Analysis of one of the best scenes of The Godfather, the restaurant where Michael kills Sollozzo, showing how production design serves to strengthen the scene and the story telling.
In this scene, Michael makes the decision to avenge his father’s shooting and, in doing so, commits himself to joining the family business in a way he has never wanted to. In making this choice to turn himself from the path both he and his father had always wanted for him, he goes against everything that he has known about himself, and puts himself on the path to becoming the new Godfather.
The entire setting of the restaurant, from its location to its color palette, is designed to do two things: focus attention on Michael (and, to a lesser extent, the person he has promised to kill), and accent Michael’s change of attitude towards his position in his family.
Full scene analysis at http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1317546&seqNum=6