The Godfather

The 1972 classic opens with a wedding. It’s Vito Corleone’s daughter’s special day, and it’s custom on that day for the father of the bride to grant favors to those who come to him. “No Sicilian can refuse any request on his daughter’s wedding day,” says his adopted son Tom. As the Don conducts the family business inside, a raucous and elaborate wedding reception occurs outside, providing a stark contrast between the bright colorful celebration and the dark, muddy tones of the Don’s study. Relatives perform renditions of traditional songs as they dance, sing and cut the cake. The wedding also serves to introduce all the story’s main characters — Vito, Connie, Michael, Sonny, Tom — with great skill.
Melancholia

Lars von Trier’s film about depression and the end of the world is divided into two parts. Almost the entire first half of the movie concerns itself with the wedding of Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgard) at the ultra lavish estate of her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and John (Kiefer Sutherland). The house (almost a castle really) has a stable full of horses, a full golf course and is surrounded by a giant forest. The wedding itself is one very long series of disasters and embarrassments. The bride’s parents are each a mess in their own way: father (John Hurt) is a flirtatious drunk and mother (Charlotte Rampling) is bitter and openly hostile towards the idea of marriage. Justine’s boss uses part of his toast to assign her a piece of work during the ceremony. And Justine herself floats around with increasing mopiness. By wedding’s end, everything’s gone to hell. And that’s before the giant planet from which the movie takes its title begins to hurtle towards the Earth.

























