Plain Jane or not, at least in the novel anyways, aside from a little griping she made Michael a good, Catholic wife.

Marrying for looks isn't a real good idea, look as an example to Fredo in GF2 ending up married to Deanna and to Johnny Fontaine who left his faithful wife for a beautiful slut.

I think that he truly did love two different women in two different ways. The book even points out Michael's amazement that his love for Appollonia had nothing to do with his love for Kay. His relationship with Kay was built on his love for her intelligence and wit (a true partnership) as well as the fact that she was "different". In the book, his love for Appollonia was based on his obsessive need to possess her in every way.

I think you explained their relationships PERFECTLY!

Mille Grazie!!!

Processing is different than loving someone. And if he truly loved Kay, why did it take him three years to seek her out? If he was solely interested in her.
The New Hampshire scene was not a loving reconcilation between kay and Michael. It sounded like more of an acquision. In other words, it was if Michael was saying, "look, I am working for my father so I need a family, children (heirs). This scene reminds me of Napoleon marrying an 18 year old Austrian so he can have heirs. It has nothing to do with loving someone.

"Pheobe Cates should have played Mary Corleone"

Deathkiss: Phoebe Cates is a good 8 years older than Sofia Coppola and in the early 90's was probably too busy making those Gremlins and Drop Dead Fred movies.

And speaking as someone who feels a close, personal bond with her character in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, if you are gonna be a fan, at least spell her name right!

I loved "Drop Dead Fred", "Princess whatever you call it"... and the "Gremlins". I haven't seen Fast Times, though..

I agree his proposal to Kay wasn't very romantic. He didnt' sound very loving. *monotone* "I need you. I want you. I love you. Marry me. It's an offer you can't refuse." He should have used Clemenza's line.

Call me what you will, but I really could wait for a man for 3 years. Especially if he's as hot as Michael Corleone. *wiggles eyebrows*

i'll call you romantic . i think you can say that in your teens, when your whole life still spans ahead. after 25 you don't feel like waiting. oh well, i have been accused of not being romantic enough. one of the many things i'm being accused of lately .

romantic or not i would have liked a better proposal from Michael too. geez.

Ohh CAT FIGHT!!!
FYI: Mary Corleone character is suppose to be in her mid 20's, and I believe Pheobe was in her mid to late 20's in 1989--the date of filming, so Pheobe is age approprate.

Gremlins and Drop Dead Fred was made in the mid 80's, so she should be available.
Speaking of spelling, I find it amusing that a person who has a "..close personal bond" spells her name EXACTLY like I spell it. So, are we BOTH spelling her name incorrectly? I am not a huge fan of Pheobe Kline, but you don't seem to know a lot about her, I mean KEY FACTS!
...have a wonderful day La Dolce Vita
..end of cat fight! <meow>

I must have dyslexia because your spelling of Pheobe does not = my spelling of Phoebe, but oh well. Details. Not gonna bother going into the other facts.

Wasn't trying to be insulting, just stating the obvious.

Me- still having a wonderful day. Thanks.

I agree!! I think is will be unwise for you to go into into details, especially when you don't know what you are talking about.
Wasn't trying to be insulting, just stating the obvious.

LDV -> <-deathkiss

Reow reow! Come on.. ladies, I know you're bigger than this... besides... it's just Feeby Kates!

I guess as a teen I feel it's wiser to wait than mess around with any ol' guy that says he "loves" me. But Kay was still pretty young too. And Apollonia was just happy to move out of her parents' house.

I am of the opinion that Michael did love both Kay and Appollonia, but unlike most people marriage and family were not as high on the priority list as his business and strive for power. Yet, I think even tho he loved Kay, he probably considered the fact that it would look good to have a wife/kids to give the appearance of a "good family man."

I too, would not have waited for Michael. However, Kay knew what kind of family he came from and she chose to wait for him and then later she chose to marry him even after he told her he was in the family. I don't know if blame is the right word, because we all make wrong moves and do stupid things when it comes to love. I prefer to call it a "life experience," not a good experience but still a life experience.

I still say, even though both ladies were good wives to Michael (I know we didn't get to see Appollonia as a wife for long, but I am judging by her culture/heritage at that time in Sicily), Appollonia would have made a better wife for Michael, for the simple reason that she wouldn't give him "flack"....I ;am not saying that made her a better wife than Kay, but the better choice for Michael. Sicilian women (like mama), would know when to keep quiet and when to speak. And to be married to Michael I think you'd have to understand and accept that.


