Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Robert De Niro
Released: 24/03/1972
Rated: 18
Yes, I know it’s perhaps a bit cliché; an 18 year old male loving The Godfather but it is the complete package; a tale of redemption, pride, and star turns from some of the greatest film actors of all time.
The great debate is of course which Godfather is better, part one or part two? (Ignoring part three which mentioning as one of the best would lead to a verbal attack). It would seem the two are inseparable. Robert De Niro’s masterful interpretation of a young Vito Andolini (or Corleone) making a name for himself on the crime-ridden streets of 1920’s New York is mind blowing in Godfather Part 2, whilst Al Pacino in both parts, and the late, great Marlon Brando in the first are also widely regarded as some of the most iconic performances of modern cinema, not to mention a superb supporting cast including John Cazale, James Caan, Diane Keaton, and Robert Duvall who unsurprisingly went on to forge successful careers for themselves as the leads in top Hollywood films.
The greatest part about the films is the subtlety of them. Rather than the stereo-typical costa-nostra movies that portray extremely violent characters with psychotic tendencies (think of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas), The Godfather trilogy portrays a mafia boss and family man who gives thought to his next move, with violence as the last option. The film follows several love stories and creates masterful scenes which involve the massacre of several top mafia bosses. There is a sharp contrast between innocence and corruption which sets this apart from other ‘gangster’ or ‘mafia’ films.
To summarise, any of you that haven’t seen The Godfather films, you are missing out on one of the seminal films of the last century. Its iconic acting performances, a superb script, adapted from Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name, and inspired directing from Francis Ford Coppola makes it hard to think of a film that is in the same league.
A. Connery
Tags: al pacino, francis ford coppola, godfather, marlon brando
