by Brett Manero
Legendary actress Diane Keaton died this past week at the age of seventy-nine, leaving behind a remarkable acting legacy. We send our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones and of course, as Catholics, we pray for her eternal soul.
As so often happens with the death of a great artist, fans and the media look back on the their body of work. Diane Keaton has an impressive array of work, from something as pleasant and comedic as Father of the Bride, where Keaton was a perfectly cast alongside Steve Martin. For this article, I want to focus on the timeless masterpiece, The Godfather, where Keaton was also impeccably cast alongside Al Pacino. As of today, The Godfather sits at number two in the American Film Institute’s list of greatest films, with The Godfather Part II (sometimes considered greater than the original) sitting at number thirty-two. Together, they form a nearly-impeccable saga of a good man who slowly succumbs to evil. Believing he is doing good and defending his family, Al Pacino’s tragic hero in Michael Corleone is the ultimate Shakespearean tragedy, a modern Macbeth or King Lear. Michael begins his journey as the youngest son of Marlon Brando’s Don Vito Corleone, a ruthlessly powerful Mafia boss in the New York area. Michael has always distanced himself from the family business, going so far as to join the Marines at the onset of World War II in order to escape. Such is the hope and promise of Michael, who becomes a war hero in the Pacific Theater, only to suddenly get pulled into the machinations of the Mafia. When one sees his character sitting alone with dead, sociopathic eyes at the end of Part II, one is shocked at his transformation. It is truly amazing to think that the studio, Paramount Pictures, originally wanted someone famous like Robert Redford to play the role of Michael. The director, Francis Ford Coppola, prophetically insisted that someone of Italian heritage ought to play the role, and hence he insisted on the unknown Al Pacino, who gave one of the finest performances in film history.
Which is where Diane Keaton’s role of Kay Adams comes into play. Keaton was young and unknown when Coppola cast her as Kay in the 1972 original, as was Pacino. She played the role of Kay with a sweetness and innocence that was the perfect counteract to the growing sociopathic tendencies of Pacino’s Michael. This sweetness and innocence changes drastically, however, with the second film, as she is increasingly disgusted by her husband’s criminal ways. For this article, let’s focus on her performance in the first film.
So much of The Godfather is really about the American way of life, and if “outsiders” can integrate into the challenging realities of the American way. It’s the story of an Italian immigrant, Vito Corleone – the older version played by Marlon Brando and the younger version by Robert De Niro – who escapes from the Mafia in Sicily to America, growing up on the streets of New York’s Little Italy. As an Italian who speaks no word of English when he arrives at Ellis Island, will he survive alone in this massive new country? Ironically and tragically, he survives by becoming exactly what he intended to escape from – the Mafia. As his father was murdered by a Mafia leader in Sicily, so he becomes one of the most powerful men in New York by also committing a murder. History rhymes.
His son, Michael, represents a breath of fresh air and the opportunity to start over. By distancing himself from the Mafia and joining the Marines, Michael represents the genuine attempt to integrate further into American life. In an iconic scene, as Michael is sojourning in his father’s native Sicily, he states: “I’m an American hiding in Sicily.” It’s a simple line, but with much imagery: although he retreats to Sicily to escape from Mafia enemies (ironically, it’s the opposite of what his father did, who escaped from Sicily to New York for the same reasons), he still identifies as an American. But perhaps the tragedy of Michael Corleone is that, as he grows increasingly obsessed with power and eliminating his enemies, he fails to truly integrate into American culture. He loses his wife, Kay, as a result. Kay represents the American way: her family is deeply rooted in American history, and her father is a minister (according to the novel). She represents the best of America: goodness, purity, an honest way of life. Michael loses her because he cannot completely remove himself from the old, corrupt ways of Mafia life.
Such is the greatness and the tragedy of The Godfather. It remains an absolutely masterpiece and as Catholics, we can find much meaning in it. The saints would rightly remind us that evil has a way of sneaking itself into our souls when we don’t expect it, slowly and over time. CS Lewis’ masterpiece, The Screwtape Letters, describes the work of evil exactly like this: working slowly and over time to corrupt the soul. The Book of Genesis suggests that evil slowly overtakes Cain, who allows envy to control him:
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:6-7).
St. Peter hauntingly describes the reality of evil lurking around in his letter:
“Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you“ (1 Peter 5:8-10).
Anger, rage, pride – all of these can slowly overtake the soul. The saints mastered the ability to resist the growth of all of these. The spiritual life is a delicate balancing act of prayer, the Sacraments, charity, and even loving and praying for those who have hurt us. It is in these and above all, faith in Jesus Christ, that will assure us of victory.
The Godfather not only remains a masterpiece of cinema, but it also has immense lessons for the faithful Catholic.
Thank you, Diane Keaton, for your impeccable performance as Kay. May she rest in peace.