The Godfather, 1972

The Godfather is the best gangster movie ever made. Indeed, some would argue you could leave the word "gangster" out of that sentence. It is so engaging that you find yourself sympathizing with horse butchers, racketeers and murderers. After watching it you start to feel guilty: yes, you just sided with the Mafia. Kindly re adjust your morals before leaving your seat.

I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.

Francis Ford Coppola's great achievement was to take Mario Puzo's popular novel and make it into a highly entertaining movie that was also a critical and artistic success. Coppola and Puzo collaborated on the screenplay, for which they received one of the film's three Oscars. For once, history upholds the Academy's view and The Godfather also won Best Picture. The third Oscar was Best Actor, garnered for Marlon Brando's mumbling impersonation of the rotund and benign Don Vito Corleone. The film was nominated for eight categories.

The film begins with the wedding of the Don's daughter Connie (Talia Shire - Coppola's sister). The Don's youngest son , Michael (Al Pacino), newly returned from the war (WW2) as a heroic Marine captain seems to have little in common with other guests except for Kay (Diane Keaton) his girlfriend. When Michael explains to Kay that Vito Corleone is in business as an olive oil importer, we know it's the truth, but not the whole truth.

The Don is approached by a Mafia rival who seeks his permission to set up wide scale dealing in heroin in New York. Don Vito turns him down, because drugs are dirty business, unlike gambling, prostitution and the protection racket. This results in an attempted assassination in which Don Corleone is wounded. In revenge, Michael kills their rival and goes into hiding in Sicily. In hiding he takes a Sicilian wife.
The eldest son, Sonny (James Caan) takes over as caretaker manger of the family business, but Sonny is not smart. He beats up his new brother-in-law for his ill treatment of Connie. Then Sonny himself is killed in a revenge ambush.

Michael's new wife in Sicily is blown up in a botched attempt on Michael's life. A tougher uncompromising Michael, re-acquainted with his roots, returns to New York to take over from Sonny. Don Vito, although recovered from his injury, decides to retire. He ultimately dies playing happily in the garden with his grandchild. Yet even here, there is a hint of violence and criminality in family generations to come.

The Godfather spawned 2 sequels.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
(Apocalypse Now, The Conversation)
Don Vito Corleone: Marlon Brando
Don Michael Corleone: Al Pacino
Kay Adams Corleone: Diane Keaton
Tom Hagen: Robert Duvall
Santino 'Sonny' Corleone: James Caan
Connie Corleone Talia Shire
Alfredo 'Freddie' Corleone John Cazale
It appears that Marlon Brando allowed himself to a screen test and didn’t throw tantrums as he did in the past; he was also well enthused to improvise his role. It was his idea to change the script towards the end as that of doting grandfather before succumbing to a silent killer, his age. In that little game he plays to amuse his grand children he gave depth to his role with a flash of his old genius. He insisted on the stipulated fees of one million and his dues in time. Had he opted for a percentage of the earnings of the movie that broke all box-office records instead of being hard-nosed as to his contract fees he would have raked in much more than one million.
benny