Daily Dialogue — April 6, 2019

Tom: You’ve got to understand, your father has plans for you. Many times, he and I have talked about your future.
Michael: Talked to my father about my future. My future.
Tom: Mikey, he has high hopes for you.
Michael: I have my own plans for my future.

— The Godfather: Part II (1974), screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, novel by Mario Puzo

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Flashback.

Trivia: Though it claims to be based on the novel by Mario Puzo, only the scenes about the young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) have any basis in the book. Only one chapter in the book is devoted to Vito’s youth and young adulthood. The story revolving around Michael (Al Pacino) and family in Las Vegas is entirely unique to the film.

Dialogue On Dialogue: The dialogue is from the movie’s penultimate scene — a flashback — and is significant because it highlights the Father’s Path and Michael’s Path. Despite Vito Corleone’s desire for his son to lead a life outside the family’s criminal activities, that was not Michael’s destiny. His narrative imperative was to become a Mafia don like his father.