Directed by:
Francis Ford CoppolaCinematography:
Gordon WillisComposer:
Nino RotaCast:
Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Al Lettieri, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda (more)VOD (5)
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Regarded as one of the best American films ever by the American Film Institute, Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in his Oscar(r)-winning* role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. The Godfather(tm) is a violent and chilling portrait of the Sicilian family's struggle to stay in power in a post-war America of corruption, deceit and betrayal. Coppola begins his legendary trilogy, masterfully balancing the story of the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered ten Academy Award(r) nominations, and won three including Best Picture of 1972. (Paramount Pictures UK)
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Reviews (15)
Amazing. If The Godfather was more than four hours long, I still wouldn’t even blink, because I’d be afraid to miss a major or dominant moment – that’s how deep Coppola’s flawless narration draws me in and how opulently the twists flow. Precise in every aspect, from the layering of storylines that depend on the most personal acquaintance with the characters and the nature of their world, to the performances, which have received all the possible praise. Chilling, realistic and timeless. Godfather of the Cinema.
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The Godfather is a classic that engages viewers not emotionally, but through revealing the fascinatingly depicted world of a New York mafia family and studies of its characters. And through elegant filmmaking that doesn’t rush anywhere, because it wants to devotedly savor every morsel of the story. Marlon Brando gives a standout performance with creative details in his speech that make his character magnetically interesting. The film is a loftily conceived and inwardly sad portrait of people with corrupt ideals whose only non-false value is family. And of the disintegration of the family, because the rule “like father, like son” does not always apply. My favorite passage (other than all of the scenes with Brando) is surprisingly the romantic one and the only explicitly nice one in the whole long film – the wooing of the Italian peasant girl by Al Pacino and his show of respect to her father.
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It was only the silver screen that finally allowed me to feel the greatness of this gem, which, in the limited and shallow surface of the TV screen, always felt kind of convoluted and without the depth of some of Coppola's other works. It was, of course, a mistake. The Godfather is an extraordinarily robust epic, a purely narrative film whose monumentality is full of fine details and scenes constructed with architectural precision (the way the director masterfully combines different elements of storytelling to amplify intense tension is unique). It cannot be consumed in parts, it cannot be turned off. Coppola is intense, the scenes logically blend into each other (the interlining edit is not self-serving), and it is fascinating to watch the transformations of characters who seem to have aged with the film and radically reshaped themselves internally. The Godfather is "film-life," a radical manifesto of a fictional time that, with its grip and power, can completely control the current time. A captivating, contemplative experience that really needs this great canvas.
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Puzo's book was once recommended to me by my grandmother and, it completely captivated me. I felt the atmosphere of the family and from the first page it was as though I already knew them all - it felt like they were my own family. Still, I was a little worried about what the movie would end up being like, but Coppola handled the adaptation perfectly. He preserved the atmosphere, honed all the details, and, with amazing precision, made sure to keep the fans of the original happy. Marlon Brando, as Don Vito, made an indelible mark on cinema history, and Al Pacino gave one of the best performances of his career. The Godfather is a legend, and I'm glad I finally got to see it.
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The Godfather is not only the best gangster saga, but also the best film about the games of men and the fate of women, and Al Pacino is the best actor I know. He can act with his eyes without even moving an eyebrow. I will never forget the look he gave Appolonia when he gave her the necklace during the courtship, or when he observed his adversaries at Don Corleone's funeral. Fantastico! Fenomenale!
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