Why did she take Vito with her to see Don Ciccio? why risk him like that? couldnt she have gone alone?

She knew he'd eventually have him killed...probably sooner than later. In the scene she visits to plead with Ciccio to spare her only surviving child. She probably knows he will refuse which is why she brings the knife and ends up sacrificing her life for that of her son.

I would suppose that she brings him along to ensure his safety; since she knows men are determined to kill him, she would not want to let him out of her sight for a moment.

In the Saga there is a deleted scene where 2 of Ciccio's men come to their home to get Vito. Mother defiantely says she will take him to Don Ciccio herself. Perhaps if this scene had been left in the film it would've made her intent easier to understand. (Although in my opinion, the dialogue itself make that pretty clear.)

Apple

Oh Apple, how considerate of you. You didn't attach the Geek label to Debra.

Actually, it was a pretty interesting question...and one I haven't seen previously.

Apple

Yes. She would have had a very good idea that, after her husband's and Paolo's deaths, young Vito would be next. And she knew good and well that, had she stood by, Vito would have been take off by the men and would never have been seen again. She shows motherly protective--sacrifice--instincts to go with him, after first arming herself with a knife. Conversely, what would we have thought if she simply said, "Ok, take Vito"?

shes brave of course, but brave and smart are 2 different things. I think taking him to see Ciccio is a dumb, very dumb move, regardless of what she told the men, she should've hid her son somewhere, with another family or something, and then go risk her own life by asking for mercy-alone. If someone is going to kill you sooner or later, you dont simply show up and say "lets see if hes gonna kill me today, I'll run away if he shows no mercy..."

besides, knowing they're after Vito, she should've hid him in another house whether she does go to ask for mercy or not. If they're going to search the house, they wont find my son. Thats my logic, thats what I would've done.

I agree with Debra here.

She brought along a knife, but her plan to hold the knife to Don Cicci's throat while young Vito ran away and escaped was a rather silly one and the fact that it worked adds a bit of incredulity to the plot, I think.

She brought young Vito right into the lion's den, and should have had every expectation that if her plea for mercy failed he would've been killed right on the spot.

It would have been much more logical and sensible, I think, to have Vito hidden away before going to see Cicci, as she had obviously already planned in advance for Vito's getaway.

Vito apparently knew where to run and who to hide with, so his hiding and eventual flight to America must have been planned in advance by his mother and whoever it was that hid Vito and facilitated his transportation to the port, his boarding the ship, etc.

I think this is another way of the writer to give us good reasons for what comes next in his masterpiece
We all know that Vito comes back after long years for Don Ciccio and kills him in the spot after telling him who he was..
So watching his Mother dieing (for his sake) trigered his well to take revenge from Don Ciccio.
He was a little kid..so if he was hidden somewhere and didn't watch what happened he wouldn't know the real reason behind his mother's death,AND he wouldn't come back to kill Ciccio

Puzo

I think the best way out of the situation would have been to run off to America TOGETHER with Vito instead of commiting suicide by attacking Cicci with his bodyguards around and let poor Vito alone. There was no reason to stay in Corleone having an enemy like Don Cicci!

Yeah, that would've been a real snap. Mother & child fleeing to America on their own when the mother knows the local mafia chieftan is after her son.

Perhaps they could've hidden atop that donkey together. I'm sure they would've made it all the way to New York.

Obviously the mother was fully prepared to sacrifice her own life for that of her child. The only thing she could possibly be faulted with is that there was no guarantee the kid would escape successfully. Had Ciccio's men caught up with Vito, then both mother & son would've been dead.

But then in that case, the whole thing would've ended right there and...we wouldn't have a movie would we?



Look, the entire trilogy is full of risks, gambles like the one Vito's mother made. Some were successful, some were partially successful, some failed miserably. It's part of the life depicted in the trilogy, the Corleone saga, the business they've chosen. Question them all if you like, come up with alternate ideas that would've drastically altered the course of events. But all of the risks taken are what makes it a great story.

Apple

She had to take Vito because she had to show Don Ciccio how nonthreatening Vito was. Otherwise, he would just be an abstraction.

It's a lot like the Medea.

[/qb][/QUOTE]Yeah, that would've been a real snap. Mother & child fleeing to America on their own when the mother knows the local mafia chieftan is after her son.

Perhaps they could've hidden atop that donkey together. I'm sure they would've made it all the way to New York.

[/QB][/QUOTE]

Considering that Ciccio's men came to her house asking for Vito before, you might be right. I was assuming that they started looking for Vito seriously not until he ran away.

Anyway, I would have tried to escape togehter with my son. Difficult, not impossible

I think the reason Vito's mom brought him with is because it laid the foundation for Vito's rise to power. If she hadn't brought him with and simply stowed him away before she went to see Ciccio(which I agree would have been the most logical and sensical thing to do), he would have still made it to America, but more than likely would have risen no higher than an ordinary shopkeeper or some other common immigrant job of the times. Childhood is a very powerful time in one's life, and Vito witnessing his mother being killed is one of the things would have given him the necessary predispositions to succeed in the life he eventually chose.

It's a little known fact that Mrs. Andolini's brother was the grandfather of The Amazing Carnac and her family possessed tremendous abilities of foresight. I agree with Debra and Plaw that the smart thing to do would have been to merely sneak him out rather than take him to Ciccio, but then he more than likely wouldn't have become the man he was, nor would The Godfather have been a very interesting movie at all.

Incidentally...except for young Vito fleeing to America, absolutely none of this Ciccio/Mama Andolini stuff happened in the novel.

It was written specifically for GFII.



Apple

Maybe would have been easier just to name him Sue.