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Video Transcription
FILM ANALYSIS: The Godfather the baptism scene
Hello my name is Beatriz Stumm, welcome to Let's talk about it and today we are talking about the baptism scene in the movie The Godfather. The movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola follows one of the five mafia families, focusing especially on Al Pacino's character Michael who starts as someone who is part of the family but is not interested in the family business. This is completely different from what he becomes by the end of the movie. Which is exactly what we are talking about today. The Godfather is known for being one of if not the greatest movie ever made, it has won over 16 awards including 3 Oscars! And in one scene I can show you why but keep in mind this video has a LOT of spoilers so now that you have all the information you need, sit back, get some popcorn and let's talk about it.
The main mood and theme of this scene is the juxtaposition of Good vs. Bad. The baptism scene happens at the very end of the movie and Don Vito Corleone, the Godfather played by Marlon Brando has passed away and Michael is becoming the new Godfather as he also becomes the godfather of Connie's baby.
This scene is known as cross-cutting, or parallel editing because it goes back and forth between scenes that are happening simultaneously. So we see the church and then one of the leaders of the other mafia families be murdered, and that happens throughout the whole scene. This technique helps highlight the mood of this scene since it is all about juxtapositions and comparison between good vs. bad, innocence vs. evil, life vs. death. Oftentimes there are close ups on the baby and then it cuts to a close up to Michael further enhancing this comparison of the vulnerability and purity a baby has and of all the evil and corruption Michael is currently committing as he sends people to brutally kill the other mafia bosses. One thing I found interesting is how they use the rule of thirds a lot in this scene and the members of the family were often on the right side of the frame and the enemies were on the left side of the frame. This is again showing this separation and comparison between families and how the main family have the desire to maintain power which is the reason behind this bloodbath.
The music and dialogue also play a big role in making this scene full of tension and filled with this dark tone.
Throughout the whole scene you can hear music from the church organs playing, however in the scenes where the murders are happening you can hear it become darker and tenser, pay attention to this clip:
Did you hear the difference? This shows the evilness in these acts in comparison to a pure baptism at a church. You can also hear the baby cry at some points which is an innocent sound babies make and then in contrast there are loud sounds of the guns and the suffering the other mafia bosses are going through. At the end of the scene before the people are actually killed, it cuts back to Michael and all music fades as the priest ask him "Michael Francis Rizzi do you renounce Satan?'' it cut to the hotel the music comes back and the first leader is killed, it cuts back to Michael and he says ''I do renounce them'' and the it cuts to the massage room where the next leader is killed, it cuts back to Michael and the priest ask ''And all he works?'' There is a cut to the hotel where the next one is killed, it cuts back to Michael and he says "I do renounce them" and then it cuts to the motel room where the last one is killed. There is still more that happens but that part alone has got to be one of the best shots of a movie ever. It is so genius because it shows how Michael is saying that he renounces Satan as he is acting in the opposite way which is what the whole point of the scene is.
Again this is scratching the surface of this scene, we could go on and on about so many other elements and symbolism in this scene like the clothes, colours and light but that convention for another time. And this is just one scene of this rich and powerful movie that you should definitely watch.
Thank you for listening, and I will see you next time!