Best Godfather scene/line

Yes. A crucial moment. In the best tradition of "Show, don't tell."

 

Al Pacino's body language and facial expressions are the best acting in the entire movie. It's really incredible how good he is in it.

 

I've always thought the one scene that brought everything together was the very last one in Godfather 2. After Fredo is shot, you see Michael in the darkened study brooding alone, then you see the quick flashback to the birthday dinner scene, when Sonny brings Carlo in and everybody is there. At that point, you understand that Michael has systematically lost, killed or pushed away everyone that he is close to, as the price he's paid for his power. It's a riveting scene.

 

One other scene that I don't think has been mentioned here before: When Michael tells Carlo that all the mobsters are dead, then says, "Today, I've settled all Corleone family business ... "

Always love how Michael says it so coldly, then gives Carlo the plane ticket and throws him out. Carlo thinks he's going to live, then doesn't see his death coming.

 

The movie is set up well, in that even though the Corleones are mobsters, and killers, you can still root for them.

They're the underdog in some respect. They kill in retaliation. They're against selling drugs. So, basically, they're the good mobsters.

I think a fascinating movie would be a telling of the same basic story, but from the Barzini family's point of view.

 

Doesn't he take the ticket back from him once Carlo finally confesses?

 

To me, this is all set up in the scene where Michael first brings up the idea of killing Solozzo and the captain. After Sonny mocks Michael as the former war hero who now wants to kill a cop, Michael starts to explain it.
He's sitting in a chair, legs crossed, and Coppola starts this slow move with the camera, getting tighter on Michael's face as he explains his plan -- a restaurant they know, where they can plant a gun. As the camera tightens on Michael's face, he says "If Clemenza can plant a gun (pause) I'll kill 'em both."
In that camera move, Michael has transformed from family outsider into the Godfather.

 

He still thinks that he is going to Vegas. Michael gives him the speech about how Carlo's punishment is that he's out of the family business.

 

Damn it, I was coming on here tonight to reflect on that. Very good.

I admire Robert Duvall's work in that scene. He fades into the background, careful not to do anything to take away from Pacino as the camera pulls in.

 

The garden scene in GF1 where Vito opens up to Michael remains among my favorite in film. I've convinced myself that it's the scene that won Brando the Oscar. The Don defends his principles, but you can clearly see the heartbreak in his face because his favorite son was pulled into the family business. He realizes his family will be destroyed if things continue along the same path. And he was right.

 

Which actually does bring the whole saga full circle at the end of GF III.

Vito dies tumbling to the ground in a garden.

50-some years later, Michael dies the same way.


GF III is justifiably maligned but it did have some moments it got right.

 

I'm pretty sure that they wrote that scene in one night because they realized that Vito and Michael didn't have many scenes together and Brando's last day on set was coming up.