Sonny Corleone's Masculinity: The Avoidable Death
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- čas přidán 15. 04. 2022
- Sonny Corleone represents the epitome of masculinity. He is strong and confident, able to take care of himself and those he loves. However, this strength comes at a price - Sonny dies, due to his own reckless behavior. Could his death have been prevented if he had been more aware of the risks he was taking? This video explores Sonny's masculinity through analysis, looking at how his actions impact both him and those around him.
- Krátké a kreslené filmy
If Sonny had managed to calm down he'd have realised something was up because Carlo wouldn't have beaten up Connie again after Sonny threatened to kill him unless someone bigger was behind Carlo.
Team effort
@@onetwo12onetwo526 Carlo Had Balls Doing That Even After Sonny Beat His Ass If He Hadn't Of Had Him Set Up Sonny Would Of Killed Him.
Correction, carlo made sonny an enemy of his by beating his sister. A coward who beat his wife to project his jealously of the corleone family upon her. He deserved what he got but sonny did not seem to have much common sense.
Sonny shouldn't have gone to beat him up. Just send a thug to do it for him. In fact send an enforcer, shame IIRC Luca Brassi is dead by this point of the story. They could take care of leaving Carlo with traumas he will never dare to double-cross the corleone's again yet in one piece to serve as loyal, albeit traumatized, parent for the baby.
@@icecold1805 right should've sent a henchman
@@icecold1805 True, that would've rationally been the best thing to do. But given Sonny's character in the story, it would not have been satisfying for him to do that, but rather to do the beating up himself. In Sonny's eyes, it would've been a cowardly move to send someone else to do that, even if it was rationally correct.
But if Michael was in Sonny's place, he would most certainly have sent an enforcer or henchman to do the dirty work.
@@mazeppa1231 I agree with you but Sonny’s ego made this more about him then his sister.
@@mazeppa1231 Michael may have also looked at it as his father did, in that it wasn't any of their business.
What bothers me about this scene is that the bodyguards left right afterwards. Yet they showed up after he was dead. So either he was driving extremely fast or they were driving extremely slow.
Given how he's shown, you could assume he was driving like a maniac and the resulting chaos behind him is what slowed them down.
@@keith6706 agreed
Sonny probably drove like a mad man
Sonny had a sports car that was faster than his bodyguards cars and it would be like if he had a Bugatti and his bodyguards had soccer mom vans.
Sonny had a 1941 Lincoln Continental with a V12 engine. The bodyguards had a 1940 Studebaker Champion that had a v6 engine. So you can see that the Lincoln was faster.
Both Sonny and Fredo were careless. Sonny was tough and Fredo was a weakling. However, Sonny was the only one who seemed upset when Connie was being assaulted by Carlo Rizzi. I'll give him props for that.
“Women and children can be careless but men cannot” Vito from the movie.
Ah, she deserved it, although you have to be a special kind of dumb to beat up a gangster's sister.
@@marklatimer7333 How did she deserve it? That's crazy and misogynistic.
@@darbyheavey406 says the guy who was betrayed by his bodyguard, son-in-law, best friends, own son. He takes 2 bullets and all his friends disappear, but somehow he is amazing negotiator and strategist.
@@MrAschiff I thank you that was my intention.
Deleted scene adds a bit more nuance to Sonny, as after assassination attempt on Vito's life he is visibly seen fighting his impulses in order to get situation under control. Also let's not forgot that Sony wasn't all brawn, he did lead the family during rather tumultuous total war between Corleone and remaigning 4 families which lasted for a while.
A war he started.
After Vito's death? You mean after his assassination attempt?
@@privatename5788 You're right, I'll edit that, thanks!
@@davidbarker7938 that was Sollozo mate
@@wilfuent55 Sonny went to the mattresses. He didn't have to. Vito didn't do that after the attempt on Michael.
Sonny was a reactive hot head and it just didn't occur to him that Carlo could have the balls to set him up like that when he was his brother in law. Even after Sonny gave him a beating for hitting his sister it didn't occur to him that he would try to maneuver with another family like that.
I always blamed the Sister, she knew what would happen plus she was particularly annoying.
