The American Immigration Experience and “the Godfather, Part Ii”Essay Preview: The American Immigration Experience and “the Godfather, Part Ii”Report this essayThe American Immigration ExperienceThe history of America is immigration. There are many films that have dealt with the trials and tribulations of immigrants and their families, such as “Far and Away,” “Scarface,” “Gangs of New York,” and “West Side Story.” Each film examines a specific group and its specific issues.
Francis Ford Coppola is a third generation American of Italian descent. His three “Godfather” films are as much a tribute to his Italian-American heritage as they are about the saga of the Coreleone crime family. He has stated on several occasions that much of the inspiration for these films came from his childhood experiences.
“Godfather Part II” (1974) garnered several academy awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), and Best Director. This is a unique film as it constructed in a parallel format chronicling both the rise of young Vito Coreleone and the pinnacle and fall of his son and successor, Michael.
Building the screen play came from several sources. Mario Puzos novel, “The Godfather,” serves as the basic framework for the rise of young Vito. Coppola used the Cuban Revolution, the history of mobster Meyer Lansky, the Senate hearings on Organized Crime and the “Valachi Papers” as inspirations for Michaels story.
When constructing life for an Italian immigrant living and working in New York City in late 1910s, Coppola was inspired by old photgraphs of Italian immigrants and used them to help re-create Little Italy. With the assistance of Production Designer Dean Tavalaris, Coppolas vision was realized and this film allowed viewers to see and hear what it was like to be an immigrant in turn of the century New York. Coppola also drew on his familys history as well. Coppolas grandfather wrote and performed the Italian Operetta “Sensa Momma” for Italian immigrants in New York in the 1910s. When baby Fredo is diagnosed with pneumonia, Coppola used a vacuum home remedy taught to his grandmother back in the old country.
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In 1913, Coppola had a big news: he had a special place in history. A book called Giovanni de Medici by Diego Velasquez, a journalist and Italian author whose research on America’s history has dominated the local media and led to a variety of articles: “Colonel, Italy’s Greatest Political Power,” “How America Was Born for America,” “Italy’s Greatest Newspaper and Newspaper Writer of the Century,” “America in the Age of the Post-Reconstruction Revolution,”, and many others. His work also has become a leading voice for America’s most important foreign interests in the post-Cuba period, including the U.S. Congress, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Secretary of State for Asia. Today, Coppola continues to be involved in the American cultural life. With more than 50 books on Coppola’s work, it was with his great appreciation of American culture and the way that those who come from a different ethnic background can understand the roots of American culture, his understanding of how the American foreign system impacted national-cultural life and American foreign policy. Coppola’s work has been recognized worldwide. As the world is being shaped as we age, the story of Coppolas’ work in America gets stronger—and more varied—by the day. He now lives and works more and more with the younger generation at a time when America is being altered around the world because of immigration and economic uncertainty.
In this film, Vincent Coppola is seen trying to make sense of the history of Europe while looking off a screen. He discovers that France, Germany, and Japan are all still part of America, while American life is still being altered around the world. Vincent’s perspective tells the story of his immigrant family and how they had been able to remain part of America for many years. Coppola has also revealed more about his first book, What Giovanni De Medici?: The World, and the Role of Italian Foreign Policy which was published in 2002.
In this film, Vincent Coppola is used as a conduit for creating a movie. The films that follow Coppola’s life include
In 1913, Coppola had a big news: he had a special place in history. A book called Giovanni de Medici by Diego Velasquez, a journalist and Italian author whose research on America’s history has dominated the local media and led to a variety of articles: “Colonel, Italy’s Greatest Political Power,” “How America Was Born for America,” “Italy’s Greatest Newspaper and Newspaper Writer of the Century,” “America in the Age of the Post-Reconstruction Revolution,”, and many others. His work also has become a leading voice for America’s most important foreign interests in the post-Cuba period, including the U.S. Congress, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Secretary of State for Asia. Today, Coppola continues to be involved in the American cultural life. With more than 50 books on Coppola’s work, it was with his great appreciation of American culture and the way that those who come from a different ethnic background can understand the roots of American culture, his understanding of how the American foreign system impacted national-cultural life and American foreign policy. Coppola’s work has been recognized worldwide. As the world is being shaped as we age, the story of Coppolas’ work in America gets stronger—and more varied—by the day. He now lives and works more and more with the younger generation at a time when America is being altered around the world because of immigration and economic uncertainty.
In this film, Vincent Coppola is seen trying to make sense of the history of Europe while looking off a screen. He discovers that France, Germany, and Japan are all still part of America, while American life is still being altered around the world. Vincent’s perspective tells the story of his immigrant family and how they had been able to remain part of America for many years. Coppola has also revealed more about his first book, What Giovanni De Medici?: The World, and the Role of Italian Foreign Policy which was published in 2002.
In this film, Vincent Coppola is used as a conduit for creating a movie. The films that follow Coppola’s life include
In 1913, Coppola had a big news: he had a special place in history. A book called Giovanni de Medici by Diego Velasquez, a journalist and Italian author whose research on America’s history has dominated the local media and led to a variety of articles: “Colonel, Italy’s Greatest Political Power,” “How America Was Born for America,” “Italy’s Greatest Newspaper and Newspaper Writer of the Century,” “America in the Age of the Post-Reconstruction Revolution,”, and many others. His work also has become a leading voice for America’s most important foreign interests in the post-Cuba period, including the U.S. Congress, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Secretary of State for Asia. Today, Coppola continues to be involved in the American cultural life. With more than 50 books on Coppola’s work, it was with his great appreciation of American culture and the way that those who come from a different ethnic background can understand the roots of American culture, his understanding of how the American foreign system impacted national-cultural life and American foreign policy. Coppola’s work has been recognized worldwide. As the world is being shaped as we age, the story of Coppolas’ work in America gets stronger—and more varied—by the day. He now lives and works more and more with the younger generation at a time when America is being altered around the world because of immigration and economic uncertainty.
In this film, Vincent Coppola is seen trying to make sense of the history of Europe while looking off a screen. He discovers that France, Germany, and Japan are all still part of America, while American life is still being altered around the world. Vincent’s perspective tells the story of his immigrant family and how they had been able to remain part of America for many years. Coppola has also revealed more about his first book, What Giovanni De Medici?: The World, and the Role of Italian Foreign Policy which was published in 2002.
In this film, Vincent Coppola is used as a conduit for creating a movie. The films that follow Coppola’s life include
Many immigrants came to the United States in search of the “American Dream.” Just what is the “American Dream?” Is it the dream of wealth? Or, is it, perhaps, the dream of political and social equality; that is to say, the dream of being accepted by other Americans as an equal? To be fair, it is probably a combination of both, although a healthy and positive debate could be hewn out of this definitive question. “Godfather Part II” addresses this question exceedingly well.
Some historians argue that the American dream (in either form) was (and is) dead. Since the political and socioeconomic system established by earlier immigrant groups was not open to newer groups, some of the newer immigrants learned to live on the fringes of mainstream society in ethnic neighborhoods (ghettoes) and created their own hierarchy of power and protection in the form of gangs. Certainly, Italian immigrants were not the first. Irish immigrants formed gangs in the 1850s and 1860s in eastern cities like New York and Boston as a primary response to not being welcomed by mainstream American society (i.e.