Ave Maria in a gangster movie

Cafe Society
1

I’m Embarrassed to admit it, but I am a fan of Gravity Falls. Worst part I have no kids under the age of 21. There are usually lots of cultural references to movies that the writers have added.

Last episode involved a box of puppets being blown up by a bunch of fireworks. The scene played in slow motion with Ave Maria playing in the background. One puppet was shown falling down with one eye coming off as if it had been shot. The next second puppets were raining down around one person (again in slow motion as Ave Maria was still playing) who was mortified by the violence taking place around him.

Dammit, I know it must be a movie reference. I am thinking about some gangland movie. However, I can’t think of the actual movie. Is it from The Godfather? Broadway Empire? any ideas?

What is the movie being referenced?

2

I think it’s The Godfather, although the music during that baptism wasnt Ave Maria.

3

Moved to Cafe Society.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

4

Hit Man was a movie based on a video game that had Ave Maria in the advertising, I don’t remember if it was in the movie. While well produced, the movie was so stupid it was like someone made a movie of a video game.

5

Don’t be embarrassed to be a fan, I’d be watching even if I didn’t have kids. As for that scene, I also felt like it was a callout to a movie, but I couldn’t place it and searching didn’t help. I thought this was amusing though…

6

Could it be a reference to Bruce Boxleitner’s death in the Christian Slater vehicle “Kuffs”?

Kuffs NorthBeach church - YouTube

7

No, it was Bach’s Passacaglia in C-Minor (mostly).

8

Here’s a violent Ave Maria scene from the movie Needful Things.

Also, this is a fairly common thing: the torture scene in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Clockwork Orange, etc. Here’s a TV Tropes page.

9

Hitman?

10

It makes me think of this scene in John Woo’s Face Off, where a slow motion gun battle happens with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” playing on the soundtrack.

11

I have been meaning to post this (almost) exact same question, only the parody scene was on Modern Family. It starts off with Cam singing Ave Maria at a wedding and intercuts with Mitchell chasing around a pigeon that flew into the house, eventually wrecking the living room as he flails at it with, I think, a tennis racket. I believe he somehow rips up a pillow or something that causes feathers to rain down on him, all of course in slow motion.

It seems pretty clear it’s a take off on a famous scene and my first guess was The Godfather. Not sure the movies mentioned by others are iconic enough to have been the source material. On the other hand, nobody that’s responded so far is familiar enough with TGF to identify it?

I’ll bet someone will be along soon to verify.

12

“Ave Maria” is not actually listed as being used in The Godfather, so I’m not sure where this started originally.

13

Ave Maria was playing in the wedding scene of Prizzi’s Honor.

14

Uh, post #7?

At no point is Ave Maria played in TGF1. I doubt it’s played in TGF2. The main part of the baptism scene is scored to Bach’s Passacaglia in C-Minor, BWV 582.

15

I haven’t seen it, but are you sure it’s “Ava Maria” and not “Vesti la guibba” which is used a lot in mob-like/tragic settings

16

Wasn’t trying to disregard your response, JohnT. I’ve only scene bits and pieces of TGF (no pun intended) and the baptism scene is not among them.

17

It was definitely “Ave Maria”.

18

At least I’m pretty sure it was. Skip to the 2:50 mark:

19

Yup.

I don’t think it’s a direct parody. Just some fun, silly slow-motion dramatic stuff set to classical music.

20

nvm