The Godfather

      The film The Godfather was one of the most influential films in American movie history. The film invented a genre of “mob movies”. The first, along with it's sequel The Godfather Part II received nine academy awards including two Best Picture awards. The Godfather Part III was created 20 years later. The influence these movies had on the film-making world is not to be overshadowed by the impact that the series had on the perception of the Italian-American by the rest of the word.  The stereotypes that the film may have encouraged have been insulting to some Italian-Americans. There is a sweetness to the loyalty and the closeness of the family structure but overall the Corleone family is portrayed as inherently violent as well as corrupt.  They do the dirty work for the white men and at a high price, and they do it well.  This movie may be a dramatization of the actual Italian-American, the Sicilian history plays into the place that the Corleone family resides in America. When applying Allport's theory of contact to The Godfather we see that the levels of discrimination do not change when the Corleone family gains upward mobility as wealthy Americans.

Southern Italians came to America as poor peasants. But before arriving in the United States Sicilians had a violent past. The Corleone family was from an area of Italy actually called Corleone. This was in the most southern area of Italy which is called Sicily. It is the actual birthplace of many of the mafias most dangerous and notorious bosses. Sicilian life is also a breeding ground for organized crime because of the nepotism and raccomand­a­zioni, which in Italian means "for recommendation". This is a process of upward mobility at the hands of an agent for a preferred individual, usually a family member regardless of their skill level or ability. A recent example was the hiring of dozens of bus drivers in Palermo who had no driver's licenses and were hired above other qualified workers. Most were related to the Palermo mayor. We see several examples throughout The Godfather. This form of  cronyism is practiced to the detriment of the people of Italy and causes great political corruption and makes it very difficult for young people to attain work (Romano). Using your family connections for favors and to ones advantage has been part of Sicilian culture since the 15th century. However, murder and criminal activity may come from a different area of life. The geography of Sicily makes it a frontline for wars and battles. In post-feudal Sicily, high food prices and public rights being diminished caused criminal activity to rise. There was a need for protection by the people and a high demand for skilled criminals. The people had to police their own land and form bands of  criminals to protect themselves and their farms (Wikipedia). The violent  behavior and loyalty of families  are portrayed as the Corleone family The Godfather.   

The first scene of the first movie defines what Don Vito Corleone was all about. He may have been corrupt, but he had values and he did not compromise them for any monetary price. When Bonasera ask's Don Corleone to avenge the murder of his daughter we are informed of these values. 

“I understand. You found paradise in America, had a good trade, made a good living. The police protected you; and there were courts of law.  And you didn't need  a friend of me.  But, now you come to me and you say “Don Corleone give me justice.” But you don't ask with respect.  You don't offer friendship.  You don’t even think to call me Godfather. Instead, you come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married, and you ask me to do murder, for money  ...That is not justice, your daughter is still alive”

However, if he needed to protect or avenge his family he would not hesitate to act. He had a way of doing things that came from his Sicilian roots. 

While Don Vito Corleone used the old Sicilian approach to his job,  his son Michael seemed to have gotten a taste of the American dream and when Michael took over he began using a capitalist approach to running things.  

Allport's theory of contact can be applied to this move in that we see the interaction between the politician's and the Corleone family at the congressional hearing. We hear Senator Kane defending Corleone, but we also know that he has his reason's. He attempts to use the “I have lots of <insert minority here> friends” defense, which usually implies an underlying prejudice. His monologue at the senate hearing tells of an ideal view of Italian-American's but directly contradicts the portrayal of such in the movies.

“Many of my constituents are Italian and have been honored with that certain friendship by my close Italian friends. Up to this point before I have to leave this hearing to join my own committee, let me say, that this hearing on the Mafia is in no way a slur on the Italians by the Senate; nor is it meant to be; nor will I allow it to be. Italian Americans are the hardest working, most law abiding patriotic Americans of our country. It is a shame and a pity that a few rotten apples give them a bad name. We are here to weed those rotten apples out of the vast healthy barrel of Italian Americans, who are one of the backbones of our country.”

In defending the family and Italians, he is defining the discrimination that is taking place. The only reason there was a Senate hearing is because the family was wealthy. Senator Kane is defending them out of fear, not genuine admiration.  The upward mobility of the Italian-American's obviously offended they WASP senators.  We also see Allport's theory play in the relationship between Kay and Michael. Michael's attempt to Americanize himself won over Kay in the beginning of the first film. He went to college and joined the Army. He became what he thought of as the all-American boy. The more Kay got to know him and his roots, the more she hated him. She even had an abortion so that she would not bring another Corleone son into the world. 

Allport also had a theory on the functional autonomy of motive. Throughout The Godfather we constantly wonder what is motivating  Michael to remain on his violent and corrupt path when he know's better.  Allport theorized that drive  can come from the manner and environment  in which one is raised. In The Godfather, Michael's roots come back to him, no matter how hard he tries to avoid them it is in his blood to be a Corleone. He holds on to many of the traditions, but inteprets them in his own way, that best serves his intentions. Allport wrote, “Just as a child gradually repudiates his dependence on his parents, develops a will of his own, becomes self-active and self-determining, and outlives his parents, so it is with motives. Each motive has a definite point of origin which may possibly lie in instincts, or, more likely, in the organic tensions of infancy. Chronologically speaking, all adult purposes can be traced back to these seed-forms in infancy, but as the individual matures the tie is broken. Whatever bond remains, is historical, not functional.”

The influence of these films on American perception of Italian-American's cannot be repudiated. Today we see most portrayal's in the media of this ethnic group as violent and corrupt even thought most of them aren't. No matter how far they have come, it seems that this immigrant group is framed by a stereotype only perpetuated by The Godfather films.