In Part 5 of my analysis of The Godfather I am discussing the internal and external plots going on within the film. I also touch on some subplots that I believe could have been skipped all together and give you some more measures to decipher stories and recognize if the right strategies are being utilized inside of the film, TV-shows and books that you are exposed to.

Please, make sure that you subscribe to the podcast to not miss these series and the other ones on various films, books and TV-shows that I post daily.

Download the Story Matrix: elvirathestoryteller.com

Contact: elvirathestoryteller@gmail.com

About The Godfather

The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film[2] directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955. It focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.

Paramount Pictures obtained the rights to the novel for $80,000, before it gained popularity. Studio executives had trouble finding a director; the first few candidates turned down the position before Coppola signed on to direct the film but disagreement followed over casting several characters, in particular, Vito (Marlon Brando) and Michael (Al Pacino). Filming took place primarily on location around New York City and in Sicily, and was completed ahead of schedule. The musical score was composed principally by Nino Rota, with additional pieces by Carmine Coppola.

In part 4 of our Godfather breakdown, we discuss the core element of characterization that can make or break a film executed to perfection in the Godfather: layers, nuance, real lifer references in a world that most people would most likely not be privy to.  

Please, make sure that you subscribe to the podcast to not miss these series and the other ones on various films, books and TV-shows that I post daily.

Download the Story Matrix: elvirathestoryteller.com

Contact: elvirathestoryteller@gmail.com

About The Godfather  

The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film[2] directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955. It focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.  

Paramount Pictures obtained the rights to the novel for $80,000, before it gained popularity. Studio executives had trouble finding a director; the first few candidates turned down the position before Coppola signed on to direct the film but disagreement followed over casting several characters, in particular, Vito (Marlon Brando) and Michael (Al Pacino). Filming took place primarily on location around New York City and in Sicily, and was completed ahead of schedule. The musical score was composed principally by Nino Rota, with additional pieces by Carmine Coppola.

We continue the series on The Godfather by discussing the characterisation of Vito Carleone and how other characters within the film have redefined the crime film genre into what it is known as today.  

Please, make sure that you subscribe to the podcast to not miss these series and the other ones on various films, books and TV-shows that I post daily.

Download the Story Matrix: elvirathestoryteller.com

Contact: elvirathestoryteller@gmail.com

About The Godfather 

The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film[2] directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955. It focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss. 

Paramount Pictures obtained the rights to the novel for $80,000, before it gained popularity. Studio executives had trouble finding a director; the first few candidates turned down the position before Coppola signed on to direct the film but disagreement followed over casting several characters, in particular, Vito (Marlon Brando) and Michael (Al Pacino). Filming took place primarily on location around New York City and in Sicily, and was completed ahead of schedule. The musical score was composed principally by Nino Rota, with additional pieces by Carmine Coppola.

We continue in part 2 of the analysis of the Godfather. Using the elements of the Story matrix, Elvira breaks down the opening scene of the Godfather. The film manages to show different facets of its main character while setting the tone of the story within the first 3 minutes. This exactly is the purpose of an opening scene.

Please, make sure that you subscribe to the podcast to not miss these series and the other ones on various films, books and TV-shows that I post daily.

Download the Story Matrix: elvirathestoryteller.com

Contact: elvirathestoryteller@gmail.com

About “The Godfather” 

The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film[2] directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955. It focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.

Paramount Pictures obtained the rights to the novel for $80,000, before it gained popularity. Studio executives had trouble finding a director; the first few candidates turned down the position before Coppola signed on to direct the film but disagreement followed over casting several characters, in particular, Vito (Marlon Brando) and Michael (Al Pacino). Filming took place primarily on location around New York City and in Sicily, and was completed ahead of schedule. The musical score was composed principally by Nino Rota, with additional pieces by Carmine Coppola.

You may have noticed in recent years that the state of entertainment, movies, TV shows, and even literature is deteriorating. In this video, I provide you with the REAL reasons why this is happening and what you can do to hold Hollywood accountable for their failure and demand better stories and content as a consumer who spends their hard earned money on these companies.

Download The Story Matrix: elvirathestoryteller.com

Contact: elvirathestoryteller@gmail.com 

“Film Classics Unpacked” is a series that I look forward to diving deeper into because as a storyteller and also a consumer, to be able to tell and recognize great stories, we must analysis and observe history to discover how this regal artform has developed and how the stories of yesterday inform those of today and how we can use that knowledge to create better stories tomorrow.

I shall be analysing “The Godfather” as the first case study in this series. And today’s episode begins with the introduction to the first installment of the iconic Godfather film trilogy that was first released in 1972.

I have read much about this and found out that there is an array of different commentary that has spanned over the last 50 years since the movie came out. But we shall only focus on the meat of it, regardless of the very intense drama that surrounds this film. The meat of it is the story. How does it work? Why did it “redefine” cinema? And why is it considered the 2nd most influential movie in American history after Citizen Kane?

