As much as the classic lines of “The Godfather” have become part of the vernacular pop culture – quotes like “Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli” and “I will make him an offer that he cannot refuse” – where this dialogue takes place is just as important as what is said. “The Godfather” presents an elegant but brutal vision of the golden age of the mafia. Located in New York of the post-second world war, the lively city is the playground for the Corleone family for violence and control. The story then moves to the old pastoral country, returning to the Italian countryside where this illicit lifestyle was born. The cinema in these places gives the film a feeling of greatness and makes its representation of the mafia feels both immediate and grainy. Let’s move on to the ruthless world of the Corleone family in the many places on site where Francis Ford Coppola filmed his greatest success as director.
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Francis Ford Coppola struck the streets of Manhattan for many outdoor and interior
Many scenes take place in the brilliantly lit streets of Manhattan. The famous place of entertainment radio City Music Hall serves as a backdrop on the sweet date of Michael and Kay to see “The Bells of St. Mary’s”. The art building perfectly anchors the film in the past and captures the whirlwind of innocence and the carefree romance of the couple before loyalty to the family ends up tearing them apart.
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Michael and Kay are also seen pass in front of the St. Regis hotel, where they spend the night. It has an obsolete luxury in its ornate cornices and its limestone facade, a great example of complex fine arts architecture. It is also the shaving framework of Willie Cicci at the hair salon before executing Carmine Cuneo, which is seen in the famous baptism scene.
The baptism scene was filmed at the Basilica of the Old Cathedra of Saint-Patrick, a striking example of Gothic Renaissance architecture. Its sharp arrows and its simple drowstone facade give it a solemn aesthetic – as if each sparkling brilliance of stained glass and vaulted ceilings looked in judgment of the hypocrisy of what is happening inside. While Michael tells Satan, we witness the horrible murders he orchestrated.
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The Mietz fruit building and stand on Mott Street, which now belongs to Chinatown, houses Genco Pura Olive Olive Company, the front of clandestine operations of the Corleone family. Opposite the Little Brick Building, Don Corleone is caught in ambush and shot by the Tattaglia family for refusing to enter the drug trade. The director of photography Gordon Willis means that the street seems particularly dark and dark during the view to the bird of the body of Vito on the ground, with the exception of the brilliant oranges overturned next to him.
Sponsor scenes have also been shot on other New York districts
Manhattan was not the only set location. The majestic house of the Corleone family is located in Staten Island. It is a typical Tudor style suburban house, so the filming team built a stone wall with a metal entrance door to give the facade in red brick a feeling of robust and impenetrable honor and honor. The massive property of 17,024 square feet also includes gardens where Connie’s famous wedding opening took place, which / film supports is the biggest scene of Francis Ford Coppola in all his filmography. Sonny’s death at the toll stands was filmed in Mitchel Field, a former American air base. However, this does not take place on a highway; The toll tickets were created and put on the track of the military region, which explains why the framework has not sounded true and always felt so strangely empty. The funeral of the most important death of the family, Vito Corleone, were filmed in the Calvary cemetery in Queens. The large section of 365 acres of green, dotted with marble tombs, is framed by imposing skylines in the background – the city Vito has once governed.
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Time to hide from Michael Corleone was filmed in the magnificent “old country” of Sicily
The scenes where Michael hides were filmed in the small picturesque Sicilian villages of Forza d’Agrò and Savoca. In Savoca, the Chiesa di San Nicolò is the 13th century church where Michael and Apollonia held their marriage. He is perched on a hill, supervising the surrounding lush hills, the mountains and the crystalline blue ocean. The medieval architecture of the church, with a stone facade and a square bell tower, is simple but has a dominant presence. You have to climb many steps to get there, and a few steps are the place of the city of Stone where Michael and Apollonia have had their reception. Bar Vitelli, where Michael first speaks to the father of Apollonia, is even closer. The comfortable refuge is wrapped in bright green leaves and vines. The death of Apollonia was filmed at Castello Derli Schia near Catania, a sprawling neoclassical domain with a curved entrance and an ornate roof tower. These Sicilian places have the impression of entering another era; These are very united small villages teeming with old history and breathtaking beauty.
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