The Godfather Movies Are About Demonic Possession Says One Dark Theory
When a film earns the distinction of being one of the greatest of all time, it is free to be poked and prodded and overanalyzed by the filmgoers who deemed it so. Francis Ford Coppola's opus "The Godfather," as well as its 1974 sequel, have attracted some of the most inane theorizing in the game. Have you heard the one where "The Godfather" and "Elf" take place in the same universe? How about the theory that Sonny (James Caan) never really died?
A much more measured theory, as put forth on Reddit, posits that becoming the Godfather is demonic possession incarnate. "What if to take on the role of the Godfather is to be possessed by The Devil himself?" the redditor asks. "What if all these people who come to the Godfather are unknowingly entering into pacts with the Devil and paying the price for it?"
The idea of making a deal with the devil is a literary tradition that is most famously seen in the Mephistophelian exchange at the center of Goethe's "Faust," though it can also be seen in more modern mythmaking. For the Reddit theorist, to become the Godfather is to become corrupted, and those who ask for favors are complicit in that corruption. Both films trace the journey of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) from a naive soldier to a ruthless and calculating Don. "In order to become the Godfather/Devil," reads the theory, "one must commit a murder as a means of proving oneself fit for the role."
Michael undergoes a baptism by fire
Over the course of the first two "Godfather" films, we see Michael become increasingly cold and malevolent — first when he commits murder himself in "Part I," then when he arranges the murder of his own brother in "Part II." For the aforementioned Reddit theorist, Michael becomes truly possessed during his godson's baptism at the end of "Part I."
The famous scene cuts back and forth between the Catholic rite and the murder of various Corleone family enemies, including Moe Greene (Alex Rocco), Emilio Barzini (Richard Conte), and Philip Tattaglia (Victor Rendina). At the same time, the priest asks Michael if he renounces Satan, and all his works, and all his pomps. "His transformation into the Devil is complete and so the movie closes just as it begins," reads the original Reddit post, citing Vito Corleone's (Marlon Brando) shady dealmaking during his daughter's wedding reception. "With men in need making a deal with the Devil incarnate."
The redditor concedes that in the context of their theory, the word "Devil" can be swapped with "power," and that "The Godfather" is an examination of "how that power corrupts." It's less fantastical, certainly, than a grand theory of demonic possession, but Francis Ford Coppola's use of Catholic imagery can't be denied — nor can Michael's hypocritical renunciation of Satan as his underlings kill half a dozen men. It's a baptism by fire in the truest sense of the phrase. Michael may not be literally possessed by the Devil, but for Coppola, the Don's absolute power is essentially the same thing, leading to the dissolution of his soul.