The Godfather, Vito Corleone, has a very unique personality. He strongly believes in the concept of family. A quote from a scene indicated just that “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” His strong belief in family also gives clue to his nickname as the “Godfather”. He also wants to have a strong sense of security both with himself and his family which he exemplifies by being the boss of his mafia. He also places a lot of thought into the concept of justice. He has his own theory on how justice should be delivered. He believes in “an eye for an eye” type of justice. This is best shown in the first scene of the movie when Bonasera is testifying himself in front of the Don. The scene is set up to look like Bonasera is standing witness to a trial in a courthouse where in reality; he is in a small dark room trying to plead his case to Vito. To further push the point of Vito’s belief in eye for an eye, when Bonasera asks the Don to kill the men that defiled his daughter, he says that isn’t just. The men didn’t kill the daughter, why should they die? He later agrees to hurt the men like they hurt the daughter. He would send a few men to beat them up just like they beat up Bonasera’s daughter. The most valuable personality trait that Vita has however is his ability to balance aggression with foresight. That’s how he leads his mafia so successfully. If you have seen the other movies, there are more clear examples of this.
Vito Corleone is the head of his mafia family. He built this criminal empire from the ground up. His role in it is very important in the movie. We follow his from the start of the movie and we get to know his a little bit. It’s kind of like an initiation; we are following the leader and getting to know him so we can connect with the mafia. Though he is sidelined and killed in the story to make way for Michael to take his place, he leaves his mark as a favourite to many. Any who, his role in the movie is being the head of the Corleone, the big boss who controls everything mafia and family related.
Vito’s physical appearance is even more defining for his character. He is an old man, wise and highly experienced. He is also slightly corpulent or rotund. His days as a physically active human are over. He wears a tuxedo or a suit almost every time we see him in the film. Here are several examples of when we see him in his formal attire. The beginning of the movie, he is wearing a tuxedo. He is partaking in his daughter’s wedding but it still indicates he is up for business. It also lets him blend in with the theme of the wedding. Second example is when he slaps the actor to get him to stop crying. It would have been intimidating, a large old mafia boss slapping you in the face. Vito used his presence and reputation to manipulate and control the actor. Vito also has a certain style to him. Beside him, the other mafia leaders look like a bunch of brutes. They lack in class. They lack that air of calm and determination that is present in Vito. Base line is that Vito’s physical form assists in further defining his character in the film The Godfather. He is depicted as a wise old man whose experience and collective will forged the largest mafia family in New York City.
