: (Nino Rota) It has been successfully
argued many times that no film has had as much impact on cinema as
Francis Ford Coppola's original
. The 1972
powerhouse not only defined the entire subsequent genre of mob-related
films, but remains a brutally memorable exhibit of dramatic storytelling
at its most compelling. The adaptation of Mario Puzo's best-selling and
controversial novel, accomplished by Coppola and the author himself, was
so encapsulating that it warranted every minute of its nearly three-hour
running time, leaving enough room for the longer plot of the second film
in this franchise to expand even further upon the same characters.
Whereas most films utilize, intentionally or not, stereotypes in the
definition of their characters, Puzo and Coppola invented an entire
realm of new stereotypes in
. The story of the now
famous trilogy of films follows the progression of the original New York
mafia families in their efforts to survive and adapt in the times from
the 1900's to the 1990's, the first two films tackling the initial
threat posed by the introduction of the drug trade into the traditional
operations of these bases of power. The trilogy ultimately defines
itself as the story of Michael Corleone, desperate to retain the
Sicilian traditions of his father while moving the family forward into
these new, more global avenues of wealth. His ultimate failure,
foreshadowed in his ascension in
and progressively
more shocking in the endings of the two sequels, guides the music of
these films to a similarly depressing end. Like the films, the work of
Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola for the soundtracks of these productions
is engrained in the memory of the mainstream, defining the sound of
mafia music much like the characters influenced later incarnations of
essentially the same idea. If you boil down the plot elements of
to their most basic ingredients, they would be tradition,
love, and fear. Rota's score for the film perfectly embodies these three
aspects of the story, licensing ten or so existing pieces for source
usage. Carmine Coppola, the director's father, wrote a small amount of
original source material for
Rota's themes for the first film, however, are the lasting
sounds of the franchise, played longingly on street corners around
Europe for decades to follow. The composer had been best known as a
child prodigy that balanced his efforts between the opera house, concert
halls, and recording studios for film, maintaining one of the most
fruitful director/composer collaborations (with Federico Fellini) all
the way to his death in 1979. He had already tasted success in Hollywood
in the years prior to
The Godfather, with
Romeo and Juliet
and
War and Peace serving as popular contrasts in conveying his
talents to American audiences. The role of original score in
The
Godfather was held to a minimum by the director, limiting the amount
of development that Rota could explore with his themes. The constructs
of these ideas, ironically, weren't original in the first place. The
composer leaned heavily on his themes from the films
Fortunella,
The Clowns, and
Daniele Cortis, along with his oratorio
"Mysterium," to produce the familiar identities of
The Godfather,
and it was because of this extensive adaptation of existing material
that Rota lost an Academy Award nomination that year after AMPAS had
already mistakenly awarded him with one (he would win the award with
Carmine Coppola for
The Godfather Part II and the latter composer
would be nominated for his song in
The Godfather Part III). The
style of Rota's work was important in merging the sonic sensibilities of
Sicily and America, incorporating the flair of solo instrumentation
native to the former region with the larger, symphonic tone of the
latter. The scenes directly connecting the plot to Sicily are served
with a mandolin, accordion, and acoustic bass, sometimes aided by
sentimental strings. Solo trumpet performances are the bridge between
the folk elements of the past and that choral and orchestral development
that dominates the score by its conclusion. There are fewer fully
symphonic expressions of grandeur in
The Godfather than
The
Godfather Part II, the latter addressing the romanticism of Vito
Corleone's immigration and ascension with a more verbose orchestral
heart. Rota uses the entirety of
The Godfather to slowly add
layers to his themes until the final cue, reflecting the fearful
discovery by Michael Corleone's wife, Kay, of her husband's own
ascension, reprises all three of the score's major themes with fully
realized, almost religious gravity.
Those three major themes, as previously mentioned,
directly address the plot's three main emotional appeals. The first is
tradition, and it is this representation of Vito Corleone that hovers
over the entire franchise as its most enduring memory for viewers.
