The Godfather
Category
Crime, Drama
Director
Francis Ford Coppola
Cast
- Marlon Brando
- Al Pacino
- Diane Keaton
- Robert Duvall
- James Caan
Release Date
24 March 1972
Synopsis
Francis Ford Coppola teams up with Paramount Pictures to produce this timeless drama about Mafia man Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the rest of his family, and the sordid world of post-war America teeming with crime dynasties, mobsters, hitmen, drug trafficking, assassinations, and corruption. Powerful men decked in tailored suits tote machine guns for brutal murders, and plot against the Corleone clan. With Don Vito unable to preside over family matters due to an assassination attempt, son Michael (Al Pacino), who recently fought in the war, is forced to assume what he considers an immoral post in this unforgiving world where the powerful exercise justice with their own hands. With his intentions only for what is best for his family, his notions of right and wrong are muddied as he gets his own hands dirty with blood from the enemy. But while The Godfather makes no excuses for the graphic display of violence, it also gives its audience a very realistic portrayal of mob life in America, as well as the inner struggle of a man caught between his duties to his family and his principles.
Brando, along with then-newcomers Pacino, Keaton, and Duvall, under the masterful direction of Coppola, were able to transform this dark, violent movie into a film that would gain the respect of critics worldwide. Coppola's genius proves that a crime film doesn't just involve blood and gore, as he carefully creates a very intense atmosphere between the family members in the story. Adapted from the Mario Puzo novel, Coppola was able to begin and finish the movie with dimly-lit, chilling scenes of what goes on behind closed doors in the mob family. Simply put, Coppola's The Godfather, with all its artistry and brilliance, makes you an offer you can't refuse.
The Godfather went bada-bing with both the critics and the audience. It boasts of three Academy Awards, for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Screenplay Adaptation. It tops almost every movie list as the best film of all time, and it ignited the careers of Pacino, Keaton, Duvall, etc. One of the best in the gangster genre, The Godfather has influenced so many mobster films and has come to be the standard or yardstick by which all other mob films and even mob TV shows are measured.