Pick Your ONE Favorite "Godfather" Trilogy Quote

Somewhere in this forum (IIRC) was a copy of the letter that Coppola wrote to Gazzo explaing why he couldn't meet Gazzo's salary demand. I always wondered where the Pantangoli character came from.

 

My take - When the waiter brings him his piece of cake, Roth says "smaller piece". That is the persona he puts on to Michael and the other bosses. He just wants a small piece, a little something to live on in his retirement before he goes to the great casino in the sky and they all get to divvy up his holdings. But Roth wants the whole cake, because he thinks he's going to live forever. The Corleone Family will have too much influence and take too much revenue from their Cuban venture, when Roth can have it all by getting them out of the picture.

 

"Hey, what's with the food around here? A kid comes up to me in a white jacket, gives me a Ritz cracker and chopped liver, and he says, 'Canapes'. I said, uh, 'canapes, my a**, that's a Ritz cracker and chopped liver!'"

 

My feeling was that, for perhaps the last time in all of "II" (and maybe for the last time until he breaks down at the Vatican in "III"), Michael's humanity and emotional side overpower his rational, detached, "it's all just business" side. He is legitimately hurt that Fredo turned on him (his "reward" for taking care of his fairly helpless brother) - he needs to let the emotion out, despite the poor timing involved.

 

This, plus with Michael out of the picture he could set any terms he likes with Fredo the weakling. Although Roth appears all business, it may also have been partial payback for killing his friend Moe Green (though Roth would profusely deny this I expect).

 

Another reason for the greatness of Godfathers I and II, not only the sterling acting, directing, writing and cinematography but the tons of potential analysis of every inch of footage.

 

One quote I just noticed was not uttered, but written in The Godfather, at the toll booth where Sonny was shot.

"Exact change will help us to move you faster."

Uh, yeah...

 

I'm Moe Green!!!

 

Most chillingly delivered line in The Godfather.
"You straightened out my brother?"

 

Sorry there's one even more chilling.
You have to answer for Santino.

 

I would go with Tom Hagen from II:

“This girl has no family, no one. It will be as though she never existed. All that will remain is our friendship.”

Perhaps the most disturbing murder among all the murders in the three movies. An innocent person chosen for murder because of her loneliness - a pawn in a plan to get a gaming license. And a window into the Tom Hagen character, who is "not in the muscle end of the family". Yuh-huh.

 

The most chilling moment to me comes when Michael takes Fredo out for a drink in Havana. When Fredo asks how you say banana daiquiri in Spanish, Michael replies "banana daiquiri" and smiles, one of the few times in the film that he does so. But the smile vanishes in a second, replaced by an icy stare. I take this to mean Michael already suspects Fredo played some role in that botched hit at the Lake Tahoe estate.

 

I couldn't pick just one:

"It was between the brothers, Kay."

"He's got me waiting in line!!!!"

"How do you like your lasagna?"

 

In his way Tom Hagen is as much of a "button man" as Clemenza or Tessio were. And a coldhearted s.o.b. when he wanted to be as well (as the sequence you cite illustrates all too well). I remember the first time I saw Part II, when Tom is trying to be the voice of reason ("You want to wipe everybody out?!" etc) I couldn't help but think, "Aw, Jesus, Michael- don't tell me yer gonna have Tom whacked too!" It wouldn't have surprised me.

Almost goes without saying, but the Hagen character is sorely missed in Part III, and not just because George Hamilton ain't no Robert Duvall...

 

Especially as Fredo is showing signs of his guilt during that conversation.

 

Are you saying that Fredo wasn't smot enough to hide his guilt? He's smot!!! Not like everybody says!

 

He broke Mike's hot.

 

Not that I can remember a quote, but to follow up on the "most disturbing murder" angle:

It's been about 35 years since I read the novel, but if I recall correctly, Luca Brasi takes his new born child and throws him/her into an incinerator.

 

There was precious little weeping when Luca was sent to sleep with the fishes -for good reason!

 

I have never understood why Michael turns on Tom in II, and talks about his mistress. Tom seems like the most loyal "brother" Michael has. What do you think the purpose of that exchange was?

 

I have always thought, that if Michael's Italian wife (Appalonia?) had not been killed, he would have been better off. Kay was not suited to be a Don's wife. That girl likely would have been much like his mother.

 

This doesn't really answer your question, but there was a subplot cut from the movie where Tom had an affair with Sonny's widow. That's who he is referring to.

 

Everyone knows the horse head scene but I like the scene between woltz and tom a minute or two before, where woltz is all worked up over Johnny Fontaine.

'I'm German irish'
'Well let me tell you something, my kraut mick friend'

 

No doubt. Apolonia was much like Michael's mother: a woman who would've minded her own business and not her husband's.
Which is why it's such a good idea to make Michael face having married a wife that, like many women then, wanted to be more than just the yes saying partners their mothers had been.
Dons like Michael had to face troubles at home their fathers never had to deal with.

 

Clearly Tom didn't understand it either, based on his response to Michael.

It makes me think back to what Coppola said about Michael in II - that he slowly turns into an emotional zombie. This was an indicator that Michael trusted no one and liked no one, outside of his children.