intending to assassinate him and break up the family. Carlo admitted that it was Barzini who approached him to probably use Sonny's rage against himself. If needed, the car could be dumped or disposed of. The version in the film is piano only, whereas the version on the album lasts a little longer and has other instruments. Sonny's death sent shock waves through the underworld. Abusive and dysfunctional relationships don't often abide by rational thought processes. Two of the biggest loan sharks on the waterfront disappeared, to be found months later in the New Jersey swamps. They're gonna be scared of you, believe me, so don't worry about nothing. While the Tattaglia and Barzini Families weigh pretty heavily into the plot, due to the tensions between their organizations and the Corleones, there is little mention of the Cuneo and Stracci families, who are mentioned only as part of the Commission "sit down" with all of the major mafia bosses from around the country. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Is he as bad a husband as he is a Don? As Vito rose to prominence in the Mafia underworld, Tessio and Clemenza rose with him, each eventually settling into the Caporegime roles. Trapani carries out Tessio's hit contracts on Tattaglia family key members and the two men become good friends. Tom's ouster was a favor, not an insult, though Tom still found it very disappointing to lose such an important position, especially after years of loyal service. The Godfather study guide contains a biography of director Francis Ford Coppola, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Vito called for a meeting at one of Corleone compounds in Little Italy, Manhattan, and not only did he invite the heads of the rival five families and their representatives, but also foreign Dons who were looking for a piece of the action, like Carlo Tramonti and Frank Falcone. Salvatore Tessio Edit, Clemenza mentions the 1938 Munich Agreement when he talks to Michael about the impending war that will occur right after Michael assassinates Sollozzo and McCluskey. Produced by. The rival families and the Corleone empire were in stalemate. But your father, his thinking is old-fashioned. However, Vito informed the two men not to meet together socially, telling them it was a security precaution. Probably all the other families will line up against us. For a brief, fleeting moment, Michael and Apollonia are simply a pair of newlyweds enjoying each other's company. Meanwhile, Michael tells Johnny Fontane that Don Corleone and the family are proud of him, and now they need a favor. To that purpose he put into effect an elaborate system of surveillance of these leaders. In The Godfather: The Game, Barzini's role is expanded. Don Corleone reveals that at the meeting, he realized that Barzini, not Tattaglia, is responsible for Sonny's murder. He then drove fast and far enough ahead of the men Tom sent after him that it cost him his life at the toll plaza.In the end, Michael gets Carlo to admit he only started the fight with Connie to lure Sonny away from his protection. He visits Carlo, having learned of his involvement in Sonny's murder, and gives him a plane ticket to Vegas. Upon seeing that happening, Barzini's men could investigate further and probably found out that Carlo horribly abuses Connie and that Sonny was the fierce older brother who wouldn't hesitate to defend his sister's honor by beating up Carlo.As for hitting Sonny at Lucy Mancini's apartment in the city, Sonny, having taken over his father's position as Don, almost never went anywhere without several bodyguards. Edit, In Italian/Sicilian tradition, a Mafioso's wife is not allowed to ask their husband about their affairs, so Michael was quite frustrated at Kay's inquiries about his affairs. One year after the peace summit, Michael was brought back to the United States and installed as his father's heir apparent. Peter Clemenza staffed one apartment and Salvatore Tessio the other. As Tom says, "Not even Sonny will be able to call off Luca Brasi", to which Sollozo replied, "Yeah, well let me worry about Luca", as he already had him taken care of. As he was riding in a car to go to the airport, however, he was garroted to death by Clemenza. Barzini then approves Sollozzo's plan to have Vito murdered in the hopes that Sonny, as his father's successor, will accept the deal. So Barzini would rely on intelligence reports from his men to eventually figure out a pattern that would allow him to launch an attack.Barzini must also have been crafty enough to have his spies monitor other aspects of the Corleone's dealings: how often they moved shipments of black market goods, where there men were stationed throughout the city, whom the Corleone's higher ranking lieutenants would meet with and when. Featuring. Conte was previously considered for the role of Don Vito Corleone, but lost to Marlon Brando. In this section, Michael starts to come into his