Like the perfect meal

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 1999)

I first saw this film the summer before my senior year in college, during a summer school class I was taking called "Literature and Film." This was the second film they showed, I think, and from the moment the character of Bonasera comes on and says, "I believe in America," this had me hooked. This is like the perfect meal, where all the ingredients come together - theme (gangsters as a metaphor for society, family being overrun by cold-hearted business tactics), story, acting (Brando seemed a little overrated when I first saw it, but that's because he's not on-screen a whole lot; it took me a few viewings to see his shadow hangs over the entire film. The rest of the cast is excellent as well, especially Pacino), the technical sides (the way Gordon Willis uses light and dark to contrasts the two sides of the Corleones made me pay attention to cinemotography), dialogue ("I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" "Leave the gun, take the cannoli") - and leave you completely satisfied. And the scene I remember is not the horse's head, or the scene where Michael says he will kill Sollozzo and McClusky, but rather the baptism scene, which haunted me for days. Incredible as it may seem, Part II is even better. But I'll say more about that in those comments.