Archetypes In The Godfather

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Gangster archetypes: the gangster, the best friend, the canarian, the moll, the mother are some of the key factors that a gangster movie is made out of. This is, according to Hughes, something that any gangster film has to have in order to be a gangster film (215). All these archetypes are carefully defined and are not prone to significant changes which could be regarded as being in sync with the changes in the state of the society. Still, some of the archetypes did get some alterations, and especially after the introduction of The Godfather (1972) which, alongside other movies such as On the Waterfront (1954) did change some things regarding the before-known archetypes. Changes in the archetypes can be seen also in the works of Martin Scorsese, …show more content…
Or are “the door shut on Kay out of necessity and a macho propriety of means and ends which audiences found agreeable. In The Godfather II Michael slams the door in Kay’s face in a neurotic rage that underscores his compulsion, insecurity, and loneliness. It is a destructive not a constructive gesture.”(Shadoian, 272). But a gesture that still serves to put the emphasis on the male protagonist and not the female one. Or how Boetticher’s words can be used to understand Kay’s role in the film according to Mulvey: "What counts is what the heroine provokes, or rather what she represents. She is the one, or rather the love or fear she inspires in the hero, or else the concern he feels for her, who makes him act the way he does. In herself the woman has not the slightest importance."(837), and what differentiates Kay’s role from the archetype female roles of this genre is the fact that in The Godfather part II Kay serves for the deconstruction of the character, which may seem like she has progressed, but she actually hasn’t, because her departure serves for the growth of …show more content…
Is Martin Scorsese interested in women at all?“ (Madden)
Many interesting conclusions were made by Caroline Madden from this question. One of them being:“ Women are often referred to as “broads” or “whores”, and the men are in complete control of them. The women do not dare go against their husbands, or they’ll be punished for it. The women are not human beings to them, something either disposable, or a trophy prize to display.“. This is very similar to Mulvey's view on female character in Hollywood cinema. So what is Scorsese then doing

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