The Politics of Blood: A Thematic Comparison of the Films the Godfather and Elizabeth

Blood. The heat of blood throbbing through veins contains more influence than merely its life sustaining capabilities. Blood is the proof, the sign, and the seal of succession in patriarchal societies. Whether this power is passed through the glory of God in the royal family of 16th century England or from father to son in the gangster world of 20th century America, some indefinable quality of blood gives it the ability to determine the conference of power from one generation to the next. Yet, the transition of power from one ruler to another is not always a simple process. The problems surrounding succession are at the core of director Francis Ford Coppola’s classic 1972 film, The Godfather. This masterpiece explores the problems of a crumbling organized crime empire and the struggle for one man to reclaim it in the name of his father. Twenty-six years later, director Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth follows a similar divination of blood in the ascendancy of the throne in a weakened England. These two movies detail the seizure of power by an unlikely candidate and show the development of the heir, from young innocent to seasoned veteran. Both Michael Corleone and the young Queen Elizabeth must go to extraordinary lengths and tremendous personal changes to fully flesh out their roles as leaders. By the end of both films, the choice has swallowed the individual, and each character must abandon their human emotions and impulses in order to garner power.