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The Godfather is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name (see The Godfather (novel)) written by Mario Puzo, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. The film's story spans ten years from late 1945 to 1955.
This movie is regarded by many as being the definitive Mafia film. It is consistently ranked amongst the finest movies of all time and has repeatedly been voted as the number one greatest movie ever made, according to the Internet Movie Database Top 250 Movies of All Time. The film begins at the wedding of Don Vito Corleone's (Marlon Brando) daughter, Connie, to Carlo Rizzi. According to tradition, no Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter's wedding day, so the Don is meeting people and granting various favors. One of the favors is asked by Johnny Fontane, a crooner who wants Corleone's influence to break into the movie business, more specifically, with a movie he'd be perfect in, but can't land the lead role as it is being produced by Jack Woltz, with whom Johnny had a falling-out in the past.
After Don Corleone tells Johnny to rest and let him take care of everything, he reassures him by saying that he's " gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." The family consigliere Tom Hagen (Duvall) " persuades" Woltz to cast Fontane in the movie by leaving the head of the producer's prize racehorse (named Khartoum) in his bed.
Meanwhile, Don Corleone's younger son Michael (Al Pacino) has returned from service in World War II. While Vito Corleone is receiving requests on his daughter's wedding day, Michael is telling his girlfriend Kay about the kinds of things his father does. He tells her, " That's my family, Kay. It's not me."
After the wedding and the famous scene with the horse's head, narcotics man Virgil " The Turk" Sollozzo asks Don Corleone for his help in selling narcotics. Don Corleone refuses, though his oldest son (Santino, or " Sonny" ) expresses interest in the deal. Luca Brasi, Don Corleone's unfailingly loyal bodyguard, is sent to obtain information from Sollozzo's apparent backers, the Tattaglia family, who kill him as part of a previous plan to get to Don Corleone.
Because Don Corleone is opposed but his eldest son (next in line to run the family business) favors the narcotics deal, Sollozzo and company attempt (almost successfully) to assassinate Don Corleone. In response to the crisis, Michael (previously uninvolved in the family business) volunteers to kill Sollozzo and his bodyguard, the corrupt police captain McClusky, during a meeting to end the conflict regarding Sollozzo's business proposal. After shooting them both in a Bronx restaurant, Michael flees to Sicily to avoid attention. There, he meets and marries Apollonia, who is later murdered by a duplicitous bodyguard's car bomb meant for Michael. Back in America, Don Corleone returns home from the hospital and is heartbroken to learn that Michael was the one who killed Solozzo and McClusky.
In New York, the temperamental Sonny (James Caan) prepares to deal with Carlo, who is abusing his wife (Sonny's sister Connie). Sonny is set up and murdered. Instead of perpetuating the revenge cycle, Don Corleone (now more or less recovered from the assassination attempt) seeks peace with the warring Five Families so his youngest son can return home. Don Corleone realizes that it was Don Barzini, not Philip Tattaglia, who was behind most of the war and Sonny's death. Michael returns from Sicily and marries former girlfriend Kay (Diane Keaton).
The ailing Don Corleone places Michael in charge of the Family, since the next oldest brother Fredo is the weakest and least intelligent of the brothers. While advising Michael about important details such as how his enemies will attempt to come after him, Vito Corleone reveals that he had hoped his youngest son wouldn't have to work in the family business. He had hoped Michael would one day be " the one pulling the strings...Governor Corleone or Senator Corleone," but unfortunately things didn't work out that way. Michael has plans to leave behind the family's cover (olive oil importing) and " go legit" in the Las Vegas casino business. His offers to buy out casino owner Moe Greene (based partly on Bugsy Siegel) are rebuffed. While playing with his grandson, Don Corleone dies from a heart attack.
During the funeral, Corleone family underboss Sal Tessio conveys a proposal for a meeting with Don Barzini, on Tessio's turf so Michael will be safe. As Vito Corleone told him and Tom Hagen confirms at the funeral, such an offer through a trusted acquaintance is how Michael's enemies will attempt to dispose of him once Vito Corleone and his important political connections are gone. Michael then arranges for the murders of the heads of the other families, Moe Greene, and Tessio (for betraying Michael to Don Barzini)--all while Michael is at the baptism of his nephew, Connie and Carlo's son. The film's climactic scene involves intercutting between the brutal assassinations and the church, as Michael recites the traditional vows of baptism. In one of the most memorable scenes, Moe Greene is shot clean through the eye. He then has Carlo killed (Clemenza strangles him with a garrote) for helping to arrange the murder of Sonny. After seeing Connie hysterical over the murder of her husband, Kay questions Michael who reassures her by denying he ordered the hit on Carlo.
The movie ends as Kay steps out of the room to get a drink following Michael's reassurances, while in the background high-ups under Vito Corleone pay their respects to Michael, addressing him as Don Corleone.
The film was released in 1972 and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who had directed several films prior to this none of these had a significant impact upon the public. Shooting spanned from March 29, 1971, to August 6 of that year. Due to skepticism about the film's expected success, a low budget was set for the film, forcing the crew to use regular lighting as opposed to production lighting. This lent a more realistic appearance to the film. Puzo helped in the making of the movie and its sequels and co-wrote the screenplay. The producers originally wanted Robert Redford to play Michael Corleone, but Coppola demanded Al Pacino. Pacino was not well known at the time, and the studio did not consider him right for the part. Pacino was only granted the role after Coppola threatened to quit the production.
The role of Don Vito Corleone was memorably acted by Marlon Brando, who won an Academy Award (which he did not accept, in protest of Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans) for his portrayal of the aging Don. Many of the actors playing the supporting roles were largely unknown or minor actors however, they rocketed into the limelight with the success of The Godfather. Al Pacino and Robert Duvall, in particular, went on to enjoy long, successful, highly acclaimed careers.
The film is greatly respected among international critics and the public. It was voted greatest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly[1], and #3 of all time by the American Film Institute. It is consistently, and currently, ranked #1 on IMDB's Top 250. More intellectually-inclined critics have never loved the movie quite as much as the general public. In the 2002 Sight & Sound poll of international critics, it was ranked as the 4th best film of all time. The Godfather won three Academy Awards:
- Best Picture
- Best Actor in a Leading Role (Marlon Brando refused the award)
- Best Writing (adapted screenplay) (Francis Coppola, Mario Puzo)
The film was also nominated for eight additional Academy Awards. In addition, it won five Golden Globes, one Grammy, and numerous other awards.
The sequel The Godfather Part II also won an Academy Award for Best Picture, making the Godfather trilogy the only series of films to date to win multiple Oscars in this field.
It was also the only sequel ever to win an Academy Award, until Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won the Best Picture award in 2003 (imdb.com.) The film was an enormous box-office hit, smashing previous records to become the highest-grossing film of all time (until that record was surpassed by Jaws in 1975).
The Godfather was also a great success with audiences. The film made USD $5,264,402 in its opening weekend, which was a record at the time. The film went on to gross $81,500,000 in its initial run re releases boosted its North American total to $134 million. Source: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
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