Best Godfather scene/line

There was this kid I grew up with; he was younger than me. Sorta looked up to me, you know. We did our first work together, worked our way out of the street. Things were good, we made the most of it. During Prohibition, we ran molasses into Canada... made a fortune, your father, too. As much as anyone, I loved him and trusted him. Later on he had an idea to build a city out of a desert stop-over for GI's on the way to the West Coast. That kid's name was Moe Greene, and the city he invented was Las Vegas. This was a great man, a man of vision and guts. And there isn't even a plaque, or a signpost or a statue of him in that town! Someone put a bullet through his eye. No one knows who gave the order. When I heard it, I wasn't angry; I knew Moe, I knew he was head-strong, talking loud, saying stupid things. So when he turned up dead, I let it go. And I said to myself, this is the business we've chosen; I didn't ask who gave the order, because it had nothing to do with business!

 

My favorites:

"Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But, until that day, accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day." -- (I use that when I give my staff a day off they ask for.)

Don Corleone: I knew Santino was going to have to go through all this and Fredo... well, Fredo was... But I never wanted this for you. I live my life, I don't apologize to take care of my family. And I refused to be a fool dancing on the strings held by all of those big shots. That's my life I don't apologize for that. But I always thought that when it was your time that you would be the one to hold the strings. Senator Corleone. Governor Corleone. Something.
Michael: I'm not a pezzonovante.
Don Corleone: Well, there wasn't enough time, Michael. There just wasn't enough time.
Michael: We'll get there, Pop. We'll get there.

 

That whole exchange in Family Guy had me rolling. It's so funny how Chris Griffin is a complete idiot, but he becomes this insightful intellect when discussing movies.


As for the Godfather lines, I love:

"It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."

Kay Adams: Michael, is it true?
Michael Corleone: Don't ask me about my business, Kay.
Kay Adams: Is it true?
Michael Corleone: Don't ask me about my business.
Kay Adams: No.
Michael Corleone: [slams his hand on the desk] Enough! ... Alright. This one time, this one time I'll let you ask me about my affairs...
Kay Adams: Is it true? Is it?
Michael Corleone: No.

 

Haven't seen it mentioned here yet, but the scene where Appollonia gets blown up in the car.

 

It's "Another pezzonovante"

 

Clemenza: All right, you just shot 'em both. Now what do you do?
Michael: Sit down and finish my dinner.

 

i've always thought the moment michael -- and we -- know he's all in is at the hospital visiting vito BEFORE mccloskey breaks his jaw. he realizes his father's guards are gone and has a nurse help him move vito to another room.

than, he whispers to his father before heading outside the hospital: "i'm with you now, pop. i'm with you."

great, telling scene, imo.

 

This has been fun reading everyone's favorites. I still laugh, though, when I think of Tom Hagen saying to Tessio, "Can't do it, Sally."

One I haven't mentioned yet is Frankie Pantangeles coming into the courtroom in II and saying, "There's more people here than at a ballgame."

 

"Hey, Mikey, why don't you tell that nice girl you love her. 'I love you with all my heart. If I don'ta see you soon, I'ma gonna die.' "

That line and scene segue to one aspect of the film that hasn't been mentioned yet: "The Godfather" is one of the great "food and drink" movies of all time.

Clemenza asking Paulie for more wine ... Woltz and Tom Hagen having dinner ... Sonny, Michael, Tessio and Clemenza eating Chinese takeout, waiting for the call from their police informant ... Michael, McCluskey and Sollozzo in the Bronx ... Sunday dinner at the Corleones ("Papa never discussed business at the table.") ... Clemenza shoving his sausage and his meatballs into his gravy/sauce, showing Michael his "trick" because you just never know when you might have to cook for 30 guys someday. ... Tom and Carlo sipping whiskey to calm their nerves. ... It's impossible to watch "The Godfather" without craving an Italian meal, and that's a testament to how textured the film was.

 

Good call, shockey. I knew there was one I was forgetting. A single tear falls from Brando's eye, which adds to the power of the scene.

 

yes, the use of food and drink is central to "the godfathers," as they are in "the sopranos."

 

The scene where Michael and Fredo reconcile.
He comes in standing over Fredo, who is slumped over smoking a cigarette, resigned to his fate as a cast off.

Michael stands over him. Fredo stands up and they hug, Michael gives him a deep brotherly embrace - and with the sly cunning of a wolf - gives his body guard a brief look.
Just a quick nod. And it is done. Fredo's fate is sealed.

The bodyguard, puts his head down, he almost looks sad - disbelieving at that Mike is such a cold, calculating son-of-a-bitch - but he accepts his charge.

The scene, the look, is so quick... and defining. It's another look at the calculable cunning of Michael Corleone.

I love it.