The Godfather
Summary
Vito Corleone was already a rich and powerful crime lord when audience first met him inThe Godfather , but the prequel segments ofThe Godfather Part IIfilled in his complex ( and tragic ) backstory . After first appearing in Mario Puzo ’s 1969 novelThe Godfather , Vito was innovate to movie audience in Francis Ford Coppola ’s moving picture adjustment in 1972 . The Vito play by Marlon Brando in the firstGodfathermovie is already established as one of America ’s most infamous maffia kingpins .
WhenCoppola follow it up withThe Godfather Part II , he go back and explore Vito ’s origin level as an orphaned Sicilian immigrant who move to New York and launched a criminal empire . He was played by Oreste Baldini as a son and by Robert De Niro as a youthful human . Brando and De Niro became the first actor to bring home the bacon Oscar for playing the same role , highlighting just how iconic a graphic symbol Vito is . His complicated backstory takes him from his parentage in Sicily in 1891 to his expiry on Long Island in 1955 .
Don Corleone has some of the best quotes in The Godfather , and they ’ve become some of the most famed movie quotation mark of all time .
1891: Vito Corleone Was Born “Vito Andolini” In Corleone, Sicily
The movie gives a different date of birth than the book
Vito ’s story began in Corleone , Sicily , in 1891 , where he was born Vito Andolini . In the novel , Vito ’s date of birth is mention to be April 29 , 1887 , which is the date seen on his gravestone in the first motion-picture show . However , the second picture show retconned Vito ’s birthdate to be December 7 , 1891 .
1901: Vito’s Family Is Killed By A Local Mafia Boss
Vito manages to escape to America to start a new life
In 1901 , after Vito ’s forefather Antonio refused to make up tribute to a local mafia political boss named Don Ciccio , Ciccio murdered Antonio . Vito ’s sometime brother , Paolo ( presumptively the one who was retconned to be bear in 1887 ) , swore vengeance against the family boss , but Ciccio ’s men killed him , too . When Ciccio disregard Vito ’s mother ’s plea to spare Vito – fearing that Vito would seek revenge later on in life-time – Vito ’s mother held a knife to Ciccio ’s pharynx to give Vito a opportunity to get out . Ciccio ’s men killed Vito ’s mother , but Vito perplex aside .
supporter of the Andolini family smuggled Vito out of Sicily and put him on a ship full of immigrants traveling to America . At Ellis Island , an in-migration officer changed his name to Vito Corleone , presumably mistaking his hometown for his surname . ( Vito would later use Andolini as his middle name to abide by the class bequest . ) Vito was direct in by the Abbandando family , remote relatives live on New York ’s Lower East Side in Little Italy . Vito befriended the Abbandandos ’ son , Genco , and worked at their grocery storage , but was go off when local mobster Don Fanucci demanded they hire his nephew .
1920: Vito Begins A Life Of Crime & Kills Don Fanucci
Vito takes over the neighborhood
In 1920 , Vito began his life of crime when humble - time outlaw Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio taught him how to contend steal clothes and do favour in exchange for loyalty . Fanucci learned about Vito ’s operations and threatened to report them to the police if they did n’t give him a cut of their profit . So , Vito schemed to kill Fanucci . He followed Fanucci on his walk home and dissipate him deadoutside his flat .
Vito then took over the neighborhood and handle the people with more regard and paleness than Fanucci ever did . He and Genco team up to plunge an olive oil importing company called the Genco Pura Olive Oil Company , which became the commonwealth ’s biggest olive crude oil importer . This became the front for Vito ’s unionize law-breaking operations , andbetween his effectual and illegal business endeavors , Vito became lewdly rich .
1922: Vito Returns To Sicily
Vito goes back to the old country to settle an old score
In 1922 , Vito went back to Sicily for the first meter since he flee as a child . Vito and his confrere Don Tommasino killed all of Don Ciccio ’s man who were involved in the last of Vito ’s menage . When Vito run across an ailing , elderly Don Ciccio , Ciccio did n’t recognize him . Vito approached Ciccio , divulge himself to be the son of Antonio Andolini , andcut into Ciccio ’s stomach as a gruesome act of payback . Tommasino take away over the town and became Vito ’s faithful friend in the old nation for decades that follow .
Early 1930s: The Corleone Crime Family Is Born
The Corleones become notorious
By the early 1930s , Vito had established the Corleone crime family asone of the most powerful offence sept in the United States . Genco was his consigliere and Clemenza and Tessio were his caporegimes . Vito unofficially adopted his oldest son Sonny ’s ally Tom Hagen , who would eventually become his trusted lawyer . Sonny get up to become Vito ’s capo , heritor unmistakable , and de facto underboss . Vito ’s second - born son , Fredo , was given insignificant responsibility due to his impuissance , and Vito ’s youngest son , Michael , want nothing to do with the family business organization and enlist to press in World War II .
1939: Vito Moves His Operations To Long Beach
Tom Hagen takes over for an ailing Genco
Sometime around 1939 , Vito – usually come to to as “ Don Corleone ” or “ The Godfather ” – moved his operations to Long Beach , New York , on Long Island . When Genco was diagnosed with cancer , Hagen took over his duties . Vito congratulate himself on being a honest and reasonable crime Bos , but he occasionally endorsed the use of violenceto get what he wanted ( like when he had his hired heavy weapon Luca Brasi use the scourge of slaying to get his godson Johnny Fontane out of a singing contract ) .
1945: Vito Hosts Connie’s Wedding & Survives Two Assassination Attempts
Virgil Sollozzo tries (and fails) to kill Vito twice
In 1945 , when the firstGodfathermovie picks up , Vito hosted his daughter Connie ’s marriage to minuscule - time crook Carlo Rizzi . He honour the Sicilian custom of granting favors on the twenty-four hour period of his girl ’s wedding , which precede to two college students being beaten up for sexually assaulting Amerigo Bonasera ’s girl , anda sever sawhorse ’s headending up in a Hollywood movie mogul ’s bed . Drug swivel pin Virgil Sollozzo demand Vito to invest in his diacetylmorphine business , but Vito declined , thinking that the evaluator and politicians in his scoop would grow against him if he got take in drug trafficking .
Sollozzo did n’t take the newsworthiness too well and sent hitmen to assassinate Vito at a fruit stand . Vito pull round the assassination attempt and was taken to infirmary , where Sollozzo made a second try on his life . Mark McCluskey , a crooked constabulary captain on Sollozzo ’s paysheet , move out Vito ’s bodyguards , leaving his hospital room unguarded . Luckily , Michael arrived just in fourth dimension to move his father to another room and evade the assassin . There , the family ’s last holdout pledged his trueness to Vito .
1955: Vito Dies Of A Heart Attack
“Life is so beautiful”
Towards the end ofThe Godfather , on July 29 , 1955,Vito dies of a pith plan of attack while he ’s play in his garden with his grandson , Michael ’s Logos Anthony . After surviving several character assassination attempts , Vito gets to pall peacefully . In the novel , Vito ’s last discussion are , “ Life is so beautiful . ”
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The Godfather chronicles the Italian-American Corleone crime family from 1945 to 1955. Following an assassination attempt on family patriarch Vito Corleone, his youngest son Michael emerges to orchestrate a brutal campaign of retribution, cementing his role in the family’s illicit empire.
