"The Godfather." Dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando)
Michael Corleone (Al Pacino)
Santino "Sonny" Corleone (James Caan)
Kay Adams-Corleone (Diane Keaton)
Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall)
Connie Coreleone (Talia Shire)
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”It’s hard to say anything about “The Godfather” that hasn’t already been said. With a length of almost three hours, there’s a lot to process.
The film is about an organized crime family in New York called the Corleones. Marlon Brando performs as Don (boss) Vito Corleone, who is the head of the business and family. He is all about respect, family, and loyalty. That is how he runs his business and that is why he is the godfather.
The movie opens on the day of Don Corleone’s daughter’s wedding, this brings the family together, including the youngest son, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), who is not interested in working in his father’s business. The movie follows the progression of the life of Michael Corleone and his eventual rise to Don Corleone. A series of events leads to a bloody war with some of the other well-known crime families in the city.
The acting is really what helps drive everything. Marlon Brando’s performance always gets the spotlight whenever there’s a mention of “The Godfather.” Although he rightfully deserves the praise, it’s Al Pacino’s subdued performance that works best for me. He upholds a quiet confidence that many other actors can’t pull off, for he’s sinister while still being somewhat likable. It’s interesting how you can find yourself rooting for such immoral characters TRUE. That’s a testament to the way these characters are meticulously developed and used within the story.
The cultural impact of “The Godfather” is enormous. From the use of its incredible score to the execution of some of the most unforgettable scenes in movie history, its influence can be seen in hundreds of movies and television shows. Even if you haven’t seen the “The Godfather” yet, you are probably familiar with some of its scenes and notable dialogue. “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” has been parodied countless times in pop culture. Don’t be fooled by the violent, gritty reputation that often gets attached to mob movies such as this one. Character development is prominent. In the film, you see the characters develop through the situations that surround them, and how they are affected by those situations.
The eldest brother, Sonny, is shown as reactionary and passionate when his father is shot, and he wants action against the perpetrators, but he develops as caring, especially for his family, when he gets revenge for his sister, who was beaten by her husband.
Michael has the most development in the film, going from a wantful exclusion to the family business, to controlling the family business. The film does this by slowly pushing Michael into the life of his father. He encroaches the life slowly, doing one job to protect his father out of the kindness of his heart, to discussing plans, to killing rivals. It is an excellent development of all the characters that make them feel real to the viewer.
Subtlety is something the film masters, allowing the viewer to piece together parts of the history or story for themselves without having exposition shoved in their faces. They don’t give you any explanation as to what the family does for income, instead, they let you find out for yourself as you are watching. “The Godfather” is an intelligent character study that chronicles the transformation of man as he slowly descends into villainy.
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