Is every man in quarantine watching The Godfather?! I was asked about it twice yesterday, probably because I live in Sicily & work on organized crime. Here's a thread with my perspective on those two movies (Part III doesn't count) https://twitter.com/oz_f/status/1246436944239722497

Did Michael really love Kay? I think men ask this because they think they can be redeemed by the love of a woman, no matter how messed up they are. Nothing Michael did demonstrated he was capable of love. He aligned himself with Kay because she represented the American dream. /2

Also "did he ever love me?" is a question with which women often torture themselves because they need validation from men. Kay. Honey. He told you not to ask him about his business & he straight up murdered his own brother. He's not a good guy. Who cares if he loved you /3

"But Michael loved Apollonia!" I mean, did he? He aligned himself with her because she represented innocence & an escape from his father's world. This is another example of the fallacy of "he'd act right for the right woman". It's not about the woman, it's what she represents. /4

Michael's courtship of Apollonia also shows how the way men court women (eg gifts, formal dates) is often influenced by winning the respect of other men (eg her father) & cultural and situational factors, not about how much he likes her. /5

"That's not true, he was hit with the thunderbolt, it was love at first sight". It was lust! He didn't talk to her! She didn't speak She was a placeholder, not a person. As Simonetta Stefanelli, who played Apollonia, described her role, "I met him. I married him. I died". /6

When Apollonia was killed it represented the end of Michael's attempt to escape his father's world. Again, placeholder. Women are plot devices in the lives of men. This is also demonstrated by Connie, the "daughter" in "you come to me on the day of my daughter's wedding". /7

Sonny's entire death is premised on how defenceless women are to male violence. They knew if Carlo beat Connie her only option (if she didn't want to die) would be to call another man to protect her. This assumption is so reliable they literally planned a hit around it. /8

Fredo betraying his family is an example of what happens when men hate themselves for not being able to live up to the patriarchal expectations placed upon them. He also serves as yet another example of a man reacting poorly because he didn't get something he felt he was owed. /9

Mafia are capitalists & Don Vito is presented as an example of "ethical capitalism" when he doesn't want to go into the drug trade. IRL, mafia & capitalism have no moral code. Did you that RIGHT NOW, organised criminals are stockpiling masks & ventilators to drive up prices? /10.