The Godfather (1972)

Directed by

Francis Ford Coppola

Written by

Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola

Cast

Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Cazale, Diane Keaton

Genre

drama film, crime film, epic film, thriller film, suspense film, historical film

Country

Italy, United States

Runtime

2h 55m

Rated

R

Rating

8.7 of 10 from 23,173 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

The Corleone family runs a New York crime empire under aging patriarch Vito Corleone. His youngest son Michael gets drawn into the violent family business and gradually becomes its new leader.

slow-burntensebroodingoperatictragicvisceralatmosphericbleak

What happens

The Godfather is a 1972 American epic gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, which chronicles the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) and the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless Mafia boss. Paramount Pictures obtained the rights to the novel for $80,000, before it gained popularity. Studio executives had trouble finding a director; the first few candidates turned down the position before Coppola signed on to direct the film, but disagreement followed over casting several characters, in particular Vito (Brando) and Michael (Pacino). Filming took place primarily in locations around New York City and Sicily, and it was completed ahead of schedule. The score was composed principally by Nino Rota, with additional pieces by Carmine Coppola. The Godfather premiered at the Loew's State Theatre on March 14, 1972, and was widely released in the United States on March 24, 1972. It was the highest-grossing film of 1972, and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made, earning between $250 and $291 million at the box office. The film was acclaimed by critics and audiences, who praised its performances—particularly those of Brando and Pacino—direction, screenplay, story, cinematography, editing, score, and portrayal of the Mafia. The Godfather launched the successful careers of Coppola, Pacino, and other relative newcomers in the cast and crew. At the 45th Academy Awards, the film won Best Picture, Brando won Best Actor, and Puzo and Coppola won for Best Adapted Screenplay. In addition, the seven other Oscar nominations included Pacino, Caan, and Duvall, all for Best Supporting Actor, and Coppola for Best Director. The Godfather is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, as well as a landmark of the gangster genre. It was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1990, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and is ranked the second-greatest film in American cinema (behind Citizen Kane) by the American Film Institute. It was followed by the sequels The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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• The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992)
• The Godfather Saga (1977)
• The Godfather Part III (1990)
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