115 of 1001 Movies: The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather is ranks as one of the films that still holds up beautifully over time as far the way it looks. I spent some of the time during the movie trying to figure out what decade it was filmed in without looking it up. Francis Ford Coppola made his name with The Godfather though. Before any of his movies like Apocalypse Now or Dracula there was the first two in the series.

Don Vito is getting older and, needs to look for one of his sons capable to take over the business when he passes. The one most capable after some disastrous events is the one also most reluctant to follow in his father's footsteps though.  Until his father's life is threatened this sets the youngest son, Michael, into vengeance mode. While this wasn't the life he had planned the decisions he makes to get his family back together put him more into the mob lifestyle than expected.  The new world values rising clash with how his father ran their family business though, and this calls for Michael to be more ruthless.


The Godfather was ten times better than I expected it would be. The character development ranks as one o the best seen in any movie as we weave through the characters encountering dramatic changes as they get married, have children, and experience death. Because the actors do such a good job in their roles there are certain scenes filled with emotion that will continue to resonate with you long after the movie has gone off.

Marlon Brando is the current lead of the business, Don Vito. At the beginning of the movie you still see him at the height of his career and, relied on but, some bad turns will leave Michael needing to step up when he's the only one who can be depended on to keep the family together. There is one scene with Don Vito and his grandson that I was thinking about long after the movie was over though. It was simple and, stood apart in the movie from the rest of it because of what it represented. Al Pacino is Michael. Michael's character grows on you as the movie continues and, it's quite exciting to see where his character will go in the next movie. His progression in the movie is huge but, it feels natural as he changes. There is also James Caan as Sonny and, Robert Duvall as Tom who both contribute well to the story too.

Coppola also has a way with colors and lighting that creates memorable scenes. Most of the lights are dim but, they cast the shadows that add to the film. Along with that he always uses colors at certain brighter scenes to make it pop even more. It's visually really well done along with the costumes that almost conceal the true time it was filmed in.

The Godfather is a masterpiece in films. You have a lot of good acting and, character development that is rarely found in movies. You also have a huge cast and, the focus is always distributed enough to make you feel like the part of each of their lives, so when you do suffer a loss you feel the pain of it no matter how small par they had in comparison to the main leads. Everyone seems to give their whole whether they are the ones behind the scenes are in front of it. The only thing you have to is make room for an almost 3 hour movie.

Rating 9 of 10.