@@marklatimer7333 I also hate that she waited till she found out about ANOTHER WOMAN till she blew up at him. I'm not saying that's okay, I'm just saying that she should've done that BEFORE knowing about another woman!
(I always hate it when that's the "last straw" for a wife in a story, especially in a story where the wife has much BETTER reasons than that.)
One thing about sonny he's that you cared about his sister just a shame it backfired this behaviour kind of reminds me of the dick dababy disrespected his ex-girlfriend and his brother came to the rescue but consequently it backfired and he got beaten up very badly at the bowling 🎳 just for defending his sister.
@@marklatimer7333 “I always blamed the sister” - Stunad
Sonny introduced Carlo to Connie so he had some guilt behind Carlos’s behavior. However he was extremely reckless leaving without protection during a war. In the book Sonny was more reckless than in the movie and he was feared. They thought killing him would cripple the family. It actually made them stronger because Michael was just as ruthless but unpredictable.
Sorry, I’m not sure I agree with your conclusions here. The set up was not in retaliation to the beating, but rather the beating became the pretense for the setup, as in he revealed his carelessness. Carlo wouldn’t have been beating up Connie if he felt he’d have long term repercussions. He was counting on the corleones losing the war, or at least hoping for it. As for the actual hit, I don’t think it would’ve made too much difference if he had four more guy with him. With that many Thompsons directed at the car, it would’ve made little difference. The set up wasn’t about having him alone, but controlling where he would be. Of course it would’ve been risky if he took multiple cars, but there’s little reason to think he would for something as simple as a family matter, so whether he had more people in that one car wouldn’t have mattered.
It's extremely hard to narrow down, but to me James Caan and Sonny are the most interesting parts of the whole story.
In the book Sonny is extremely well-hung.
Totally agree with that
He’s definitely my favorite character from the story.
I agree and it is probably one of the reasons why I love the first Godfather film the most out of all of them.
Its his dynamic with Tom. When they are running the Corleone family its my favourite section. So volatile. The argument on the staircase is legendary. Will you just do what i tell you to do!
Sonny was 100 percent LEGIT in that first beatdown. Second beatdown he should have been more patient. Especially with him knowing that the beef in the streets were on!
Sonny's wife was actually relieved that he had Mistresses on the side because she had virtually no libido while his was insatiable. And so she saw the Mistresses as a way of relieving her from him and his drives. 😏
Yeah it was a different time too. Kind of more accepted.
That was because Sonny was extremely well endowed. She considered sex w him torture.
Maybe. Then again, she clearly enjoyed visually depicting Sonny's dong size at Connie's wedding, and was clearly annoyed that he would be soon whipping it out for another girl at that same wedding.
Also as she gestures to some of the women in the wedding scene Sonny's 🍆 was huge and if I'm not mistaken in the novel she mentions how it often hurt her whenever they had sex.
Mario Puzo was also very strangely obsessed with Sonny's schlong.
Honestly it's amazing that plan worked. The girl has to call at the right time. Connie has to pick up the phone. Her reaction has to be as it was. She has to call her mom. The baby has to be crying so mom puts Sonny on the phone. Sonny has to run off alone rather than take his guys. He has to take that route and arrive while the assassins were there. His bodyguards had to be trailing far enough behind. It's pure luck that everything worked out according to plan.
Indeed
@@stactionsmedia3318 No, that's not what happened. Carlo beats Connie bad the first time, Sonny beats him bad and promises to kill him next time. Later Carlo gets caught cheating and ends up fight with and beating Connie again. He runs outs, realizes that "on snap Sonny going to kill me" knows that Connie to make a call to her family at any moment, he proceeds to have Sonny setup before he can get to him. He sets up Sonny in a panic after he beats up Connie the second time because he knows Sonny is very likly to keep his promise of killing him for "touching his sister again". Thats how I saw it go down when I watched it.
Sonny should have waited a few weeks, then invite Carlo to a remote location to discuss giving him more responsibility. And at that time deal with the wife beating. Unfortunately, it was Michael who had to straighten out that mess. Even though Sonny was a fictional character, I can appreciate his mind set. When much younger, that would have been me. In fact it was. As I was once lured into a fight where I was out numbered. Unlike Sonny, I lived to tell the story. And the lesson. Think first, fight later. If you must.