own as the rising Don of the family, indicating the kind of leader he will prove to be. In the novel, it is only Emilio Barzini and Philip Tattaglia that are assassinated. They published proof that McCluskey had received large sums of money in cash, shortly before his death. He killed Michael's first wife, which is what caused Michael to shut down his emotions. Edit, Here is a translation of what they say in Italian:Sollozzo: I'm sorry.Michael: Leave it alone. At Don Corleone's funeral, Tessio arranged for Michael's assassination at a peace summit set up by Emilio Barzini, who had become the strongest Don in New York. He crossed a line when he shot Sollozzo and McCluskey, and he can never turn back. Don Barzini first appears as a guest at Connie Corleone's wedding. Male Edit, Actually, he's quite the opposite. However, Michael felt he was forced in it to protect his father and once Sonny was killed, he had no choice but to assume the leadership role until Vito had healed. Also, in terms of the film, it could be said that not everyone gets their comeuppance. After the outbreak of war in 1939, Chamberlain was widely criticized for failing to stand up to Hitler at Munich. Barzini bookmakers were put out of business and two of the highest-ranking Barzini enforcers were shot to death in an Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street. Why did Barzini want Michael dead, after the five families had apparently made peace? Corleone pledges that he will not violate the peace, even to attempt a vendetta for Sonny's death. Connie calls Sonny, who races out to help her-and is ambushed along the way by rival thugs who kill him. As Vito says, "there are reasons why you must have no part in what is going to happen. Remember, Kay's question was "Is it true?" Sollozzo had previously made two attempts on the life of Vito Corleone, both unsuccessful. Tessio seals his fate by relaying Barzini's deal to Michael. Liberty State Park. Also, Lucy's apartment was likely in a neighborhood of New York that lay within the Corleone territory, providing further protection. He may have also become suspicious that someone like Luca, who had a reputation for being a fiercely loyal Corleone enforcer would so easily betray them for some money. He lies to her because he knows that if she was told the truth, she wouldn't want to stay with Michael. When Vito was ambushed Fredo fumbled his gun showed no urgency to help Vito. It is described in the book that Sonny Corleone has an abnormally large penis, so large that it actually gives his wife stomachaches. The book was later developed into a trilogy of films, including The Godfather Part II (1974) (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990) (1990). Clemenza's family Michael told them to wait, to which Clemenza reluctantly agreed, but Tessio did not and made a deal with Barzini, which resulted in his death. The Godfather himself may have been based on Carlo Gambino, one of the most ruthless, brilliant and long lived bosses in the history of the Mafia in the U.S. Though it turns out that Carlo Rizzi plotted with Barzini to set Sonny up, Michael and Vito probably believed that Tom didn't do enough to stop Sonny from leaving the safety of the family compound that day to find Carlo. Michael refused, leading Clemenza and Tessio to doubt whether Michael was strong enough to keep the family going. Edit, The Godfather is based on a novel of the same name (written by Italian-American author Mario Puzo [1920-1999]. The war had two causes: the first was the Tataglia/Barzini effort to establish the drugs business. Edit, It's explained in the book, but not very well in the film. He meets and falls in love with a young beautiful Sicilian woman, Apollonia. Tessio began with his friends Peter Clemenza and Vito Corleone as low-level hoodlums in New York City's Little Italy. Then the Corleone family loan sharks were barred from the waterfront piers as were the Corleone family bookmakers. Neri took over his old crew. In the beginning of this section, when Don Tomassino has to inform Michael that Sonny has been killed, he says, "young people don't respect anything anymore - times are changing for the worst." 1890s Sicily Salvatore "Sal" Tessio was one of Don Vito Corleone's most trusted friends and caporegimes, ruling over the Corleone family's territory in Brooklyn. Right before Don Corleone is shot, he sends Fredo out to get his car because Paulie Gatto has called in sick. According to the original source material, Stracci and Cuneo were considered less antagonistic of the Five Families, and they never put their full weight behind Barzini and Tattaglia. By observing Mafia figures at weddings and funerals, the only public events the press-shy and camera-shy Dons would regularly attend, hints as to the ranks and strengths of the various families could only be ascertained by observing them in the public sphere.

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