Ever wondered what Sollozo and Michael say in Italian?

Thanks for posting that. Very interesting.

Good stuff

They worded the Italian in such a way that you really don't need to know Italian to get the overall tone of what was said.

The best line in that sequence was,"You give me too much credit kid. I ain't that clever."


But that's a great translation.

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Michael sitting back down seems to me that he was considering the deal until he hears that last line.

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Absolutely not, IMO. Once he returns from the bathroom, the only thing Michael is thinking about is killing Sollozo and McClusky. He doesn't hear a word Sollozo is saying. He's working up the nerve to do the deed. To me, it's like he sees the rest of his life flashing before his eyes, and he realizes that pulling the trigger will be the act that sets his future in motion. Once he does it, there's no turning back.

ETA: Thanks for the translation. It's interesting.

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It insists upon itself

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Context

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Once he returns from the bathroom, the only thing Michael is thinking about is killing Sollozo and McClusky. He doesn't hear a word Sollozo is saying. He's working up the nerve to do the deed. To me, it's like he sees the rest of his life flashing before his eyes, and he realizes that pulling the trigger will be the act that sets his future in motion.

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This

And re before Michael goes to the toilet. The novel, in its ploddingly, journalistically literal way, makes clear why Michael switches back to English: he wants McCluskey to be included in the conversation, to "share" in the corruption. The film only implies this with Michael glancing at McCluskey in disgust.

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Absolutely not, IMO. Once he returns from the bathroom, the only thing Michael is thinking about is killing Sollozo and McClusky. He doesn't hear a word Sollozo is saying. He's working up the nerve to do the deed. To me, it's like he sees the rest of his life flashing before his eyes, and he realizes that pulling the trigger will be the act that sets his future in motion. Once he does it, there's no turning back.

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I always thought the subway train noise right before he shoots him implied that Michael DNGAF about what Sollozzo was saying at that point (basically blocking it out).

If you read Mario's book you will gain much more insight into the mindset of Michael and Vito.

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I'll note that Michael is a much less uncertain, ambiguous character in the book. There he's really a would-be gangster who happens to go to college, while in the film he's more like a college boy who ends up a mafia don through circumstances.

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Interesting. I prefer Pacino's take on the character, where the transformation is kind of shocking. It also better drives home the point that even for a guy who seemed more straight-laced and reluctant to join the family business, loyalty to family is the #1 value.

Actually they were speaking Sicilian not Italian and they were speaking so fast that they couldn't use subtitles.

Two bits of trivia/detail I find interesting-

When Sonny is driving the car by himself, there is a baseball game on the radio. It's New York Giants & Brooklyn Dodgers playoff game- The Shot Heard 'round the world.

Richard Castellano's ,Clemenza, uncle was Paul Castellano. The mob boss who the FBI went to, so the contract on Donnie Brasco's head would be removed. He never told anyone that Paul was his uncle until he was wacked by Gotti.