Introduced by a solitary trumpet, the waltz represents the bulk of the
work for the accordion and mandolin. The Sicilian sensibilities in both
the primary waltz phrase and the secondary trumpet phrase (translated to
melodramatic violin in the final scenes) are undeniable, saturating the
soundscape of the film with convincing authenticity in each of its
performances. Both parts of this theme receive extended treatment in the
two "The Godfather Waltz" tracks on album, as well as "The Godfather
Finale." The secondary trumpet phrase also echoes in "The Halls of
Fear." Equally beloved and arguably more appealing is the theme of
romance for
The Godfather that dies rather quickly (and for
obvious reasons) in the franchise, only heard in short snippets in the
sequels but a chart-topper upon its debut in the original film. Equally
representing Michael Corleone's romances and his family as a whole (in a
tragic sense), this theme is heard on the traditional instrumentation in
"Sicilian Pastorale" (including acoustic guitar) and "Apollonia" before
a dramatic ensemble expression in "The Godfather Finale." The mostly
symphonic concert arrangement of this theme (heard in "Love Theme from
The Godfather") solicits a bittersweet, melancholy reaction that has
been longingly played by and for swooning, real-life lovers in countless
venues since. Even in this theme, Rota doesn't entirely abandon the
Sicilian style, reinforcing the primary theme of tradition with its
necessary romantic half. Arguably the most intriguing of the three
themes in
The Godfather is the one that has the greatest impact
on the entire trilogy. Developing out of the secondary trumpet phrase of
the primary theme and representing the concept of trepidation, this idea
is hinted at in "The Halls of Fear" before being affirmed as a theme for
Michael Corleone in "The New Godfather" and "The Godfather Finale."
Ultimately, "Michael's Theme" (as it has been later termed), becomes the
underlying identity of the franchise, a fitting development given the
despair written directly into its weighty progressions. Rota brilliantly
summarizes all three ideas in "The Godfather Finale," handing them off
to sections of the ensemble not native to their previous versions and
applying the chorus for obvious impact value.
The most important thing to remember about Rota's work
for
The Godfather is that the short running time of the score
causes it to be highly redundant and lacking in development outside of
the three themes. A very unsatisfactory album history for all of the
scores in this franchises causes these problems to be compounded outside
of context. The original LP arrangement of cues from the score for
The Godfather translated directly onto a 1991 MCA Records CD and
no expansion or remastering of the music has ever been released. This
causes Rota's work on album to be, with the exception of only two cues,
completely devoted to variations on the three themes, omitting several
important transitional cues. The two unique entries are "The Pickup,"
the score's most awkward merging of tense orchestral progressions and
light era-specific jazz on saxophone and other band elements
(foreshadowing the fear motif in Kay's later theme), and "The Baptism,"
a solemn organ piece employed as source music. The Carmine Coppola music
for "Connie's Wedding" and the song "I Have But One Heart" round out the
product. Sound quality on this CD is somewhat muted, though it may not
be possible to clean up the archival sound of this recording with any
significance. The tone of that recording is always intimate, yielding a
proper emotional response to the engaging plotline. The success of
Rota's music for
The Godfather exists in his three extremely
compelling themes that were smartly employed in the picture, as well as
the ability of the music to age well and avoid drowning the traditional
elements with either the sounds of the 1940's or 1970's. On the other
hand, the lack of strong secondary material is a detriment that causes
this score to be extremely two-dimensional. Thus, if you have never had
an affinity for Rota's much performed themes, then be aware that there
isn't much else to appreciate from this overall package. The sequel
score largely solves this problem, adding themes for Vito and Kay that,
when considered on top of the existing material, produce a far more
memorable listening experience. Devotees of the concept are correct in
expressing their displeasure with the treatment of Rota's score on
album; a very fine, 75-minute release with the full score, Coppola's
original source material, and a handful of the licensed traditional
pieces would yield a fantastic product. Until then, any number of
compilations featuring extensive selections from
The Godfather,
including one compiled later in the 1970's for an LP release, are worthy
(and typically strong) surveys of the score. Expect to enjoy the
familiar themes, but always remember this score's limitations.
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