Off Topic: The Godfather

Year: 1972

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Category: I first saw this movie about sixteen years ago. All I knew was that Marlon Brando was in it and that it was about organized crime. And I’m glad I didn’t know much about it, because the plot drew me in and continues to intrigue me. Dear reader, this post contains some spoilers, so beware!

My thoughts: The Godfather opens with the wedding of Connie Corleone, the only daughter of mob boss Don Vito Corleone (played, of course, by Marlon Brando). Sometime later, Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo arrives on the scene with a bunch of drugs, and needs protection and funding from mobsters. The Don says no, but Sonny, his impulsive eldest son, expresses interest in the drug game (before he’s shut down by his dad), which exposes a crack in the Corleone armor. The Don tells Sonny, “Never tell anyone outside the Family what you are thinking again.” This is, to me, where the plot turns—that meeting with Don Corleone, Sonny, and Sollozzo. It leads to a series of events that result in Michael Corleone, the youngest son, (who I mentioned when writing about The Custom of the Country) going from neutral party to ruthless don. And I mean RUTHLESS. I think The Godfather Part II documents more of how hardened and deadly cunning Michael had become. But here, in the original, you can see that he’ll be more coldly efficient than his father. I think Michael, even though he at first wanted no part of the family business, grew up in an environment where violence and revenge were de rigueur. So when he decides to get involved in it, it’s perfectly normal to him. It’s business (not personal).

I like this movie because it’s a very fascinating story. The characters are not saints, but they are very compelling to watch. In The Godfather, where things begin and where they end are very drastic. I think there’s something Shakespearean about The Godfather (it reminds me of both King Lear and some of the histories involving Henry IV and Henry V). But, unfortunately, it seems that filming The Godfather was not a fun process for the director and the actors. I once listened to the DVD commentary by Francis Ford Coppola. He stated that he was chosen to direct The Godfather because he was young and the studio thought they could push him around. I always think it’s interesting to hear about behind-the-scenes stories from great films—indeed, there’s a fascinating documentary called Hearts of Darkness about the making of another Coppola film, Apocalypse Now (which I’ve only seen in its entirety once—it’s pretty crazy).

Every time I watch The Godfather, I think about it for days afterward. I think about the twists and turns and the great lines. I like how, later in the film, Vito Corleone appears to be a little…senile, if you will. He rambles quite a bit when talking to Michael. But it’s at this point that Don Corleone tells Michael that the person who approaches him (Michael) with an offer of peace will be the traitor. And so it comes to pass.

Great lines:

Tom Hagen: When I meet with Tattaglia’s men, should I insist all their drug middlemen have clean records?

Don Corleone: Mention it, don’t insist. But Barzini will know that without being told.

Tom Hagen: You mean Tattaglia...

Don Corleone: Tattaglia is a pimp. He never could have outfought Santino. But I didn't know until this day that it was Barzini all along.

The Age of Innocence…Revisited

Airplane reading...buckle up for safety!

My thoughts: I first got the desire to reread The Age of Innocence a few months ago, when I was writing a short story in which I mentioned the novel. I think everyone needs a little Edith Wharton in their lives from time to time. Here are some things I noticed upon reading this little masterpiece again:

Granny Mingott’s mulatto maid—She’s only mentioned a handful of times, but I am once again intrigued by the mulatto maid of Catherine Mingott, the venerable and very wealthy grandmother of Ellen Olenska and May Welland. How did she end up working for Granny Mingott? What is her background? And what does she think of these sometimes eccentric characters? It’s interesting to see a minority character in this very WASPy world.

Tribe talk—Upon rereading The Age of Innocence, I noticed how often Edith Wharton referred to the rich families of old New York as “tribes.” The word pops up all throughout the novel. The world she writes about is fiercely insular, like any good tribe. But there are people who seem to force their way in, much like high school girls sometimes find ways to infiltrate the popular cliques…

Julius Beaufort—Julius Beaufort is one of those characters who tries to find a way to force his way into society—into the tribe. He is a bit like Simon Rosedale from The House of Mirth. Both sort of exist on the fringe of New York society—not quite part of the tribe. I never wrote about Beaufort in my previous entry about The Age of Innocence. But rereading the book, I noticed that Edith Wharton continuously mentions Beaufort, his wife, and his somewhat shady business deals. His story is almost a secondary one in The Age of Innocence. It reminded me of how Shakespeare, in several of his plays, had a secondary storyline.

I’ve been listening to the Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran song “Everything Has Changed” a lot lately. The song actually reminds me of the romantic moments between Newland and Ellen. I wonder if Swifty is an Edith Wharton fan…New York magazine once had an article about how The Age of Innocence was the quintessential New York novel. I very much agree. The novel depicts the moment when things begin to change, and “old New York” is shaken to its core. And speaking of New York, one of my favorite moments is when Newland and Ellen are having a private conversation in the brand new Metropolitan Museum of Art. Newland says, “Ah, well—Some day, I suppose, it will be a great Museum.” I think he’s right…

Great passage: Archer felt that at any cost he must keep her beside him, must make her give him the rest of her evening. Ignoring her question, he continued to lean against the chimney-piece, his eyes fixed on the hand in which she held her gloves and fan, as if watching to see if he had the power to make her drop them.

“May guessed the truth,” he said. “There is another woman—but not the one she thinks.”

Ellen Olenska made no answer, and did not move. After a moment he sat down beside her, and, taking her hand, softly unclasped it, so that the gloves and fan fell on the sofa between them.

