0 A Film Saga You Can't Refuse Testing the Limits of Peda By Tony Silber "Every family has bad memories." Very true in most cases, but quite an understatement when it comes to the Corleones. Although many of us may have some bad blood in our families, the Corleones never hesitate to spill that blood in ruthless and symbolic ways. But despite their ruthless nature, we have become endeared to these cold-blooded killers ever since Mario Puzo told us of those "offers" no one could refuse. Francis Ford Coppola is the cinematic visionary who took Puzo's 1969 best seller and brought it to the screen as one of the most acclaimed motion pictures of the last twenty years. The question of a sequel two years after the original had Paramount executives giddy, but probably had most critics very skeptical, to say the least. After the sequel's premiere during Thanksgiving, 1974, the doubters were silenced and Paramount was rewarded with a very merry Christmas. "It's not personal, just business." The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II are now institutions in the American cinematic repertoire. The two films received 21 Academy Award nominations between them-and won nine, including Best Picture for both. But there is much more to these two films besides the prizes they garnered. Important, breathtaking films that shroud all other films in an aura of inferiority are exceptionally rare. It is no wonder, then, that a third installment in the saga would stop the presses and tax the imaginations of Godfather junkies everywhere. Christmas Day, 1990, presented film critics everywhere with a troubling dilemma when The Godfather, Part III was finally released. How does one judge such a film-as an installment of a legendary trilogy, or as an independent film? Of course, it would be ideal to judge any film based on its own merits (or demerits), but The Godfather isn't just "any" film, is it? Do you remember Connie's wedding on Long Island in the first scene of The Godfather? It didn't take but a few minutes to be completely taken with this fascinating family of Italian- Americans living the American dream in the wake of World War II. "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." What did we know about the Corleones then? We knew they were a wealthy, established, motley group, led by Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the street-wise, calculating patriarch of a powerful crime family. As his daughter celebrated her wedding outside with all the judges, senators, and highbrows on Long Island, he received a long line of favor-seekers in his dark study, observing the tradition that "No Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter's wedding day." Thus the Godfather formula takes shape. It begins with a lavish family gathering. The wedding in Part I, Anthony Corleone's Lake Tahoe Communion in Part II, and Michael Corelone's Manhattan reception to celebrate his receiving the Order of Saint 'Sebastian from the Roman Catholic Church in Part III. Although everyone appears to be enjoying themselves at these affairs, they are actually orchestrated opportunities for the Don to conduct sensitive back- room negotiations. "If history has taught us anything, it's that you can kill anyone." The evolution of the Corleone family as we know it begins with young Vito Andolini, forced to flee the Mafia-crossfire of Sicily for America. The scene in Part II when the immigrants crowd the side of the ship to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty is a moving and mesmerizing moment. He leads his pauper, immigrant life on the Lower East Side until he is drawn into the world of crime. The grooming of the future crime boss becomes the next prevalent theme in the Godfather formula. In Part I, the development of Michael (Al Pacino) as a killer in the great restaurant scene when he guns down both a corrupt police chief and a drug lord serves as his induction into the dark profession of his family. When young Vito Corleone (Robert One of Coppola's most sacred penchants is family. The Godtather films emphasize this theme very clearly. Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia) represents the third generation of Corleones, the future of the family. Here he is blessed by Connie Corleone (Talia Shire), who, like her brother Michael (Al Pacino), has traveled the long road since the original film. DeNiro) guns down Fanucci, the neighborhood extortioner, in a tense moment from Part II, his conversion to crime is complete. And in the latest chapter of the Corleones, bastard son Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia) kills rival boss Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna) in a. nearly identical seen as in Part II when young Vito shoots down Fanucci. Both occur during Italian street festivals. "Finance is a gun; politics is knowing when to pull the trigger." Family business ventures provide the next key to the Godfather formula followed by all three films. The business course chosen by the Don usually becomes a point of conflict among certain family members, leading to tragedy. In Part I, when Vito Corleone made the decision not to enter the drug business, his son Sonny (James Caan) disagreed. That inter- family dissension led to a bloody mafia war in New York in which Sonny was a gruesome casualty. In The Godfather, Part II, Michael Corleone sought to consolidate his control over Las Vegas gambling by attempting a hostile takeover of two casinos, but his timid brother Freddie (John Gazale) objected. This led to another conflict between the families, but Michael eliminates all his enemies in the end, including Freddie, who had turned on his brother. Part III presents a different kind of conflict over business philosophy within the family. The aging Don Michael, his health weak and his mind shrouded in guilt over past sins, insists that all family operations. must be legitimate. This leads to his attempt to acquire the Vatican-owned Immobiliare real estate conglomerate. The loan dissenter to this course of action is his nephew, Vincent, who feels that the family must regain its lost status in the crime world. Despite Michael's efforts to bring about a clean future, the seedy past overpowers him and he must turn to Vincent and his methods. "Never hate your enemies-it affects your judgement." The final element in the Godfather formula is responsible for the most famous scenes in these brilliant motion pictures. Faced with enemies on all fronts, the Godfather orders all enemies be "rubbed out" so that the family can retain its position on top. In Part I, during the baptism of Connie's (Talia Shire) baby, Corleone hit men murder rival New York family godfathers and consolidate their power. In Part II, Michael orders the assassinations of family enemies as he waits pensively at his Lake Tahoe estate. The current installment follows true to form in a dramatic massacre during the final sequence as the Corleones celebrate the operatic debut of Michael's son, Anthony. Aside from the plot formula, other common characteristics can be found in the Godfather films. Francis Coppola's imaginative style and flair for detail shine especially brightlin these films. His imagination is apparent in the fantastic characters he has given us over the course of the three films. Treacherous, creepy, colorful, and often comedic, Godfather characters reflect the mastery in Please turntopgA3 By Steven Cohen X-Clan is the next generation in black consciousness rap. Their mission is to educate. They are confident in their heritage as African descendents. X-Clan is the rebirth of the cool. Rebirth is the language of the cool and these language manipulators oblige. The members-Grand Verbalizer Funkin-Lesson Brother J. (MC), Rhythm Provider Sugar Shaft (DJ), and the Architect Paradise (co- producer)-are not rappers but 'messengers,' carrying the word of Blackwatch, a Brooklyn-based activist organization led by X-Clan member ProfessorX the Overseer. 'We call our music VANGLORIOUS, not rap. Not to separate it, but to note the difference, as we are not entertainers,'states Professor X. VANGLORIOUS is the celebration of the one-blood unity of Black people from Egypt to New York, from B.C. to the 21st century... - Island Records Sitting in the hotel lobby at 3:30 a.m. in late November, I asked myself, "Why am I here?" I had arranged to meet and interview the Brooklyn-based hip hop group X-Clan the night before when they came to the Power Center through the efforts of the cultural arts group Kuumba. So here I was, in the lobby of the Ann Arbor Sheraton, in the wee hours of the morning. The lone white person among about 15 Black people sitting in the lobby. I sat defensively, a mild victim of skepticism, jibes, mistrust, and my own conscience. Though my experience at the Daily had been limited to writing about sports, I had been intrigued enough by X-Clan's debut album, To the East, Blackwards, to want to learn more about the group. I don't think I was cavalier about interviewing this group-I went through great efforts to secure the meeting-but I do realize that I underestimated the commitment and sincerity of X- Clan. I had merely wanted to listen to their thoughts and write about it for the newspaper. It wasn't so simple. Hindsight tells me if it had been, it wouldn't have been nearly as rewarding as it turned out to be. I learned that in contrast to hordes of other entertainers who claim to be concerned with Black people, X-Clan is truly passionate about their people and their ideals. 'African-American, rebel of authority, Majority,' while I'm so-called minority Sometimes they ask me: 'Why are you the rebel? Is that the way you choose to tame the bass and treble?' ep.' 'Brother, don't get deep' That's what they're telling me, just like a sell-out While society gets stronger and stronger. towards me because of my presence there as a member of the Daily, an organization she considered racist due to its treatment of Louis Farrakhan and Steve Cokely, Black leaders whom some believe to be anti- Semitic. Others, it seemed, viewed me as a sort of party-crasher, an interloper obstructing their attempts to develop Black unity. "Pedagogy has its limits." We of the Blackwatch now arrest the demonic mind state of mortals for the following crimes: Religion, art, sciences, government, writing, mathematics, astrology, philosophy, inventions, culture, sense of reality, speech techniques, not to mention the tolerance of ignorance, raping of a people, subjecting Blackness to an woi un pe of I am als it n intt gro 3rd was bei was helj M. get are anc Brc Sr timT nei Ca gro tha Bas as I mu the Bla the cha Prc Bas fey wa cor Ba D yot pe sar dic wo say no pej do mc the me Va ant caf eff leg stn Va wi wh do sp4 PI -, J p my race gets weaker and weaker. Maybe I can make a difference through a mike and a speaker. So my lyrics flow different than a hip hop, be-bop mike-controller who turns out to be the fop. -X-Clan, "Earthbound" There were very few white people among the surprisingly sparse crowd at the Power Center, and I felt unwelcome and out of place among the students who helped to bring X-Clan to Ann Arbor, people who deeply believe in X-Clan's message. Furthermore, X-Clan's targeted audience is unquestionably a Black one. One member of Kuumba directed a great deal of hostility "I don't really deserve this kind of treatment," I thought. After all, here I am waiting ten hours to speak with this group, trying to give this group a chance to spread its word. "I'm trying to do something positive," I thought. Their skepticism did not deter me, however. I figured if I were in their shoes, I probably would have wondered why I was there as well. The session turned out vastly different from what I had anticipated. The interview became my indoctrination into their beliefs. During my initiation, the members of X-Clan laughed as they recalled a weary New York writer's characterization of their method: inhumane system, changing offacts, claiming the divine, disgracing a nation, production of a white kryptonite trespassing on most sacred ground, trying to replace the flag of power with the symbols of slavery and the hardships of hundreds of years. By the way, VANGLORIOUS, this is protected by the red, the black, and the green, at the crossroad,with a KEY. SISSY!!! -X-Clan, "Verbs of Power" Professor X, though good- natured, made sure I measured my words carefully and showed me time and time again that what I said-or how I said it-could be interpreted as disrespectful. Often when he interpreted a comment I made as being insensitive, he The Genius at work. Aside from the numerous Academy Awards and other prizes Francis Ford Coppola has won, he has proven himself to be an artist who strives for perfection in all his motion pictures. He has come closest with his Godfather films by Ifollowing a plot formula and insisting on only the most superior 'production values. __ I 1 1 11111111 1 Ir11 II IIYI I e I 1 1 PII I JANUARY 18, 1991 WEEKEND PAGE 12 PAGE 5 WEEKEND JANU i."..