There is a lot of drinking in the Godfather trilogy, and there is barely a scene in any of it where there isnt wine sitting around. There are many instances where people are offered a drink just before they get killed --- I can think of this being used many times, and invite others to point out similar scenes -- for instance Sonny tells Paulie to drink some brandy for his "cold,"and Michael gives Carlo a drink to calm him before he confesses.The hit on Pentangeli is in a bar, as is the one where Tattaglia Jr. offers Luca pre war scotch.I get the sense, however that both Vito and Michael Corleone take a dim view of alcohol consumption, or at least too much of it. There are many many times when Michael is offered a drink, and he has a glass of water or a club soda. As for Vito, I thought there was a hint of disparagement in the scene where Hagen is gathering himself to break the news of Sonny's death ...."But you needed a drink first....all right, now you've had your drink, now tell your Godfather what everyone else already seems to know." I also thought the Godfather felt somewhat sorry that in his declining years he was drinking more wine than he had in the past, and Michael, knowing that Vito's time is almost up says, "Thats all right pop, its good for you."
On the other hand the weaker characters always seem to need to have a shot of something or other. Fredo always seems to need a drink. Merle, Connie's boyfriend needs one just to sit with Mike.

In the book Puzo stresses how moralistic Vito Corleone was, and some of this comes out in GFI, but I wonder if this rigidity applies to booze.

Sure there's alcohol in the movie. Many European cultures drink wine, etc with their meals during the day. It's accepted in many places outside of American culture.

I don't remember anyone beside Fredo abusing booze in the film. Carlo is a booze-hound in the book, but it's not really implied in the movie. Frankie and Deanna were drunk at the first Communion party. Tom has a drink twice to calm his nerves, once after Sollozzo tells him Vito was killed and then before Tom has to tell Vito about Sonny. Everyone else seems to be drinking responsibly.

As for Michael not drinking as often, that may have been due to his diabetes.

Fredo was also a bit tipsy when he met Kay for the first time at Connie's wedding.

And Pentangelli seems to have had a few too many at Anthony's communion party, as he knocks over a glass of vino at dinner (Mike to Neri: "The old man had too much wine").

And if you want to bring the book into the discussion, Johnny's pal Nino Valenti ultimately drinks himself to death (while Captain McCluskey refrains from wine at his last supper, commenting to Sollozzo that "I must be the only Irishman that don't take the booze.")

A tangential point, pentangeli was drunk and it is also true that michael comments about it, but I feel that the glass did not slip from his hand accidentally or because he was drunk out of control, but pentangeli wanted to make a point by showing how pissed off he was with michael for not letting him discuss important business matters and for keeping him waiting. He purposely knocked over the glass.

Interesting idea, svsg. I never looked at it that way, and you could very well be right.

It just seemed normal to me all the alcohol, I've never even thought about it. A lot of the scenes are based around special occasions, weddings, funerals etc., where it's only normal to drink. It's happened for centuries in many cultures.

Drinking wine is as Italian as eating pasta!!
As Goombah said, it is a culture,a way of life.
When i cook i always have a glass or two ...or three or four...

Welcome Yogi another British member on the boards make sure you stick around

Thanks for the welcome De Niro
I don't plan on going anywhere for a good while..
I just got here

It's just that alot of members join,post a question and then you never hear of them again.

Oooh another Geordie - there's enough for a fight now.

GF 2, Michael asks Johnny Ola what he's drinking. Johnny replies, "Anisette".

The first meeting with Sollozzo in Vito's office: everyone has a drink....grappa, strega, sambuca??

It's a social thing. I'm surprised there wasn't more smoking in the movie.

Michael does smoke quite a bit, I think.

It's very funny how culture can change. My husband and I were watching Casablanca once and he commented on how the characters are constantly drinking and/or smoking. I pointed out that it DID take place in a bar. But I think it goes to show how we as a society have changed. My mother's always told me that at parties years ago, the ashtrays were overflowing at the end of the night, no matter how many times they were emptied. Think about the last time you were at a party. How many smokers were there?

Also, I agree that alcohol was used as a sign of weakness in the Godfather. Most of the characters that drink excessively are the weak ones. And I agree that Frank Pentangeli may faked his level of drunkeness in order to say things to Michael he may not have been able to get away with unless he had that as an excuse. Also, when Michael does sit down with Frankie to discuss the Rosato brothers, the English subtitles are not quite right. Frankie does not say that he's drunk. He says, "Sono biliato" (not sure of the spelling), which means that he's bilious, or filled with bile. This is right before one of my favorite lines: Cicci - a porto!

it is a little wierd that michael was smoking at the lunch table(GF2 flashback scene at the end) amongst so many people, no one found it objectionable including his mother.

It is one of my favorites too
The way he says that without turning around.

Yes and shortly after he calls "champagne" "champagne cocktails."

CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS! haha I love that line. Pentangeli is so old school. My favorite Pentangeli line is when he asks Mike for permission to kill the Rosatos, and Mike says no. Then Pentangeli says something like, " a morte!" That was wicked

Sorry to hijack the thread. I'll stop now

Nah dont worry about hijacking it....Frankie Five Angels is a great character. Later on when Mike shows up at his house he says "I coulda prepared somethin for ya," and later tells Mike he doesnt have the brain for "big deals," and then when he gets it he says "Lets kill them all while we still got the muscle!"

Ah no!
Who do i have to fight now?
I get enough of that outside...i come here to get away from it all..
Like a sort of therapy

Haha, just messing, there's a lad, goes by the name of Capo de la Cosa Nostra who's from up there too. I couldn't resist a dig at a Geordie.

I knew you were only kidding
I will keep my eye out for this fellow dweller in Gods Country

Don't forget this film was set to take place in 1958-59 and it was released in 1974. Smoking was much more accepted back then than it is today. People smoked in elevators, restaurants, courtrooms, airplanes, and just about everywhere else.

Just look at the people who smoked at least once in I & II: Michael, Kay, Sonny, Luca, Bruno Tattaglia, Connie, Merle, and Cicci are ones I kind remember off the top of my head.

This is probably true up until only several years ago, at least in the U.S. I remember waiting for the smoking sign to light up after take off on a plane, so that I could light up my cigarette. I also remember back in the mid eighties, being on jury duty and lighting up a cigarette in the holding area of the court. Yes, smoking was a much more accepted practice back then.


Don Cardi

Jeez.. I remember when they has smoking sections in movie theatres.

Doesnt Luca reach for a cigarette instead of shaking hands with Tattaglia Jr?

Some of the movies of the 40's - like the detective-type movies, were peppered with smoking and drinking. If there was a card playing scene, they were all smoking. The lighting of the woman's cigarette was always poignant moment and the leading man with his exaggerated drag on the cig just before an important line. I wonder if they had smoking coaches for those movies?

Luca's cigarette lighting gave that scene a little extra drama. He was showing the Tattaglia's and Sollozzo that he was his own man. He wasn't sucking up. Go Luca! Thump-Choke.

Though by GFIII, he seems to have quit. He never smokes in the movie and when offered a smoke by Joey Zasa, he politely declines.

In GFII, a drunk Pentangeli accuses Michael of drinking "champagne cocktails," when he's really drinking club soda.

"The old man had too much wine."