If Sonny hadn't got whacked what would've happened when Michael came back to America? Would Sonny willingly stepped aside for his youngest brother to be the heir to the family? I mean Michael had much more of a better temperment to be Don then Sonny. But would Sonny's ego have allowed him to step aside for his youngest brother?
Don't think he would step aside.. and I don't think Michael wanted that role either, he would understand that's the big brothers place. He would have made other business moves for the family instead and be vital in other ways.
@@verbplural5631 I Think He Would Of Been Pushed Into It More After He Killed Sollozo And That Cop And He'd Would Get More Involved.
I seem to remember in the movie Sonny's death wasn't that 'Sudden', he is riddled with slugs while in the car but manages to get out of the car walk several feet while under a constant hail of bullets, then he does a short dance routine and tells a few jokes before finally succumbing to the 210 .45 inch holes in his body - Gee what a man!
More impressive than Sean Connery dragging himself 25 feet along a hallway with a magazine full buried in his chest .
The Tony Montana last dance. "You think you can take me? You need a fucking army if you gonna take me!"
his good quality was he's a good brother to Connie
With all the things that Sonny must have seen as the son of the Godfather, it has always puzzled me why Sonny didn't recognize a trap like the trip on the causeway and the predictable path that he would take to his sister's house. This happened at the time when the families were at war; a war that Sonny started with his hit on Bruno Tataglia. Surely Sonny would know that he was a priority target in this battle!!
In the entire story line of this trilogy this is a glaring incongruity - one that I forgive only because the rest of the story is such a masterpiece.
I believe they purposefully made it predictable in order to highlight the contrast between him and Michael. Michael is a ruthless, cold-hearted calculator, while Sonny is hot-headed and reckless.
Sonny Corleone was The Ultimate Underboss. Resting in Power
Sonny was a solid Underboss under Vito but was not qualified to be the actual Boss with final say in what to do.
Good job, Spanky... 8-}
Keep up the good work.
Got you brother! Great video
You're a real bro! thanks a lot
In the novel the Godfather there is a passage where Vito reproaches Johnny Fontaine for breaking down. It states that Johnny actually listens to Vito, whereas his other three sons would react differently. "Sonny would have sulked, Fredo would have cringed, and Michael would have smiled coldly, got up out of the room, and not be seen for three weeks." I think it wasn't so much his masculinity but his impulsiveness that got him killed. Considering how Michael dealt with Carlo the only difference is Michael is not impulsive, he's calculative in his actions; he keeps Carlo close by so he can watch him, and it seems that Carlo knows not to be abusive around Michael. Case in point after the baptism scene where Connie essentially butts in Carlo isn't as brutish with her as he was around Sonny. Instead of telling Connie "shut-up" he says "Connie please." In a way he's more afraid of Michael than he was of Sonny despite Michael not using force against him. To illustrate further (sorry) in the novel Michael suggests he'd like to be a math professor. In a way that goes along with his character.
I have the same reaction to Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman and his neurotic sons were never general illustrations of American manhood.
As important as the scene was, it is also probably the least realistic: the Mafia prefer to kill at close range and as quietly as possible.
Moreover, Sonny took a lot of hits before he succumbed to his wounds; unrealistic, but for movie's sake, and dramatics concerned it blends in quite well though.
Apparently, it was an extremely difficult and technical (not to mention potentially dangerous) scene to "shoot". There were over a hundred "squibs" wired to James Caan and any number of things could have gone wrong. It took hours to set up and only a few seconds to shoot. Luckily, they got it all on the first take.
If Sonny had "E-Z Pass", he would have lived to be an old man.
Lol
Mhm
It’s crazy because Vito has a lot to do with this temper and somewhat thirst for blood. In the book Sonny saw his father Kill Don Fauci and he also played a huge part in the war that they had prior to what we see in the film. Something to think about but Mario Puzo created some of the most complex and interesting characters in cinema and literature just f&$@$ing crazy
Jesus Christ at least you didn't call his masculinity 'toxic'.
Well he a criminal
Of course there is always that guy that is going to be triggered because the word "masculinity" is in the title of the video, no matter what the video actually shows.
