Nowadays, approximately over 300 movies are released every year. Most slip into oblivion, but every once in a while comes a movie that defines a decade. These types of films defy the passage of time and are devotedly devoured by each new generation of viewers. The Godfather is arguably the most iconic, well-known, instantly recognizable movie of all time. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1972, The Godfather chronicles the transformation of Michael Corleone from a reluctant outsider to a merciless mafia boss. One of the contributing factors to the film’s success is the stellar cinematography of Gordon Willis.
Willis used dark and light to represent the conflict between good and evil. From the beginning, backdoor mafia dealings are conducted in darkness while the wedding is saturated in light. Characters are lit from above or the side as in a Rembrandt painting, without the standard Hollywood fill light to illuminate the second side of their face (“The Godfather Explained”). Firstly, this represents the duality of man, the presence of unknowable, dark depths in the human soul (“The Godfather Explained”). The consigliere Tom, in particular, is often shown in half-shadow. This represents his polarity as both a lawyer and a criminal, a Corleone and a non-Italian. Secondly, the more a character succumbed to evil, the more they would retreat into darkness (“The Godfather Explained”). At the beginning of the movie and during the interlude to Sicily, Michael’s face is lit fully – by the end, he is lit from above as Vito Corleone was, signifying his complete transformation. His eyes are in shadow and have become impossible to read, presenting a sense of “lurking menace” (Wolf, 2018, p. 206). We witness the same change happen to Kay as she overcomes her initial naivety and grasps the full meaning of Michael’s new position. Lighting is used to visually convey the characters’ psychological depth and transformation.
In conclusion, Willis’ choice to submerge the world of The Godfather in shadows was a revolutionary choice for American cinema at the time. The contract between light and dark was a new visual language that communicated the dichotomy of good and evil and how the human soul encompasses both before inevitably succumbing to one. The depiction of the two facets of Tom’s personality, Michael’s descent into crime, and Kay’s realization of what it means to be a Corleone were aided by Willis’ lighting choices.
Works Cited
“The Godfather Explained: Cinematography of Shadows.” Youtube, uploaded by The Take, 2016, Web.
Wolf, Marilyn. Smart Camera Design. Cham, Springer, 2018.