TIS

It seems to be other women who are most critical of Appolonia.
I think they are just jealous of her beauty and identify more with Kay because she is more of an 'everywoman', not too beautiful but not too ugly either.

oh yeah, that's it.

you know i hear that argument a lot whenever when a woman criticizes another woman. it always has to be a jealous thing rather than just an opinion .

i'm probably more like Apple than Kay anyway. not one ounce of WASP in me.

I stand by my statement.
You're entitled to your "opinion" but judging by all the posts on this thread and others most of the people who are bad mouthing Appolonia are women, rather than men.
You have to ask yourself, why this is?

well because this is a bulletin board and she is a hot mama and there are red blooded men here! i'm, at least, trying to be objective. if i were simply jealous of her because of her beauty then i wouldn't have even time to post! i'd be too busy sitting her being jealous of 99% of the women in movies/tv. i recognize beauty in LOTS of women and like them for it not critical of them for it. that would be a very shallow way to always have a debate (i guess that is what you consider me as, a shallow jealous woman). if i am critical is it because of other things.

perhaps in your little study (not a great random sample) all the women here hate her, but please don't lump me in the generalization that i dislike her because her beauty (and i don't really dislike her or Kay) is far greater than mine. i would have to hate LDV, Capacino and PastaPunk too those awful wenches !

now i really have to get back to work.

Gotta give you credit, Aberdeen...you may have caught on to something (though I doubt many of the ladies would admit it - even to themselves).

I love how some are obsessed with this 'thunderbolt' thing. Yes, Michael & Appolonia were struck big time when they first ran into each other. But it's not as though they ran off together that night. They married after a respectful meeting with her family, with her father's permission and a respectable courtship. I don't think there was anything selfish about it. He saw her, wanted to meet her, got to know her, loved her, married her.

I do not think this storyline would have work had Appolonia been described as a homely or plain girl, or had a dog of an actress been cast in the part.

Apple

Uh ohhh... first the ladies fighting with eachother over Feeby, and now womankind discovered to be shallow. Who'da thunk??

Aberdeen, I see your point, but I'm sorry... jealousy is an unfair accusation. Are you JEALOUS of all good looking men you can say something bad about? I certainly doubt it.

Would it be better if we only put down UGLY women? That way we'll be jealous of ugly chicks as well? I'm really sick of being called jealous just because I can find faults in beautiful women. Jealousy really isn't the reason. Now you tell me WHY some men just can't understand that?

(p.s. Welcome, Aberdeen! I hope you or anyone else will not find my post rude. This is just my opinion...
Also... I sincerely think I AM jealous of Saladbar and AppleOnYa, who I can't think of anything bad to say about even though they are both very beautiful...)

i am a girl, and though my face may not look like Apollonia's, i am not the least bit jealous of her beauty.

and i don't think Michael's relationship with Apollonia was based on lust, or anything that can be labelled as "improper". as the others have said, there was the proper introduction to the family, visits to her home, courtship (the walk with the whole family behind them, then Apollonia almost trips), etc. everything was decent, and there was courtship.

i believe Michael really loved Kay, even while in Sicily. but more often than not, long-distance relationships don't last. it's very difficult! and in their case, they couldn't even communicate with each other, so there was no long-distance relationship to work on, in the first place. Apollonia just came at the right place and the right time.

Hey cut Mike some slack! He wasnt exactrly kicking up his heels for all those many months he was in Sicily, and the way things were going, I think he realized that he would either be there a long time and/or once he got back to New York he would be in the family business and Kay would have moved on. I think he was struck by a thunderbolt when he saw Appolonia and so was she, and had she lived he would have been content to have an obedient Italian wife instead of some shrill American who was always carping at him for not becoming "legitimate" quickly enough, and who ran off to have an abortion because Mike had a "Sicilian Thing," which had to be stopped. Notice Kay didnt mind living in luxury though.
Moreover, Michael was back a year or more before he even bothered to contact Kay, so I have always wondered if he wasnt exploiting her just a little.
In fact I think they were exploiting each other, but thats another thread.