randomgodfatherthoughts

[randomgodfatherthoughts]

I agree. Vito's death was very difficult for Tom but Sonny's was completely devastating for him and it definitely shows. Tom was always anxious, sensitive and insecure as the book makes clear and can be seen to an extent in the first movie, but he still seems to be far more at ease with himself. In the second movie he's like a frightened rabbit for most of it. He occasionally switches into lawyer/business mode and gets shit done but he soon slips back into being an anxious mess again.

I've been watching Godfather I over and over the past week, and Godfather II, in the background as I cook and eat, and what I noticed is that ever SINCE the moment Sonny died, it was like something was permanently broken in Tom that left him in a fragile state. Tom cried when he was told Vito died, then he recovered, and argued with Sonny a lot, robustly, he didn't do that afterwards with Michael, he was no longer sure he belonged there after Sonny died.

Oh totally!!!!! Romantic or otherwise, Tom and Sonny had such a strong connection. Sonny was the one who saved Tom’s life and brought him home after all. He was so changed after Sonny died and I think Michael could tell

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I'm thinking about the fact that one of the proposed concepts for The Godfather 3 was that Michael would die in Tom's arms at the end, realising that he'd been there for him all along and that he was a true Brother in every sense of the word.

#Why didn't we get this? #Why? #Also another involved Michael and Tom being assassinated at the start of the movie #They're both shot to death at the very start #What a fuck you to the fans that would have been #Impactful but I'm not sorry that didn't happen #I'm not paying for a ticket to see 2 of the main characters die #in the first five minutes #I listened to a 6 hour podcast where they discussed all of the possible conceptsi #that Puzo and Coppola came up with for 3 #I liked the one where they were going up against each other #if it was done right #it could have been incredible

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I know that they're both bad people but honestly the Senate hearing scenes in Godfather 2 made me so happy because Michael and Tom were working so closely together. OK so it was to cover up some terrible crimes but that the two brothers came together is the important thing and that Michael trusted Tom more than any other lawyer to help him get out of this mess says so much.

#I was strangely proud of their collective bullshitting #The way that Tom had his back throughout #as he's always done #and that Michael chose Tom to be his lawyer #They're awful people #but I still love them #Sorry not sorry #The Godfather #Tom Hagen

[randomgodfatherthoughts]

Another of my favourite things about the book is the extra Michael and Tom content that we get. I could always use more but those that we get are so good, including the fact that Tom Hagen was Michael's teacher for 2 whole years.

#I mean he taught him all about the business #Not that he taught him Math #but just thinking about them spending so much time together #makes me so happy #Sonny and Tom are my favourite #but I'm here for Michael and Tom too

[randomgodfatherthoughts]

#Look at this tiny murder Don

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Tom Hagen might not be Sicilian but he's fluent in the language, uses Sicilian hand gestures, has Sicilian facial expressions, even prefers the language over English at times and has married an Italian wife. Clearly he's done everything possible to absorb a language and culture that he wasn't born into to the extent that Vito even says that he made Tom a Sicilian and yet almost every character in the book spends every 5 minutes reminding him that he isn't one of them.

#What more do they want from him? #I have no idea what Sicilian facial expressions are #but according to the book #he has them #It pains me that he's doing everything possible #to respect the language and culture #probably more than many of their own #but he's always going to be treated like an outcast #Tom Hagen

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This scene gives me so many feelings. Sonny's words are so shockingly and incredibly cruel, especially considering how sensitive and insecure Tom already is. He wanted to hurt him here and could hardly have chosen a more effective weapon than those two sentences. Yet you can see how he much instantly regrets his words, he loves Tom so deeply that in spite of his pride, he doesn't hesitate to back down and try to make amends.

I wish that we'd been able to see Tom's expression here. He's obviously badly wounded by those words but I also get the impression that he was also angry and came very close to hitting him and probably would have if Sonny hadn't backtracked. That hand gesture Tom makes says fuck you Sonny even as he tells Sonny that it's over.

#They're true brothers #I don't care what anyone says #They are

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My favourite scene in The Godfather book might be when Tom is released after being abducted by Sollozzo and Michael watches Sonny literally run to embrace Tom and realises that Tom is much closer to Sonny than he'll ever be.

#Obviously Sonny loves Michael too #and he means the world to Sonny #but Sonny has such a special relationship with Tom #No I'm not crying again #Ok I am #The Godfather #Tom Hagen #Sonny Corleone

[randomgodfatherthoughts]

Reading Watership Down is so fun because I’ll be like “Get his ass, Bigwig,” and then he looks like fucking this

#Not The Godfather #but the book #and the movie #are two of my favourite things of all time #I read this obsessively as a child #and I still love it #I didn't have my own copy of the film #so borrowed my cousin's copy #approximately 500 x #Captain Holly is still my favourite character

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Tom Hagen being the one who gives Clemenza the signal(with his tie) to go ahead and garotte Carlo is one of my favourite little details from The Godfather.

#He gets to see one of the people responsible for his brother and best friend's death die right in front of him #Sonny was Tom's world and Carlo helped to take him from him #So that made me very happy #Tom Hagen #The Godfather

[randomgodfatherthoughts]

I totally agree. There's a definite difference between Tom's attitude when he's sending Tessio to his death and when Carlo is about to be killed. He looks rather sad, reluctant and uncomfortable when he has to give the order to have Tessio taken away and killed.

