The Godfather (1972)
Don Vito Corleone: Marlon Brando
Michael Corleone: Al Pacino
Santino "Sonny" Corleone: James Caan
Tom Hagen: Robert Duvall
Pete Clemenza: Richard S. Castellano
Kay Adams: Diane Keaton
Paramount Pictures presents a film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Co-written and based off of the novel by Mario Puzo.
Running Time: 175 minutes
Rated R
Release Date: March 4, 1972
Review Date: December 29, 2005
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I suppose it seems somewhat redunant for me to review The Godfather. Yes, in my time on this planet, I had not until just now seen what is hailed by many as the greatest film ever made. But many bestow that same honor to Citizen Kane, a film that I disliked and was bored by - so I had to see if the praises held up for The Godfather. They most certainly did.
We are immediatly thrust into the world of Don Vito Corleone (Oscar-winner Brando, not Vincent Margera), as he bounces back and forth between his private chambers and his only daughter's wedding. In his chambers he makes the decisions that a Don supposidly makes, and hears what a Don supposidly hears. In this opening twenty-minute-or-so scene we are introduced to the majority of the film's key players and from that point on accept them as the characters that they portray, not the actors who portray them.
As the film progresses we begin to acknowledge that the Don will not be around forever, and Michael Corleone (Pacino) - a veteran of World War II and the only member of the family who isn't in "the family" - fully acknowledges this himself. He begins to become immersed moreso in the business of the five families of New York and New Jersey, a decision that many - especially his girlfriend, Kay (Keaton) - may be questioning.
The Godfather flows at a very stylistic pace. Whether the scenes are celebratory or frantic, there's never a second wasted. There are very few films that can hover around the three hour mark without asking you to check your watch a time or two - and this is one of those films.
There is a very private and intimate world surrounding the Corleone family that directory Francis Ford Coppola allows us to intrude on. Odds are that if you knew anyone who put a $600,000 horsehead in someone's bed, you might look at them differently. That's not the case with The Godfather - the audience still has a lot to sympathize with. We accept that this is the business of the Corleone family and can't refuse to acknowledge them as heroes.
Without breaking down every cinematic element - because it's probably been done a thousand times before - I will simply add that you can believe the hype with this one. To call The Godfather a masterpiece wouldn't be giving the parties involved all of the credit they deserve.
**** (out of ****)