Parallel Editing The Godfather

Parallel Editing is when two different scenes or

stories are being told in the same sequence of film,
changing between the two every other shot or so.
They are usually in different locations and can be
set so they are not happening at the same time,
which can create a dramatic effect.
The Baptism Murders from The Godfather is a
good example of Parallel Editing. In the scene
Michael is renouncing Satan as his daughter is
getting baptised. Whilst he is doing this a group of
men, who are for-filling his wishes, are darting
round the city murdering a lot of people. All the
murders are filmed from multiple angles, whereas
Michael is shown from the same angle each time.
Francis Ford Coppola has edited this sequence in a
way that the two scenes juxtapose each other, as
Michael is promising to do no evil and honour God
whilst doing the complete opposite. This
emphasises just how terrible of a person he is by
constantly reminding you that everything he is
currently saying is a lie.