I'm really in awe of The Godfather. The portrayals are so natural that it's hard for me even to imagine that the actors are reading someone else's lines. They just seem like people living their lives (or, as the case may be, dying).
However, when it comes to The Godfather Part 2 - and I know I'm a total heretic on this one - I am, as I've previously indicated, just not the biggest fan. I guess I get lost in the De Niro stuff, which, for some reason, notwithstanding the Oscar, just doesn't grab me. I guess that's what makes the world go 'round.
But, putting aside whatever I may happen to think, the other day I was reminded again of the central role that ERISA plays in this undeniably classic film. In one of the climactic scenes at the end (spoiler alert), the iconic Lee Strasberg's Hyman Roth, when asked by reporters why he had decided to try to move to Israel, says, "I am a retired investor on a pension, and I wished to live there as a Jew in the twilight of my life." And then, uttering his last words several moments later, he says, "I'm a retired investor living on a pension. I came home to vote in the presidential election* because they wouldn't give me an absentee ballot." (Laughter then gunshots follow.)
And, while we're on the topic of classic movies, I just saw what might be an 2016 Oscar sweep with La La Land. Rarely will you see a move this ambitious and creative. Damien Chazelle follows Whiplash with this?!? It doesn't seem totally fair that so much talent resides in one person. Looks to me like we've got another classic here - a veritable privilege to have witnessed. I'm exhausted.
Fun stuff.
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* As a bonus, in keeping with current events, there's even an "election" reference!
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