“Foolish” is quite sufficient.
It was predictable and therefore a weakness that was used to set him up.
Umm, he kind of did. And that's wrong. Sonny's masculinity had nothing to do with it. If he had been effeminate he would have been equally a limp wrist hotheaded impulsive. That's what killed him, being brash not his awesome swagger.
Okay nobody read the book then or read a different version than mine.
In the original Godfather story, Puzo actually uses a critique of masculinity as a plot point. Sonny is described as a super-masculine figure that has a huge dong (that's actually mentioned when the character is introduced in the Connie's wedding chapter), is very strong and brash in his decisions (although in the books he is a much deeper and smarter character) and is the polar opposite of his quiet outsider brother, Michael.
Fredo isn't a complete wimp but instead is described as being similar to Sonny, his main weakness being that he grows to be too much of a womaniser. In the end, the black sheep of the family and the least loud and tough of the brothers ends up becoming the cold and calculated mastermind that is worthy of being Vito's heir.
It's amazing how he manage to stay under vito thumb
A quick tempered man acts foolishly, and a man with wicked intentions is despised!!!! -Proverbs 14:17
Barzini target Sonny because he was easy.
whole family was easy, everyone was just ready to betray them at first instant.
It was the restraint that got him killed. He should’ve killed Carlo the first time
That is a very good point
It's pronounced Tah-tal-e-uh family
There it is. Found it.
I have always thought of Carlo as one of the other families planted guys to have there to pull strings with.
i never bought the scenario. Carlo beats her just at the right time when he knows she will call Sonny who is conveniently home, bites his fist and a whole professional hit-team is in waiting. what incredible timing what incredible bullshit
Or when they happened to know where Tom was so they could kidnap him. Or how they found out where the meeting with sollozzo was so they could plant the gun. I'm sure there are more.
It's a set up. It's not a coincidence that the hit team was waiting.
@@TJPatriot74 agreed
@@newperve the timing is impossible to predict for a set-up
@@albertangeloro5832 Only if you assume that Sonny wouldn't act immediately. Carlo beats her when he's told to. Sonny sees the bruises and acts immediately. They know where he is and the most direct route, which Sonny took because he's an idiot*. They only timing they need to get right isn't down to the minute. They can wait hours in those toll booths. I mean do you think the Corleone family checks out those booths regularly?
* Not all the time, but sometimes.
It's ALLWAYS about Respect. Sonny gave Carlo a beating in public in front of his crew, in his neighborhood. Carlo was completely emasculated. Which infuriated him to eventually betray the family just to get his revenge. Sonny could have handled it in private & have put the fear in him to never lay a hand on his sister again.
That wouldn't be gangster nor effective
The other way around Carlo made an enemy of Sonny when he abuses his sister I mean tf would u expect a good brother would do? and also if u read the Godfather books after the shooting of Vito It was up to Sonny to take care of the family and at that he passed with flying colors waging war with other families united against them many to one and he was actually winning but then he made a mistake but then again he was a good tactical wartime mafioso so I don't think u know him too well
I agree completely wat kind of brother would just let his sister get beaten like that, especially his PREGNANT sister.
It's a movie.
Wow. Didn't know that. Thanks. 😁
Sonny learnd nothing
It is? Seriously? Thanks I can rest easy with that fact🙄
When you stop at the toll plaza at Jones Beach and somebody unloads a tommy gun into your car, Death is NOT avoidable.
interesting definition of masculinity. not prejudiced at all.
He had an army of goons to do the dirty work for him, and he thought to go head first before his men were even with him? What a rookie mistake.
Sonny was too hot-headed and brash, Fredo was too dumb and weak so Michael was the natural choice to take over.
I hate Connie in this movie lol she needs to take her ass back to rocky she got sonny killed for sure why no one mention this at all in none of the movies
I DIDN'T PARTICULARLY LIKE HER IN THE GODFATHER EITHER.
Maybe the family decided that Carlos cancels Sonny being gunned down.
Back then. all women were treated as mans property
Not even Vito took Connie seriously
In his old age. Vito only needed Michael. Only man he could absolutely TRUST.
