The story of an Italian-American crime family introduces a
multi-year, multi-film, multi-career-catapaulting, multi-Academy-Award-winning saga
with this outstanding first installment based on Mario Puzo’s novel of the same
name. This film is rated by many critics as great, must-see, etc. and it is
interesting to note that the fear which initially disinclined Francis Ford Coppola
to direct it, appears to have no long-term surviving sway (to my sights anyway) that portraying a Mafia family so epically would
reflect badly on Italian-Americans. It
is perhaps well known that this is an often trotted-out complaint against
productions with mafia related characters but Coppola (as he so often does)
succeeds in creating something much larger, grander and more important than any
single ethnic, cultural or historic identity. [This is the place
where I will also admit that I am by many means a fan of violence in movies
when it appropriately (here read meaningfully) frames the theme or themes of the film.]
I am personally happy that he endured this self described
‘extremely nightmarish’ film production which included many conflicts including
Coppola’s continued fight for star Marlon Brando who won an Academy Award for
Best Actor. Also starring Al Pacino,
James Caan, Richard Castellano, Sterling Hayden, John Cazale, Diane Keaton,
Richard Conte with music by Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola, this film was produced
by Albert S. Ruddy from a screenplay writeen by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario
Puzo (which won them Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars). This is the second appearance of
writer-director Coppola in my top ten films of all time (alphabetically). [You can read my review of Apocalypse Now (1979).]
Knowing that I would have the pleasure of recommending more of
Mr. Coppola’s films, I forcibly delayed giving the man his proper due by not mentioning
any of his other notable pictures there.
He co-wrote the screenplay (with Edmund H. North) of Patton (1970, winner of seven Academy
Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for George C. Scott [who was the
first actor to refuse his Oscar]) which won Coppola his first Academy Award for
Best Original Screenplay which was based on several Patton biographies though
not adapted per se on, hence the ‘Original Screenplay’ Award; The Conversation (1974, which starred
Gene Hackman and also has John Cazale in it and was written, produced and
directed by Coppola and winner of the coveted Palme d’Or). The
Conversation was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and it lost to The Godfather Part II (1974, starring
Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Talia Shire and John
Cazale, produced, directed and written (with Mario Puzo) by Coppola, nominated
for 11 Academy Awards and winner of six including Best Director, Best
Supporting Actor for De Niro, Best Adapeted Screenplay and the first sequel to
win Best Picture); The Godfather Part III (1990, starring Al Pacino, Diane
Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia, produced directed and written (with Mario
Puzo) by Coppola, nominated for seven Academy Awards).
As I’m such a fanatic about writing, I am making special
mention of The Rainmaker (1997,
starring Matt Damon, produced by Michael Douglas, Fred Fuchs and Steven
Reuther, and adapted by Francis Ford Coppola from John Grisham’s novel of the
same name). This film was deemed by
Grisham [at the time] to be the best film adaptation of any of his books. This
film has the final performance of Teresa Wright, who I have previously
mentioned was the Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress in one of my favorite
films Mrs. Miniver (1942, starring
Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, Best Director went to William Wyler and Garson
won Best Actress).
I should take this moment to mention that all of Mr.
Coppola’s films are worthy of note for many reasons but it is clear he has
taken the time to cast the smaller parts in his films so adroitly. [I don’t mean to minimize Casting Directors
but the Director makes the final cut, ha hah, yes, some day you will hear me
talk about editors.] I could not do
justice in the Godfather saga alone to call out all the veritable gems of
performance art of the minor characters.
You will not get many chances to hear me go on and on about
the specifics of directors and their artistry (usually because their techniques
vary and the judging is clearly in the results, and my reviews); however, one mark of a great director is to
understand how the lesser roles serve both the larger roles as well as the multiple
themes of a film. Coppola uses every
element possible in his films to complement his chosen themes and one of those
elements could be termed human capital of which much exists and not just in the
major roles but in the supporting players, bits and extras. This is evident in all of the pictures that
he directed and you can go to the awesome www.imdb.com
to find a complete list of them.
I would have to write whole articles on Marlon Brando, Al
Pacino, James Caan, Sterling Hayden and Diane Keaton to do them justice so I
will save them for other pictures to be reviewed later; however, I will here
mention two John Cazale movies which I highly recommend: Dog
Day Afternoon (1975 starring Al Pacino and directed by Sidney Lumet, and
winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay by Frank Pierson) and The Deer Hunter (1978, starring Robert De
Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale, and Meryl Streep, winner of
five Academy Awards including Best Picture for Barry Spikings, Michael Deeley,
Michael Cimino and John Peverall, Best Director for Michael Cimino, Best
Supporting Actor for Walken, Best Film Editing for Peter Zinner and Best Sound
for Richard Portman, William McCaughey, Aaron Rochin and Darin Knight,
nominations were garnered for De Niro, Streep, the Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond
and writers Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, Louis Garfinkle and Quinn Redeker.) Yes, of course I would be remiss not to say
that you should see Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick in The Freshman (1990) just because it gives you another chance to see
Marlon Brando as a Mafia Don.
A Favorite Quote: “It’s
a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes. [Richard
Castellano as Clemenza] Apparently if
you watch The Sopranos (1999-2007)
you can find lots of direct and indirect allusions to The Godfather (as well as other Mafia crime stories) but personally
I liked it a lot when Tony Soprano had a strange fish dream.
For those who are purists, of course, here’s the most famous
one, though not my favorite: “My father
made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.” [Al Pacino as Michael Corleone]
Genre: American Crime Drama
Release Date: March
15, 1972
Running Time 175 minutes
The next installment
in my top ten by alphabet will be Notorious. See I told you Gone with the Wind wasn’t on my list!
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