“Don Corleone, Faça Justiça": uma análise sobre como O Poderoso Chefão (1972) reinventou a figura do mafioso e a narrativa dos filmes de gangster.

Abstract

This study aims primarily to understand how the film The Godfather (1972) redefined the figure of the mobster and the narrative of gangster films in American cinema, based on an analysis of the trajectory of the gangster genre and the New Hollywood movement (1960–1980). For the development of this research, the time frame from 1900 to 1971 will be adopted in order to encompass the various turbulent moments in United States history and in the history of American cinema that were essential to the development of the genre and of mafia films. Released in 1972, The Godfather tells the story of the Italian-American mafia family Corleone, unfolding through the conflicts the family faces as a result of the decisions made by its head, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). Considered by film critics to be one of the greatest films of all time, The Godfather remains relevant as one of the key works of Hollywood cinema and of the gangster film genre. Thus, this research seeks to understand how director Francis Ford Coppola’s work contributed to innovation in mafia film narratives in the 1970s.