The Films I Love: The Godfather

Mario Puzo's and Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.  It has the distinction of being loved by film scholars, critics and the public alike. It ranks number 2 on the American Film Institutes list of the 100 Greatest Movies just behind Citizen Kane and ahead of Casablanca.  It ranks number 2 on the Internet Movie Database showcasing the public's ongoing fascination with the mythology of the movies greatest crime saga.  The Godfather wasn't supposed to be great art.  It was supposed to be a violent B gangster film that would make the studio a ton of money (it did make a ton of money as The Godfather was also the highest grossing film of all time until Jaws took its throne in 1975).  The book itself was a pop culture phenomenon, but was far from high art.  It was a page turner designed to keep the reader engaged and on that front it succeeded wildly.  But the production of the film itself was plagued with problems.  Francis Ford Coppola was under scrutiny every day onset with the threat of being fired not far behind.  The studio hated his choices for both Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) and the Don himself Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) and were constantly looking for reasons to replace them.  The studio wanted the film set in present day rather than period... and the list went on and on.  Yet somehow Coppola kept his job and kept his casting choices.  The director even turned in a two hour version of the film, which the studio rejected citing that more scenes with the family had to be added.  Coppola complied and as a result he made what is perhaps the most sympathetic portrayal of Gangsters ever put on the screen.

The gangster genre is not original.  There were plenty of mafia pictures before The Godfather came out, but none quite like it.  The Godfather did not look down upon it's characters.  There are no good guys or bad guys in the story, instead their are only shades of gray.  The portrayal of the films various characters are not stereotypes, but instead fully fleshed human beings who deal with complex moral issues.  Killing is not glorified, but is simply a way of life.  "It's not personal, it's business".  The film doesn't pass judgement on the crimes committed by these men of power and almost never shows their direct influence on the civilian world.  The world of The Godfather exists entirely within the five families and the outside world is of little or no consequence.  But most baffling of all is that The Godfather is about the importance of family and the ties that bind us together.  This is all very strange for a mafia movie and that is part of the reason why The Godfather rises above every other film in the genre.  

But the main reason why The Godfather is such a sensation is because of the integrity of the cast and its superb direction.  If there has ever been a better cast put on the screen I cannot name it.  Here in this film we see the beginnings of Al Pacino's career in an understated and complex performance.  We also see early work from the great Diane Keaton in a dramatic role as Michael's lover, not to mention uniformly brilliant supporting work from Robert Duvall, James Caan and John Cazale.  And then, of course, there is the unforgettable turn by legendary Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone.  Brando plays the Don as a symbol of integrity and all that is good in this world.  Here is a man of principles who believes in the bond of family and the belief that hard work can give you a rich and fulfilling life.  But he is also a criminal, but it is his wisdom that is the guiding hand of his family and when they diverge from his path that is when they begin to crumble.  Brando has probably never been better than he is here.  It's a performance for the ages.  From his opening moments until his improvised death onscreen once cannot help but be completely transfixed by his presence.  

Much can also be said of The Godfather's behind the scenes work included Gordon Willis's dark and foreboding cinematography.  Willis's camera work on the film is unique in it's execution with strong shadows and deep yellows giving the film an interesting period feel that has been copied numerous times since.  Willis is known as the Prince of Darkness as he has long experimented with darkness in films and as The Godfather gets deeper into the plot the darker the picture becomes both visually and metaphorically.  And who could ever forget Nina Rota's haunting love theme that accompanies the film and modulates steadily throughout it's dark tale.  

The Godfather is not a perfect film technically... there are sound and picture issues and some curious takes left in that clearly don't work well - such as the scene in which Sonny beats the shit out of Connie's husband Carlo and several punches miss... yet strangely the sound is still present.  But in my book The Godfather is the closest to perfection that any film has possibly ever come to.  From a structural, acting, directing, and writing point of view it is absolutely flawless.  And even it's technical shortcomings are so far overlooked because of the films pure emotional power.  The Godfather is the gift that keeps on giving to film lovers the world over.  It is an unforgettable motion picture that has yet to be matched by almost any other studio film of it's type.  And to think that it is the movie that almost never was is startling.  I cannot imagine a world without The Godfather.  It belongs beside Citizen Kane and Casablanca as not only one of the greatest films ever made, but also one of the most influential.  As long as there are movies, there will always be The Godfather.

The Godfather (1972)

175 mins. 

Dir. Francis Ford Coppola 

Academy Award Wins: Best Picture, Best Actor Marlon Brando, Best Adapted Screenplay

Academy Award Nominations: Best Director Francis Ford Coppola, Best Supporting Actor Al Pacino, Best Supporting Actor Robert Duvall, Best Supporting Actor James Caan, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Original Dramatic Score (nomination withdrawn)