SARTORIAL CINEMA: THE GODFATHER'S SHIRT

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This has always been my favorite shirt in any film. Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone has retired. He’s not in the darkened, wood-paneled office but in the sunlight of the garden. He’s forsaken the professional life for the pastoral life. The suit is gone, instead he’s wearing this lovely dark plaid shirt, crucially with a large, flattering collar, and just as crucially buttoned-up all the way. I’ve always loved what I consider country shirts that still have a hint of formality to them. Discrete plaids, big collars, that look great under large cardigans or old worn out corduroy jackets. They seem very Italian to me, as if the wearer has to work a little bit to relax. Here, Vito looks at ease and composed at once. He’s at his most humane, but of course he’s still giving Michael crucial advice. His mind is still in the game, even with a glass of wine.

SARTORIAL CINEMA is a periodic look at the best-dressed films.