In The Godfather, Michael Corlone joins the Army to fight in W.W.II. This service for a third party (not part of the family) goes against the belief system of his father, Don Vito. You see, Michael has been Americanized in a way that his father can't understand. The Don is from a culture that developed his consciousness of being in such a way that he cannot comprehend the idea of fighting for a Nation-State, in other words, for strangers: Only the affairs of the Family matter in the Don's mind.
In the Godfather, The Don says:
"As for our own deeds, we are not responsible to the .90 calibers, the pezzonovantis who take it upon themselves to decide what we shall do with our lives, who declare wars they wish us to fight in order to protect what they own. Who is to say we should obey the laws they made to protect their own interests? Sonna cosa nosa, these are own affairs. We shall manage our own world for ourselves because it is our world, cosa nostra. Therefore, we stick together to guard against outside meddlers. Otherwise, they put the ring in our nose as they have put the ring in the nose of all the millions of Neapolitans and other Italians in this country."
Don Vitone would not approve of anyone from his family fighting in the war in Iraq because of his Sicilian mindset, his inherent distrust of the government, the pezzonovantis. Now Don Michael, on the other hand, is Americanized. While Michael knows how to think like a Sicilian, as an American he believes in values & principles that Don Vito would spit on. Michael would approve of his children fighting in Iraq, Don Vitone would find great fault in such thing.
As we are all merely grasshoppers, much knowledge can be extracted from understanding the Sicilian mindset because so much more of the worlds populace thinks more in the terms of Don Vitone, than like Michael.
"Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.” Tom Hagen
"Luca Brasi put a gun to his head and my father assured him that either is brains or signature would be on the contract." Michael Corleone
"If by some misfortune an honest man such as yourself made enemies they would become my enemies and then, believe me, they would fear you." Don Vitone Coreleone
And so if some unlucky accident should befall my youngest son, if some police officer should accidentally shoot him, if he should hang himself in his cell, if new witnesses appear to testify to his guilt... If my son is struck by a bolt of lightning I will blame some of the people here." Don Vitone Coreleone
My favorite line from the flick is when Clemenza, after they whack Paulie, tells Rocko: "Take the connolies; leave the gun."
What are some of your favorite movie lines?