If Vito was still in charge I actually don't think he would of done anything to Carlo apart from talk to him about it. Fathers didn't get involved in their children's marriages in those days.
The G in Tataglia is not pronounced. Do you also pronounce the G in Consigliere?
You're right, but Tataglia was just a pimp.
@@randomobserver8168 Good quote 😃.
I remarked the incorrect pronunciation as a matter of principle. If one is making analyses on a movie, one should be very well acquainted with it, like watched it multiple times. If one has watched it many times, they become proficient with the names. 🤓
Vito had hands full w Sonny Fredo Connie
Mario wrote it this way. Coppola could not save Sonny 😂
Oh Shut Up. Sonny was my favorite character in the whole movie. He SUCCCESSFULLY led the war against the other 4 Families which takes balls & talent & he was the ONLY one who stuck up for his sister.
I love Sonny's wife. Come to Butthead.
Rather than taking after his Father Vito, Sonny took more after his Godfather Clemenza !
Sonny is actually Clemenza 2.0
Nice video but you are wrong. Sonny's death was not unavoidable.
Something they cut out of the film was how Sonny became a gangster.
In the Book Sonny saw his father commit his first kill when he murdered the New York gangster.
Vito basically said that there are some paths that are unavoidable and he believes in fate.
He then has Luca Brassi begin to train Sonny.
Both of Sonny's role models where bad people.
One was a gangster and the other was a monster.
When you grow up in an environment like that with role models like that it's only a matter of time before someone or something gets you.
He's a bit more sympathetic in the book than the film.
Or maybe I am just thinking too much about.
Carlo beat his wife as an act to provoke Santino from the start.
Would've never happened to Michael.
Sonny isn't a man though. He is at best an adolescent who never grew up. He let's his emotions drive his actions which makes him a liability to himself and others. He would never be able to be a good don, which is why Vito is constantly shown to be frustrated with him. He refuses to listen and would rather first and reflect later. He is the opposite of Vito, which means he has all the fault Vito lacks.
He is a man , just a different type of man , definitely not the leader type , more of a soilder , a warrior .
Doesn't work like that babbbyyyy
This video revealed nothing. And what's with the mispronunciation of Tattaglia? It's said throughout the film. How do you get that wrong? It's "tuh-TALIA."
So the “g” is silent? I always thought it was “Tuh-tag-lee-a. Thanks for teaching me different!👍🏾
@@denisesloane8782 You now owe your Don a service. : D
@@habovay3 😆
i think the death of anyone doesnt rely on themselves because if its realy youre turn to die even the most cunning and inteligent mafia leader will die im sorry but i dont believe sonny died because of his atitude its only a movie even a calculated leader will also die in the right place and the right time
Sonny should have delegated Carlo's murder. That would be the calculated move.
Lit sonny ass up at that tollbooth 😂
Sonny would've been like one of those sons of the Don's that waits for their
old man to bide their time
Paeter baelish a man with no motive is a man no one suspects at all translation your greatest advantage is to be underestimated sonny underestimated Carlo
Sonny had to much drive to fight the other family's. That's why Barzini had to use Carlo to kill Sonny at the causeway in an ambush. 12.10.2022
A lot of Godfather pimping going around youtube
Why’s he mansplaining Sonny, like all of these scenes don’t exist on YT?
Santino was brainless , impulsive and overestimated, he never was really Don’s material.
This was stupid you had me till the end
I disagree completely ye sonny had a temper but wat kind of brother would let that happen to his sister, the answer is a brother that doesn't care about his sister or family. Yes sonny did drive off by himself but the guy never had any reason to suspect a assassination attempt on his life, even the likes of vito and Michael would never have suspected that.
Sonny IS reckless, but he can't illustrate either traditional masculinity or a crisis of masculinity.
He is one kind of masculine temperament, but then so are Michael, Vito and all the other male characters in the movie. The full range of masculine possibility, or a decent chunk, all of it around since the beginning of the species. The reckless man, the ruthless planner, the patriarch, and many other trad masc types are all in these films. To a lesser extent, even the honest family man shows up. Bonasera is weak, but he has integrity and he loves his family and his work. Sonny is a type of man as old as men, but no more representative than any of the others. He has the weaknesses and strengths of his type.