Make sure you stay with this breakdown because, with the help of the story matrix, you too will be able to sharpen your story analysis skills and learn to apply that to the future works of fiction that you will come in contact with.

Please, make sure that you subscribe to the podcast to not miss these series and the other ones on various films, books and TV-shows that I post daily.

Download the Story Matrix: elvirathestoryteller.com

Contact: elvirathestoryteller@gmail.com

About “The Godfather”

The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film[2] directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955. It focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.

Paramount Pictures obtained the rights to the novel for $80,000, before it gained popularity. Studio executives had trouble finding a director; the first few candidates turned down the position before Coppola signed on to direct the film but disagreement followed over casting several characters, in particular, Vito (Marlon Brando) and Michael (Al Pacino). Filming took place primarily on location around New York City and in Sicily, and was completed ahead of schedule. The musical score was composed principally by Nino Rota, with additional pieces by Carmine Coppola.

The first episode of my book analysis series is for the first book in the Mistborn Saga from Brandon Sanderson: The final empire.

I came across Brandon a few months back and I also took one of his creative writing classes. An amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn or perfect their skills as a writer. Actually, the full classes are available for free on his Youtube channel.

So, how will this book turn out to be? form an author who successfully raised more than $ 41 million in a Kickstarter campaign in a matter of days. It is certainly the case that his readers are mega-fans.

It is really worth all the hype? Well, we shall find out in this series, as I breakdown the book chapter by chapter, teaching you how to use the story matrix in the process to perfect your own storytelling and analysis skills.

Let’s go!

Please, make sure that you subscribe to the podcast to not miss these series and the other ones on various films, books and TV-shows that I post daily.

Download the Story Matrix: elvirathestoryteller.com

Contact: elvirathestoryteller@gmail.com

About Brandon Sanderson:

Brandon Winn Sanderson (born December 19, 1975) is an American author of high fantasy and science fiction. He is best known for the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, are set. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several young adult and juvenile series including The Reckoners, the Skyward series,[a] and the Alcatraz series. He is also known for finishing Robert Jordan’s high fantasy series The Wheel of Time and has created several graphic novel fantasy series including White Sand and Dark One.

He created Sanderson’s Laws of Magic and popularized the idea of “hard magic” and “soft magic” systems. In 2008, Sanderson started a podcast with author Dan Wells and cartoonist Howard Tayler called Writing Excuses, involving topics about creating genre writing and webcomics. In 2016, the American media company DMG Entertainment licensed the movie rights to Sanderson’s entire Cosmere universe, but the rights have since reverted back to Sanderson. Sanderson’s March 2022 Kickstarter campaign became the most successful in history, finishing with 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153.

The first episode of my TV-show analysis series is for the iconic spin-off show in the legendary Breaking Bad franchise: Better Call Saul. I came across Better Call Saul when I finished watching Breaking Bad some time ago.

I was not really enjoying the beginning of Season 5 of Breaking Bad as much (for a variety of reasons that I might get into in the future) at the time and so I started looking into this spin-off because of how unique the Saul Goodman character was in the series. I am glad I did because I only read great things about it online and eventually decided to watch it for myself.

Many people actually consider Better Call Saul to be better than its predecessor. Is it a bit of a stretch? Or does this show truly merit such a statement? 

In this first episode, we discuss the anatomy of a great spin-off and other very interesting facts about Better Caul Saul and the overall Breaking Bad Franchise.

So,  shall we?

Please, make sure that you subscribe to the podcast to not miss these series and the other ones on various films, books and TV-shows that I post daily.

Download the Story Matrix: elvirathestoryteller.com

Contact: elvirathestoryteller@gmail.com  

About “Better Call Saul“

Better Call Saul is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the Breaking Bad franchise, it is a spin-off from Gilligan’s previous series, Breaking Bad (2008–2013), to which it serves as both a prequel and sequel. Better Call Saul premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015, and concluded on August 15, 2022, after six seasons consisting of 63 episodes.

Set primarily in the early 2000s in Albuquerque, New Mexico, several years before Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul examines the moral declines of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), an earnest lawyer and former con artist who becomes the egocentric criminal defense attorney Saul Goodman, and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), a former police officer who becomes a fixer for drug traffickers. Other main characters include Jimmy’s romantic interest and colleague Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), his brother and rival Chuck McGill (Michael McKean), Chuck’s law partner Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian), the drug dealer Nacho Varga (Michael Mando), the drug lord Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), and the cartel enforcer Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton). In addition to the primary storyline, Better Call Saul includes black-and-white flashforwards set in 2010, after the events of Breaking Bad, which explore the consequences of Jimmy’s eventual partnership with the drug lord Walter White (Bryan Cranston).