When he joins Michael, Al and Rocco to confront Carlo, he seems almost eager. Tom's whole attitude here is much more aggressive and confrontational. The way he steps into the room and leans against the wall he's menacing here, very much the gangster. There's no reluctance or mercy in his expression. Plus he loosened his tie to give the signal immediately after Tessio is taken away. He didn't even wait to hear his confession. He wants' him dead ASAP and Tom looks at most, slightly discomfited, while watching Carlo being garrotted. He's certainly not sorry to see him die.

Usually I have a revelation during each rewatch of The Godfather. I watched part one tonight and didn’t have one up until Karl is killed and my takeaway is I think Tom was fine with him being killed because he helped Sonny’s murderers. As always I am deeply invested in the Sonny and Tom relationship.

Also, this movie and part II absolutely rules.

[randomgodfatherthoughts]

Godfather collection coming along nicely. 🥹❤️ Including a mini Al Pacino collection in there too, of course. 🥰 My favourite thing in the world tbh! 😍😍😍 I don’t think it’s ever gonna be finished with all the goodies and collectables I keep discovering or that keep coming out, but here it is so far in all it’s glory. 😂🤗

#This is an amazing collection! I'm envious #Thank you for sharing

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I like to think Sonny would have been the most fashionable if he had lived in Vegas

#I could totally see this #I'm not sure if I want to see it #but I can see it #Also this art style is amazing

[randomgodfatherthoughts]

Well I mean… true. 🤣

#This is perfect #though after today's discovery #I feel like Tom is a cinnamon roll who might just kill you anyway

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The most famous orange in Hollywood 🍊

#Honestly I know this has other connotations #but what it most reminds me of #is the scene in Angel Heart #where Robert De Niro #eats an egg #That whole “devouring a soul” vibe

[randomgodfatherthoughts]

So Tom Hagen personally arranged a hit.

He(Johnny Fontane) was surprised when the executive producer came to him and told him the union rep had to be taken care of to the tune of fifty thousand dollars. There were a lot of problems dealing with overtime and hiring and the fifty thousand dollars would be well spent. Johnny debated whether the executive producer was hustling him and then said, “Send the union guy to me.”

The union guy was Billy Goff. Johnny said to him, “I thought the union stuff was fixed by my friends. I was told not to worry about it. At all. Goff said, “Who told you that?” Johnny said, “You know goddamn well who told me. I won’t say his name but if he tells me something that’s it.” Goff said, “Things have changed. Your friend is in trouble and his word don’t go this far west anymore.” Johnny shrugged. “See me in a couple of days. OK?” Goff smiled. “Sure, Johnny,” he said. “But calling in New York ain’t going to help you.”

But calling New York did help. Johnny spoke to Hagen at his office. Hagen told him bluntly not to pay. “Your Godfather will be sore as hell if you pay that bastard a dime,” he told Johnny. “It will make the Don lose respect and right now he can’t afford that.”

“Can I talk to the Don?” Johnny asked. “Will you talk to him? I gotta get the picture rolling.” “Nobody can talk to the Don right now,” Hagen said. “He’s too sick. I’ll talk to Sonny about fixing things up. But I’ll make the decision on this. Don’t pay that smart bastard a dime. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”

Annoyed, Johnny hung up. Union trouble could add a fortune to making the film and screw up the works generally. For a moment he debated slipping Goff the fifty grand on the quiet. After all, the Don telling him something and Hagen telling him something and giving him orders were two different things. But he decided to wait for a few days."

By waiting he saved fifty thousand dollars. Two nights later, Goff was found shot to death in his home in Glendale. There was no more talk of union trouble. Johnny was a little shaken by the killing. It was the first time the long arm of the Don had struck such a lethal blow so close to him.

From The Godfather novel by Mario Puzo.

#Apologies for length #but I really needed to include it all #Well he's his Father's son after all #blood or no blood #He might not be a Sicilian #but he still had someone murdered #I wonder if Vito would be proud? #or disappointed #Why am I so surprised by this? #A gangster's got to gangster #The Godfather #Tom Hagen #Johnny Fontane

[randomgodfatherthoughts]

So in The Godfather novel Johnny Fontane is trying to produce his own movies and a Union official, Billy Goff, who is connected to the Corleones, tries to extort 50K from him. Johnny is considering just paying up, instead turns to Tom Hagen, who has been helping him with the whole project. Tom advises him not to pay up, says he'll deal with it and a few days later Tom has the Union official shot dead in his own home.

Vito has just been shot at this point, and is too ill to be consulted so Tom says that he'll talk to Sonny about the situation but that he will be the one who makes the final decision as to what will be done about the Union official so he personally ordered him to be killed.

#Why am I so surprised #I mean he's a gangster too #That really shocked me though #I mean I know that he's always passing along Vito's orders #to the Capos #and others #but I did not expect him to directly order a kill #on his own iniative #Maybe he is the muscle end of the family after all #I mean he also threatens to kill Carlo #Maybe Tom had enough #of that Not a wartime Consigliere shit #The Godfather #Tom Hagen