Nor is he a crisis, precisely because his type has always been with us, with all its pros and cons. He'd be excellent in a secondary role, but he needs counsel and tempering to be the heir. An old story. Nothing unique to the Corleone family or the late 20th century.
I can't decide about the bridesmaid. It does show his recklessness and indulgence, like countless princes of the past, but of a sort that does not have any likely real consequences and he knows it. If one is going to be reckless, that's the recklessness to get into. Much, much better than charging off into battle by yourself. Into an obvious trap. THAT is what a mistake looks like.
Can't teach a old dog new tricks lol
A wimp wouldn’t last long in the Mafia either.
Wrong. Being emotional and doing stupid actions base on emotion is a feminine trait, not Masculine.
So Sonny being Gangster, Fearless and defending or protecting his sister had nothing to do with him getting killed because he could've easily still had a cool enough head to have his men bring Carlo to him after he beat on his sister because he can beat on him, not go to their home unprotected (like a Chick) during a war. That's just Emotional and extremely stupid.
Like the Godfather said within the movie to Michael. Woman and Children can be careless, but not men. That's the True Masculinity you Feminuts or Alphabet People try to attack and totally fail to do everytime.
yeah I realized that, sonny reacted like how alot of people would act if their sisters were abused, not that only sonny did have a large sex drive especially with other women but thats not because of dominance or masculinity but its because he barely had intercourse with his wife in the first place, she knew he cheated and it relieved her because she basically had no libidio and in the book it was written that he had a large appendage. and even when he spoke against his father about the deal, it wasn't to assert some dominance but because the corleones were guarenteed millions in return which interested sonny in the first place(nothing to do with dominance anyone would speak out once hearing a large sum of cash is involved), and him rolling his eyes to his father scolding him? man is his in his late 30s to early 40s people in that age don't usually like to be scolded.
@@homersimpson6585 Being a Real Man and masculine have nothing to do with also being emotional which is a feminine trait and stupid which is just a stupid trait.
These Feminuts, Alphabet People and Omega Mens try to push this propaganda and Sonny being so Brain Dead to continually be seen going to his sister home, beating up her husband and seeing his mistress during a War he's heading is extremely stupid, not masculine (facts).
The Godfather and Michael were extremely masculine thinking especially when it came to crying, getting emotional and being careless (all feminine traits).
@@fantasymangacomicvisionary5688 I agree with you but due to writing a long paragraph I made some errors and didn’t focus on what I wrote so my bad
So he shouldn't have wanted to protect his sister.he should have killed Carlo instead of just beating him up.
if u have a sister i feel sorry for her. what do u expect sonny to do???? let that slide. there was no way that is morally acceptable. unless ur alternative is to suggest killing him right then and there then there was no other option bar kicking his ass
Sonny going alone is not relevant to the success of the hit... the toll booth ambush was designed to kill two carloads of men. By taking off by himself, Sonny inadvertently saved the lives of 7 or more of his men, but he would have been just as dead.
Going how I came 🦍
Y'all wanted my true colors lol
Even the Godfather Don Vito Corleone said that sunny was a "bad Don".
This means that Michael destroyed the family when he chose Sonny's hot headed son to succeed him in G3.
Part of the suite of masculine traits is an ability to step back and think calmly and clearly before taking action, whenever possible. And the ability to consider the situation at hand, with emotion removed, as emotion clouds your judgment, and in some cases, blocks all ability of sound judgment.
Sonny's penchant for flying off the handle came from his inability to control his emotions, which is typically part of the suite of effeminate traits.
It's a bit odd to reference Sonny's inappropriate effeminism as hyper masculinity. It's highly inaccurate.
Thumbs down. I watched the first three minutes of your video and my brain kept saying, "thank you, Mr. Obvious." You present nothing new AT ALL in this video. Anyone that watched the film knows everything you put in this video. What a waste of time, both yours and mine.
Of course, because it's a character study, every moment I presented is relevant to everyone who has seen the film. I'm concentrating on the character and how he behaved, yet you say I've wasted your time, but you spent all of your time commenting. This is contradictory.
that's not what the script said......
the baptsim of fire was sonny plan