Corrected entry: Just before Michael Corleone shoots Virgil Solozzo, he speaks Italian to him. When Michael then is in Sicily, he needs his friend Calo to translate from English to Italian for him while he is talking to Signor Vitelli.
don_corleone
26th Apr 2003
The Godfather (1972)
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Correction: Being of Sicilian descent and quite knowledgeable in Italian/Sicilian history, I can tell you that there is no single 'Italian' language. The 3 main regions of Italy (Northern, Central and Southern) all have different dialects and even different cultural ideals. As such, Sicily has a completely different dialect which is vastly different from basic 'Italian'. It is in fact more Greek rooted and has a distinct differentiation in most respects. Some individual towns in Sicily even have their own distinct and unique dialect to this day. Plot-wise, Michael was also trying to keep his identity and reasons for being there secret. It was also more respectful to not directly address Signor Vitelli given the situation.