The Godfather

What can you say about "The Godfather" that hasn't already been said? It's a film of legend, it changed the cinematic landscape. It's a miracle it was made, it came from a pulp novel, it was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, he won an Oscar for the screenplay of "Patton", yet he was a relative unknown director. Coppola saw Marlon Brando in the role of Don "Vito" Corleone, but he was considered washed up.

Al Pacino was in constant fear of getting fired for his portrayal of Michael, could you imagine anyone else playing that role? Imagine Robert Redford, who was at least the producer's original choice. How could Michael be blond. There was arguments that the film looked too dark to be sold as a blockbuster. Plus this was a film about the mafia, it was violent, it was bleak, and we were meant to sympathize with these people.

A tough sell all the way, most movies have their stories of how they were made, but with "The Godfather" it's just another part of the legend. The film is so good, so beautiful, it should be studied for every student of filmmaking, screenwriting, cinematography, and acting, it takes you to school every time.

The film remained a mystery to me as a child, I was not allowed to watch it, there it was one night on television, I was completely enraptured by it from the beginning. There was that wedding, which takes up the entire first half hour of the film. We are introduced to the world of Don Corleone, inside his office, he is granting favors, be it murder, or threats, doing all very dignified, in contrast outside is a big family celebration with the large extended Italian family.

We meet Michael (Pacino) the war hero of the family, the only one who is legitimate, this film is of his downfall of course. He's young, there is love in his eyes for Kay (Diane Keaton), he loves his family but he swears never to become like them. But later, The Don is shot down, Michael must protect him, and he ends up killing the people responsible.

There are also Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) the adopted son, and lawyer to The Don, he's the voice of reason in the world of crime. There is Sonny (James Caan) the hot headed older son who is meant to take over for the Don. Then there is Fredo (John Cazale) the innocent, he doesn't know any better. It's mostly a family of men, sure there are the women, Coppola has great sympathy for them as they are not allowed into this world, they are left out in the cold, but they are the ones who mourn the most over the deaths of husbands and sons.

"The Godfather" is Shakespearan in its execution, the dialogue seems to come from an older time, yet it's modern. Take the scene where Vito looks over the corpse of Sonny and says "look how they massacred my boy", it's poetry from the streets.

The performances are just as memorable, Brando was perfect in the part of the Don. It was said he read his lines from cue cards off camera, he put cotton in his mouth for the large jowls, every word he says is like a razor sharp whisper. He can be fierce and gentle.

Duvall and Caan are both excellent, each one playing off the other, they compliment the scenes they are in, and don't leave Cazale out, more of him will be written in part two, this was merely his introduction.

Diane Keaton is heartbreakingly sweet as Kay, hers is the final face we see in the film, she's in the background, like all the women, she's the conscience Michael leaves behind, as the door closes on her.

I leave the best for last, this is the saga of Michael Corleone, he can join Charles Foster Kane as one of the most complex characters in American cinema. Al Pacino pours everything he has into this part. The key scene of course is when Michael is in the restaurant and he kills for the first time. So much is going on in that scene, Pacino is understated perfection, just watch him in the bathroom as he pulls out the gun, and that moment he composes himself before he goes out again. For some reason, that moment spoke volumes to me.

"The Godfather" was photographed by Gordon Willis, who was a master of using shadow and light, it is a dark film, but no darker than an average noir. Let's not forget the music by Nino Rota, who worked with Fellini, you can't escape the music here, it's everywhere, it always has the hint of sadness, but it could also evoke beauty and dread.

I feel like I've repeated what many other people have already said about "The Godfather". I still remember when I was younger seeing it for the first time, I knew it was great without being told it was. It showed me its power in the very first frame with Nino Rota's first few bars of music. It's one of cinema's greatest achievements, now go watch it, then watch it again.