The Godfather (1972)

Written by Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Knowing that this film was inching closer and closer to me on this list was a little nerve-wracking. People LOVE this film. I’ve heard people, for my entire life, talk about how amazing this film is (and its sequel) (but not its second sequel), and how important it is. It’s spoken about with a kind of reverence, and while I had seen the first 30-40 minutes in high school, that was pretty much my only exposure. So knowing that this was a beloved picture made me really nervous, because I generally don’t do well with those (I’m looking DIRECTLY at you, The Goonies).

Well, I’m not a big fan of mafia/gangster films, but The Godfather...is pretty good.

Diane Keaton and Al Pacino

I’m always intrigued by the ability of a story to make one root for people it shouldn’t. It’s why I’d love to really give Breaking Bad a chance one day: you shouldn’t cheer for a meth dealer, but you do. The same is true here. The mafia are the bad guys. Yet, in this story, they’re the protagonists. You accept the bad things they do because the story makes you care about them. It’s an interesting social phenomenon. I think the two most important characters to that are Diane Keaton’s Kay and Al Pacini’s Michael. Kay is the newcomer to the family, and becomes the audience proxy (even when she disappears for long stretches of time). She becomes the medium through which the audience learns about the family and the business.

Al Pacino as Michael Corleone

Michael is a fascinating character, and Pacino does amazing work here (a side note: I’m a little less impressed with his performance after learning that he threw a hissy fit after being nominated “only” as Best Supporting Actor, while Marlon Brando was nominated as Best Actor, and actually boycotted the awards that year for that reason. Sit down diva, ain’t nobody got time for that). Like Breaking Bad, Michael’s story is the story of a man on a journey from light to dark. An excellent example is the scene in the restaurant bathroom, after Michael picks up the planted gun, so he can shoot Sollozzo and McCluskey. He’s not a killer, and has never really been involved in the family business, but he knows he has to do this, to protect his father’s honor. He prepares to leave the bathroom, and stops for a moment. He steels himself for what he’s about to do, and Pacino hits every note of the subtext. The entire scene is tension-filled (are they going to catch onto him? Is he going to be able to find the gun? Is the gun there? Can he go through with it? Do they suspect something?); it’s a masterwork of a sequence.

Another great sequence comes near the end of the film, during the baptism. There’s a great intercutting of Michael renouncing Satan, while hits he’s ordered on opposing mafia leaders are carried out across the city. It’s a brilliant use of juxtaposition, and it ties into the idea of rooting for the bad guy: despite the terrible things that he’s causing to happen, there’s a victoriousness felt by the audience on his behalf.

Marlon Brando as Don Corleone

Finally, I need to talk about Marlon Brando. Besides the fact that I could barely understand a word coming out of his mouth, he still impressed me with his performance. It’s strange how much his acting style has changed in the 18 years between On the Waterfront and The Godfather, although the core of it is the same. Also, the scene of him playing with his grandson is super cute. Well, until it isn’t.

This is a great film, despite its genre, which I’m just not a fan of. Coppola does a great job of telling this epic story, and taking the audience on left turns when least expected. It’s a bit of a stressful watch, but I can definitely see why the film is held in such high regard. I look forward to seeing Part II, which became the first sequel to win Best Picture.

FINAL GRADE: B+