COMMENT:
1) Who is the WORST-WRITTEN character in the novel? By that I mean, the character whose personality Puzo was not able to nail.
2) If you could get rid of one of the actors in the film and replace him/her with someone else, whom would you pick? (You don't need to name the replacement.)
I think that the worst written character in the novel is Fredo. I only say this because although one can grap that Fredo is somewhat more timid and weak than his other brothers Sonny and Michael, I feel as though we didn't see quite enough evidence of that throughout the book. I wish that Puzo would have expanded even just a bit more on Fredo's peronality or actions so that I could understand what was going on his mind on a more personal level like I was able to do with the other characters.
ReplyDeleteIf I could get rid of one of the actors in the film and replace them with someone else I would probably replace Kay Adams. I'm not entirely sure if this is only due to the script of the movie however, I didn't find the actresses portrayal of Kay very convincing. Ofocurse this is my own opinion but in the book I imagined Kay being alot more gullible and love stricken than she was in the movie. In the movie she appeared to be quite aware of what was going on and not falling over Michael as much as she wa in the books. I think I would have preffered it if the actress was able to portray that part of Kay a bit better.
1. I found that the worst character that was presented in the film was the mother, Carmela Corleone. She was mentioned a few times but her character was not presented with great detail and personality. I felt that the family members were each represented equally, except the mother.
ReplyDelete2. A character that I would have gotten rid of would be Carlo. I didn't think there had to be much stress coming from his character. His rage and outbursts towards Connie I don't think were necessary towards the plot of the book.
I agree with your comment about the mother Carmela Corleone. I feel like her role she have been more prominent. she should have had more of a say in things and appeared more in the movie being that she was Don's wife.
Delete1. I think that the worst written character was Tom Hagen's wife. I feel that Puzo was not able to grasp her personality to its entirety. She makes an appearance in a few scenes but we never really learn the essence of her personality. Even when Tom was having an affair with the maid of honor, we did not get to read about her reaction towards this.
ReplyDelete2. If I could get rid of one actor in the film and replace them with anyone else, I would replace Kay Adams. The actress that played Kay did not seem to make an impression of her character. There was no personality coming out of the character, it simply made her a typical bystander who was in the film. I did not feel a sense of enthusiasm towards the character coming from the actress.
The worst character that was presented in the film was Luca Brasi. Based on the book he seems to be a really scary ,violent individual. When I saw the movie Luca Brasi was just a heavy set individual he's character wasn't scary at all. His character did not fit what I read in the book.
ReplyDeleteA character that I would have gotten rid would be Kay because I think Appollonia suits him better as his wife. Kay didn't really understand the Italian culture and why certain things were done. Overall I just like Apollonia better for Michael.
I think the most worst-written character in the godfather was Sonny Corleone. I feel the way Puzo tried to describe Sonny in many cases they made him sound like he was completely insane to the point people wouldn't be able to talk to him without him snapping at them. Due to that I feel he was not able to nail his personality, perhaps because Sonny was meant to be "angry or hard headed" and the author isn't an angry individual.
ReplyDeleteIf I could replace one of the actors in the movie I would've replaced Luca Brasi. After reading the book first, I felt he was portrayed very poorly in the movie. He felt he was killed off way to easily after building up such a powerful character in the book. The movie kind of disappointed me in the way he died.
In the Godfather Sonny Corleone's personality was not easy to understand well. The author, Puzo, does express his behaviors and thoughts, but it was only ever shown in an aggressive way. Sonny often comes off as short tampered and irritable, which makes it hard for readers like myself to connect. "Short-tempered" is an Italian stereotype,so maybe Puzo made Sonny like that so readers could still have that feeling, but without making everyone so short tempered.
ReplyDeleteIf I could get rid of one character, it would be Kay. Although, Kay was easier to connect with then Sonny, I just do not think Kay fit in because of the lack of knowledge about the Italian culture. Appollonia had more knowledge and would be a better fit. There was no personality to the character playing Kay and it made it seem dry and boring. It was hard to feel what Kay was feeling and put myself into Kay's shoes. In movies, I like to put myself in their shoes and really get involved. It just did not happen with Kay.
In my opinion, Lucy Macini was the worst-written character. First of all, I believe her character was very unnecessary to the story. She just gave us an uninteresting side story. Also, she is described as innocent. However, in some places she does not seem innocent at all. I did not understand her character well but as much as I did, I didn't like her.
ReplyDeleteIf I could replace one of the actor in the movie it would be Tom Hagen. The script is probably to blame too, but I believe the actor did not do justice to the character of Tom. He made Tom seem very plain. He did not display the level of intellect and calm charisma Tom should have. Also, in the movie Tom didn't seem as attached to the Corleones as he was in the book, even though his eyes did water when he heard of the Don's death. Sometimes I couldn't put my finger on what the problem was but I felt like his performance was lacking something. Tom was my favorite character in the book but if I had only seen the movie I would hardly have noticed him.
I think the most poorly written character was Michael. When reading the book, I felt like he was weak and had fear imbedded within him. However, as the story went on we see that he wasn’t and that he took responsibility and became the head of the Corleone family. I felt like this was portrayed better in the film than in the book. Al Pacino’s role as Michael also helped me really feel his character. I felt like he was such a main character and Puzo’s weal portrayal affecting my reading of the book.
ReplyDeleteDiane Keaton is a great actress, however, I didn’t feel like she played Kay authentically. She didn’t make an impression on me.
I feel that the worst written character may have been Luca Brasi. His novel characteristics have little connection with the characteristics shown in the film. Likewise, both cases have him killed off in a way that makes him seem weak and off. He's meant to be a brute of a character, yet he's the one sent as a pseudo-traitor. The work didn't seem to fit his character at all, and was a poor way of killing off a potentially frightening character.
ReplyDeleteAs previously mentioned in other comments, Diane Keaton did not seem to play the role of Kay Adams very effectively. She rarely ever seemed like a major character, and having her in the closing scene made it feel much less important than it should have.
The character Puzo, was not able to grow really well, in my opinion, is Corleone's eldest son, Sonny. Even though he tries to bring him out as controlling and fearless, he does not give him time to grow as a character leading to his premature death when he is easily gunned down. Even though his death provides basis for Michael to pursue revenge, Puzo made weakened Sonny too much, that he did not exactly seem to appear as a son of a powerful baron, hence making him easily vulnerable to the enemies whims.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to change an actor or actress used in the film, I would change Ernest Borgnine, who plays the Godfather. In my opinion, the Godfather is presented as a powerful, caring and loving father, who despite his flaws in a rough drug industry, is willing to go miles to take care of his family. By type casting, Borgnine does not work for me in the role, as his personality seems to contrast the character in totality, which is quite evident from watching the film. Personally, I would have gone with Puzo's original idea of having Marlon Brando play the role, not only because of his looks that would be appealing to the role but also because of a more diverse personality that allows him to blend both the good traits as a caring father and the ugly traits as a baron in business.