Certification. X
Running Time. 2 hours 55 mins
Director. Francis Ford Coppola
Cast. Marlon Brando, James Caan, Richard Castellano, John Cazale, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino, Talia Shire.
Rating. 94%
50 years ago today, The Godfather was released in the UK. Francis Ford Coppola's sweeping cinematic portrait of a powerful Italian-American family is largely considered one of the greatest films of all time.
The ensemble cast is impressive. Marlon Brando stars as Don Vito Corleone, the elderly patriarch of the family consisting of three sons - the impetuous Sonny (James Caan), the emotionally weak Fredo (John Cazale) and the youngest, the sensitive, college-educated Michael (Al Pacino) - and one daughter, Connie (Talia Shire).
Marlon Brando's portrayal of Don Vito Corleone is simply mesmerising. His lines are often mumbled, delivered through a twisted mouth and clenched teeth. This is an actor at ease with his craft. It would have been all too easy to accentuate the aggression, instead Brando portrays Don Vito with a gentleness, including measured movements that befit the character. Marlon Brando's acting style mellowed in later years - compare this performance to the raw intensity of early performances in A Streetcar Named Desire, The Wild One and On The Waterfront. A young Marlon Brando may have portrayed Don Vito more akin to James Caan's portrayal of Sonny. Instead, Brando plays Don Vito with more nuance. There are few violent outbursts of emotion, rather a quiet assured strength in his performance. This makes the character even more menacing. Marlon Brando doesn't dominate the film, yet his presence is the foundation for this film and the subsequent sequels.
Although synonymous with the genre today, the casting of a then relatively unknown Al Pacino as the youngest son, Michael was a masterstroke. His natural portrayal of Michael in the early scenes compliments Brando's performance beautifully, and an intensity builds throughout the film to the point where Michael believably comes to resemble the manner and voice of Don Vito. His character arc as the introverted youngest son, repulsed by his family's nefarious machinations to the ruthless figurehead of immense gravity propelled Al Pacino to stardom.
Much of The Godfather's brilliance is down to the director, Francis Ford Coppola. There is an element of bravery in including the 20-minute opening sequence of a traditional, Sicilian family wedding. The now infamous baptism of blood scene in which we bear witness to one of the most stunning onscreen transformations of any character. Whilst part of the christening of Connie's child, Michael ruthlessly executes all of the family's enemies and assumes his father's mantle. Even when the storyline falters and threatens to dry up, it is Francis Ford Coppola who remains steadfast and pulls the strands of the plot together to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
Organised crime in The Godfather remains a symbol of the worst of America - vitriolic feudal brutality and the obscene excess of free enterprise. Vincent Canby, in his review of The Godfather in The New York Times in March 1972 said the film was, "as dark and ominous a reflection of certain aspects of American life as has ever been presented in a movie designed as sheer entertainment." Part melodrama, part Shakespearean tragedy, the Corleone's code of family loyalty and honour is still romanticised to this day.
On 27 March 1973, at the 45th Academy Awards, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion in Los Angeles, California, two feature films dominated proceedings - The Godfather and Cabaret. Both films received 10 nominations. Cabaret won eight Academy Awards, The Godfather only three. Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo were awarded the Academy Award for the Best Adapted Screenplay, Marlon Brando won the Best Actor Award and The Godfather won Best Picture.
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