The Godfather

Question: Who played the lively old gentleman who sang "Luna Mezzo O Mare" at Connie's wedding?

Question: What is the source of that strange, echoing voice heard as Michael, in the hospital to visit his father, realises that all of Don Corleone's bodyguards are gone and even many of the staff seem to have abandoned the place (the better to facilitate Solozzo's second attempt on Don Corleone's life)? It sounds like a male voice almost chanting the words 'two-nine, two-nine, two-nine'.

Answer: It's a 45 (a small vinyl record that generally held one song per side...a "single") playing on a record player in the nurses' station. It is skipping, thus repeating the word "tonight" over and over. You can see it when Michael arrives at the desk; we also see a half-eaten sandwich.

Question: Why does Sonny write the time that Solozzo calls him at his home to tell him that he has Tom Hagen? He writes "8:30" on the cabinet. I think it's explained in the book, but there is some significance to it.

Answer: Because Solozzo says Hagen will be released in three hours with Solozzo's proposition, i.e., the new terms in the wake of Don Corleone's death (at this point, Solozzo believes he is dead). Sonny writes down the time so he knows exactly when to expect Hagen to be released, and he writes it on the cabinet because he has no paper nearby (he quickly looks around for some before writing on the cabinet).

Question: Why was it necessary for Michael to kill Sollozzo and McClusky? Sonny knew where the meeting would take place. He could have sent in a team of assassins any time during the meal.

Answer: The plan was to make the murders look as if the Corleones were not involved and that Michael was falsely accused and forced to disappear to protect himself. If Sonny's men went in and just started blazing away, deliberately killing a police captain, the Corleones would have lost Mafia allies and political power. Michael was also the only person who could get close enough to kill Solozzo because he was not considered a threat. It was a tactical element of surprise. Sonny and Hagen also wanted to avoid a bloody gunfight that would have killed innocent bystanders, something all the Mafia families disdained. After enough time had passed, the Corleones bribed a condemned prisoner to "confess" to murdering Sollozzo and McClusky, offering him a large sum of money ensuring his family would be taken care of. Michael was then exonerated and returned to the USA.

raywest

Answer: Michael was used as bait to set up a meeting with Sollozzo and McClusky so that they could be set up for assassination. Michael was picked up in a neutral spot and driven to the cafe; if Michael wasn't there Sollozzo would have remained in hiding under protection.

michael g

Question: When Michael was visiting the church to "repent" he started to experience an anxiety attack and asked for juice and candy. How on earth did the person standing in the shadows get the juice and candy in under 5 seconds in that scene...pitcher full, a glass and candy on a platter?

Answer: I believe this happened in The Godfather: Part III (1990). Michael was diabetic (it was not an anxiety attack), and he may have requested in advance (without explaining why) that water, juice, candy, etc. be nearby in the event it was needed or else there may have been the usual refreshments set out. The one priest's actions was overly quick, though this was probably a movie choice to accommodate the scene's pacing. Michael's assistants would likely always bring a supply of candy and juice with them whenever Michael went somewhere. That is what diabetics are supposed to consume if they have a sudden attack.

raywest

Yes, I remember now he was diabetic and your answer makes sense. I re-watched the clip where he asks for it and he says it's his diabetes, when he's under stress sometimes it happens. However, I still think that once the Priest said, "what is it, what's the matter or whats wrong" that they didn't know in advance otherwise he would not have needed to ask but that his "assistants" (lol) would have had it with them instead. Either way, it doesn't take away from the film but I've watched this movie no less than 100 times and there is ALWAYS something that I didn't see or understand. This scene just stood out. Thanks for your reply.

You're welcome.

raywest

Question: What did Barzini promise Carlo if he set up Sonny to be killed?

Rob245

Answer: It was never specified, but likely a large sum of money and some sort of business arrangement with the Barzini crime family.

raywest

Question: Roughly how much time passes from Connie's wedding to the final scene when Neri closes the door on Kay?

Answer: Ten years.

Revealing mistake: When Sonny is punching Carlo under the spraying fire hydrant, he misses an audible punch by at least six inches. (01:43:30)

More mistakes in The Godfather

Clemenza: Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

More quotes from The Godfather

Trivia: Marlon Brando won a Best Actor Oscar for his role as Vito Corleone. Robert DeNiro, who played the role via flashbacks in Part II, won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. They remain the only two actors to win Oscars for playing the same character. Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix both won for playing the Joker, but not really the same character, given the very different films and portrayals.

More trivia for The Godfather

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