The Godfather used a few strict rules during filming, but Francis Ford Coppola threw the rule book out the window for one of the most important scenes in the movie. The Godfather has gone down in history as one of the best movies ever made, and it's an artifact of Hollywood's changing style in the 1970s. Just as a new wave of directors were starting to wrestle more control from the studios, Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece proved that such experiments could also be huge financial successes. It wouldn't have been the same story with a different director.

The Godfather has a legendary cast and a script based on a best-selling novel. However, the visuals are an underrated element of its success. Although Coppola rarely does anything too splashy with his direction, he has a talent for blocking scenes and framing his characters in a way that emphasizes the shifting power dynamics between them. To enhance these ideas, Coppola decided upon a set of rules for filming, but he also had the confidence to completely abandon these rules when he had a better idea. This helped produce one of the movie's most memorable images.

Francis Ford Coppola Only Used One Overhead Shot In The Godfather

Vito's Shooting Stands Out From The Rest Of The Movie

The Godfather cinematographer Gordon Willis wanted to shoot the entire movie at eye-level, as if the audience was occupying a specific perspective from within the room. This usually has the effect of drawing the viewer deeper into the world of the Corleone family, but Coppola convinced Willis to break this rule on one single occasion. For the scene in which Vito is gunned down in the street, Coppola wanted to use an overhead shot. In an interview for Peter Biskind's book, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, Willis revealed Coppola's response when he asked the director whose point of view this shot was supposed to be taken from.

My point of view, God’s point of view, Orson Welles’ point of view!

Coppola's decision to break his and Willis' golden rule creates one of the most striking images of The Godfather. It's an eye-catching scene that emphasizes the pivotal nature of the action, as the assassination attempt on Vito changes the Corleone family for good. This moment is a marker on Michael's journey to becoming the new head of the family, despite his initial wishes to remain out of the business, and it also escalates the war that culminates in Michael's brutal purging of his enemies.

Vito is one of the most important characters in The Godfather trilogy, even though he dies in the first movie. The moment that he's shot in the street is given the appropriate gravitas by Coppola's choice of this "God's-eye-view" shot. It's as if the scene has an almost biblical importance, suggesting that Vito is a legendary figure whose downfall will send shockwaves across the world. Simultaneously, the overhead shot reduces the act of criminal violence to just another gangland hit. The faces of the characters are obscured, as if they are merely the latest actors in a cycle of perpetual violence.

How The Godfather's Cinematography Helped Create A Masterpiece

Willis' Visuals Enhance The Story

Willis' decision to shoot each scene at eye-level wasn't his only stroke of genius while working on The Godfather. He and Coppola devised several ways to give the film a unique atmosphere. Willis was known among his peers as the "Prince of Darkness" for the way that he lit his sets, and he used plenty of blacks and browns in The Godfather. He contrasts this murky aesthetic with oranges for a bright pop of color, which sparked the popular fan theory that oranges in The Godfather are a symbol of impending death.

Willis paid close attention to the character of Vito Corleone in The Godfather, even changing the entire look of the film just to emphasize his scenes. Vito's eyes are often obscured by shadow, especially when he is tending to business, to give him an air of mystery and power. In The Godfather Part II, Willis chose to light Michael's eyes more clearly to strengthen the contrast between him and his father. The sequel also has more light, both in Cuba and Nevada, and a yellow tint in the flashback sequences, which both serve to separate Vito and Michael. Audiences might not pick up on these subtle details, but they enrich the story even if they're only in the background.