Apollonia Vitelli was Michael Corleone's first wife.
Biography[]
Apollonia Vitelli was born in the hills around Corleone, Sicily. Apollonia was the only daughter of a Greek mother and a Sicilian father, who were incredibly protective of her and never wanted her heritage to be confused. She was the third child, having two older brothers. Apollonia grew very beautifully.
Courtship[]
- "In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns."
- ―Calò[src]
Michael and Apollonia at their wedding.
After escaping New York and finding refuge in Sicily, Michael sees Apollonia for the first time while he is walking with his bodyguards Calò and Fabrizio, towards the town of Corleone (in the book, he is resting with his guards under an orange tree). He is immediately struck by her beauty. In the film, She is walking with others girls and appears more serious, and in the book she is running chased by some girls and the atmosphere is more noisy and happy. Running, she comes across the men resting, a moment of general silence follows, and after an ecstatic comment from Fabrizio she runs away in fear.
After seeing Apollonia for the first time, he immediately wanted to find out who the beautiful young woman was. Calò and Fabrizio told Michael that he had been hit by what Italians call "the Thunderbolt.” After discovering that she is the daughter of an innkeeper, who also produces wine, he asks her father to meet her. Michael's determination to see her again, and talk to her, immediately appears very strong; the father is initially reluctant but then realized that Michael is someone who matters, so he agrees to introduce his daughter to him. Thus begins, for a few days, a traditional courtship, in fact (like the customs of the time) the two are never left alone before the wedding. When Michael shows up at her house for the first time, he gives the girl a gift, a gold necklace, making his family understand his very serious intentions. Apollonia appears very shy with him at first, but after a few meetings she shows her lively nature. They are married in the presence of Don Tommasino, Apollonia's family and many of the people of Corleone.
Marriage[]
- "I know English. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Saturday."
- ―Apollonia Vitelli[src]
Michael and Apollonia on their wedding night.
Their marriage, even if the two barely know each other, immediately works well. The couple is described as very passionate. Michael teaches her English and how to drive a car, and promises to take her with him to America. Apollonia is cheerful and passionate with the enthusiasm of a teenager, and Michael greatly appreciates these characteristics.
Death[]
- "No! No, Apollonia!"
- ―Michael seconds before Apollonia's death.[src]
When Michael was readying to relocate from Don Tommasino's villa due to concern for his safety after the murder of his brother Sonny, Apollonia wished to impress her husband and show him her newfound driving skills — Sicilian women at that time generally did not learn how to drive. When she started the car to drive towards him, she unknowingly ignited a bomb planted in the car, intended for Michael, the subsequent explosion killed her instantly. The attack was orchestrated by Michael's trusted bodyguard, Fabrizio, who was paid off by the Barzini family from New York.
Michael's car explodes, with an unfortunate Apollonia behind the wheel.
Michele finally returns to America a few months later, and after six months meets Kay again, whom he subsequently marries. Apollonia is never mentioned again before The Godfather Part III (in book, he never stopped looking for Fabrizio, that after will be kill in the pizza parlor where he worked) ; in the The Godfather Part III, Michael reveals to his daughter Mary that he had a first wife, whom he loved, and who died due to an attack that was supposed to hit him, and he makes his daughter understand that she must not date a man like her cousin Vincent, because is dangerous.
Apollonia's death was one of the reasons that made Michael a man with an uncontrollable thirst for revenge, which would set a chain reaction of events in motion. Ultimately, Michael's attitude he gained when he was widowed would cause the self-destruction of the Corleone family.
Legacy[]
- "She was wonderful, beautiful. I loved her. And then she died. My trusted bodyguard planted a bomb in my car. She drove it before I did."
- ―Michael Corleone[src]
Michael's photos of Apollonia, decades after her death.
Along with the murder of his brother Santino, and the attempted assassination of his father Vito, Appolonia’s death was one of the final tipping point that caused Michael’s transformation into the ruthless and revenge driven crime lord he became. He was particularly reminded of her by the Sicilian ballad "Brucia La Terra", which his son Anthony performed for him upon his return to Sicily in 1980.
Michael considered Apollonia the love of his life and never truly recovered from her death. He of course did return to America and marry Kay, but their relationship was never truly strong in the same sense, likely done more so out of obligation.
In 1997, 49 years after her death, Michael died in the courtyard of Don Tommasino's villa, the same courtyard where her life was taken.
Behind the scenes[]
- In The Godfather novel, Apollonia was pregnant at the time of the explosion. This detail is not specified in the film, though it may have been true.
- In a deleted scene of The Godfather Part II (later restored in The Godfather Saga), Michael avenges Apollonia's death by killing Fabrizio with a bomb placed in his car at his pizzeria in Buffalo. In the novel, Michael loses contact with Fabrizio, taking a long time to find him again, where it is learned he has opened a pizzeria in Buffalo, NY. However, Fabrizio's endgame is slightly different. He is at work when a man walks in appearing to be a potential customer. The man, actually a member of the Corleone crime family, produces a lupara (a Sicilian short-barrelled shotgun, designed to hunt wolves, but known to be mainly used by mafiosi for executions) and says "Michael Corleone sends his regards" and opens fire. Fabrizio is hit in the chest, whereupon he bleeds to death almost immediately. The hitman identifies Fabrizio by the elaborate tattoo on his chest.
Gallery[]
