The Corleone Men and the Importance of Family

The 1972 classic The Godfather portrays the lives of the infamous Corleone family in all of their criminal glory. The film emphasized the importance of family to the male Corleones, and especially to reigning patriarch Vito. This choice to display the criminal Corleone family as just that, a family, undermines the typical criminal that society expects. Most criminals, and especially murderers, are not portrayed in film as family men, with marriage and children not playing any important role in the criminal’s life, unless they are being used by the criminal. Examples of such stereotypical criminals in film include Jerry and Gaear from Fargo, Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, and Charlie Wolfe from Kill Me Three Times. All of these male criminals are not what one would call family men; Jerry even goes as far as to use his wife to further his criminal plans. The Corleone family men value their familial relationships very highly, and by portraying the these male characters in this way, the traditional callous criminal man is subverted, and it is shown that criminals can be caring, family individuals.

The phrase “the family” is used repeatedly by members of the Corleone family to describe themselves and their position on topics. By referring to the group collectively, rather than any individual, the family is made into the most important unit. Decisions are made based on the good to the family, rather than any individual. Individuals are subservient to the family, and their primary responsibility is to the success of the family. Using “the family” also creates very strict divides amongst the criminals, as family members have the utmost loyalty only to other family members, resulting in tense relationships between the large crime families. Whether it be in tense interfamily meetings when Sonny speaks out, or later when Michael reminds his other brother to “never take sides against the family again,” the Corleone’s view their family as a coherent unit, more important than any outside relationships.

Although Sonny’s infidelity during his own sister’s wedding appears to be contrary to the ideals of a family man, Sonny is still extremely focused on the safety and wellbeing of his family. Infidelity does not necessarily have to mean that a man does not care about his family. The reaction of Tom to Sonny’s infidelity speaks to this point, as Tom walks away with a simple smile after finding Sonny engaged in his extramarital affair. There was no disgust or surprise, for Tom knows that Sonny would never endanger the greater Corleone family or his marriage, since those values are so important to them all. Sonny’s immense value for his family is seen in his own demise, as he is gunned down as he rushes to help his sister from an abusive husband. Sonny thus represents a man with strong family values, despite his extramarital activities.

The film chose to have many intimate family settings throughout the movie, juxtaposed with the criminal behaviour that was ongoing. Perhaps the most striking example comes during the wedding, which is itself a family activity. Fifteen minutes into the film, while Vito is speaking with Luca Brasi, three children run into the room. These children help to show that Vito’s criminal activity is inseparable from his family life, as even these secret meetings can be interrupted by children, the quintessential innocent members of the family. This relationship is further seen in Vito’s continuous switching between the wedding, and his family responsibilities, and meetings with associates and his criminal activities. Choosing to take time away from his dirty work to spend time with his family shows the compassion of Vito as a father and husband, as well as his love for his family.

Throughout The Godfather, the Corleone men demonstrate their love and loyalty to the family through their words and actions. Unlike the stereotypical criminal, to whom family is unimportant or, even worse, another means to reach his end goal, the Corleone men are constantly proving their fierce loyalty and high regard for their family. The juxtaposition between criminal behaviour and family life seems odd, but only because society is so used to criminals who do not value their family relationships. By having the Corleones be this interesting combination of criminal and family man, the idea that criminals have to be callous or uncaring is challenged and it is shown that men can indeed be murderers while still maintaining strong family loyalties and ties.