Up next: Coming of Age in Mississippi

Experimental Zucchini/Apple Bread

Mmm...butter

Ok, I'm almost finished rereading The Age of Innocence. It's been a busy summer for me, so I've been a slower reader than usual. Anyway, this post, as the title suggests, is actually about baking. My mom gave me some zucchini from my stepfather's garden (it's good to know your farmer). I found a zucchini bread recipe that I copied by hand years ago (origin unknown) that called for a cup of zucchini. But after shredding my zucchini, I found that I didn't quite have a cupful. So I shredded an apple, and added that to the zucchini to get a cupful. Then, I realized that I only had half a cup of white sugar (my recipe called for a cup...I obviously did not plan ahead very well). So I added half a cup of brown sugar, and hoped for the best. The result was actually really good. Here's the recipe below, with my changes:

Experimental Zucchini/Apple Bread
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup grated zucchini
¼ cup grated apple
⅔ cup nuts (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour pan (I used an 8x8 baking pan). Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon to a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir. Add grated zucchini, grated apple, and nuts. Bake for 40 – 60 minutes. Let it cool off for 5 minutes, then devour.

The (Best) Shirt

I mentioned in a previous post that I saw a lady at the airport wearing A Tree Grows in Brooklyn shirt, and I approached her and told her how much I loved the book. Well, my awesome mother bought the shirt for me! I love it, and I've gotten lots of compliments (some from people who haven't even read the book). And, since this post is about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I might as well include a nice quote from it, don't you think:

"Those were the Rommely women: Mary, the mother, Evy, Sissy, and Katie, her daughters, and Francie, who would grow up to be a Rommely woman even though her name was Nolan. They were all slender, frail creatures with wondering eyes and soft fluttery voices.

But they were made out of thin invisible steel."

Word.

Say Hello to Your Friends

The Baby-Sitters Club! This series really ignited my love of reading. I was beyond obsessed with these books, but I actually learned a little something from reading them. There are things I know about ballet (Jessi Ramsey was a ballet dancer), diabetes and New York landmarks (Stacey McGill, who I think was my favorite babysitter, was from New York and a diabetic) that I picked up from reading these books. I recently found a bunch of them in an old trunk at my mother's house. Oh, the memories!

When We Were Colored

Author: Clifton Taulbert

Category: I first heard about this book in 8th grade, when there was an excerpt from it in my literature book. Last month, I saw it at a library book sale, and it was only 50 cents, so I got it.

My thoughts: Like Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, this book reminds me of the experiences of my family in the 1950s. When We Were Colored is a memoir about the author’s experiences growing up in Mississippi during that decade. He was raised and nurtured by a network of relatives, and his life revolved around school, church, and the seasons of chopping and picking cotton. At one point, a young Clifton is able to pick 200 pounds of cotton in one day—which was a very big deal. But his family also deals with the strict Jim Crow laws that ruled over his family and other blacks in the South with an iron fist. Taulbert mentions how the community rallies around Joe Louis, and people move heaven and earth to hear his fights on the radio. At this time, Joe Loius was a hero bordering on being an idol to those in Taulbert’s community. Because of being kept down by segregation, they clung to successful blacks. A Joe Louis victory allowed the cotton pickers to live vicariously through him and hold their heads a little higher.

Clifton Taulbert also mentions how racial codes, which were so strictly enforced during the day, “slipped at night,” and as a result there were many people in his community who were biracial, or “high yellow,” as they used to say. Taulbert mentions that many light-skinned blacks moved North and passed for white, and never came to visit the South again. The author also mentions others who migrated to Chicago, like in The Warmth of Other Suns (indeed, Ida Mae Brandon Gladney from Warmth was originally from Mississippi). The author also mentions how the importance of education was hammered into him by his Uncle Cleve and Mrs. Knight, a white lady for whom young Clifton raked leaves. He and Mrs. Knight, in their heavily segregated world, were able to forge an acquaintanceship if not an actual friendship. People in these communities had to fight hard for access to a good education, and some fought really hard, because education was seen as a means to achieve the American Dream.

I read this on a family trip with my mom and aunt, both of whom were no strangers to cotton picking and country life. They were able to answer questions about terms in the book like “snapping cotton” and Gloversmain grease. My mom told me that my aunt Shirley once picked 400 pounds in one day (Go aunt Shirley!). My mother, by her own admission, was pretty lax with the cotton picking. She told me she’d pick just enough to fill her sack, then sneak off and read under the shade of a tree (I don’t think my grandfather ever found out—which is lucky for my mom, because my grandfather was pretty stern).

I said before, I liked this book because it reflects a lot of the experiences of my family. I admire the work ethic of the people in this book, because in spite of their country treating them like second-class citizens, they worked hard and supported each other, and did their best to lift up the children of the community. That work ethic leads me to a great passage from the book…

Great passage: There was a strong work ethic when I was growing up in the South. Every colored person worked from the time he was old enough to drag a sack through the cotton fields. The work was back breaking, exhausting and sometimes degrading. It often required a mother to leave home in the morning and go prepare breakfast for a white family before her own children were fed. Everybody worked, because in spite of everything, most of the older people still clung fast to the belief that if you worked hard, you would get a slice of the American dream.

Up next: The Age of Innocence…again

Philly!

This past weekend, I went to Philadelphia with my family. It was spectacular! I had been to Philly before, about 12 years ago, for a college volunteer trip. We saw the Liberty Bell, and my cousin and I went to the National Museum of American Jewish History, which is phenomenal.

Wristband!

We also went to the Philadelphia Musuem of Art--but I didn't run up the steps like Rocky Balboa (my feet were really tired).

To relate my Philly visit to the blog's topic, I finished When We Were Colored during this trip, and started rereading The Age of Innocence. Also, I saw a lady in the airport with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn shirt, and I told her how awesome it was!