The movie to conquer all movies

Rating: 10/10 (27 November 2013)

Movies are made for a lot of reasons and can inflict human emotions to the audience. Some tend to be classics because a lot of people enjoyed the movie and raved about it. Others don't go far to be known. In my opinion, movies that are classics are going to stay for a long time. Movies that don't fare well will be forgotten. But, what about movies like The Godfather? Is that movie is going to be around for a long time? Absolutely. Is it for all generations to see? Absolutely. Without a doubt, The Godfather is the leader to all of the great movies. The movie is adapted from Mario Puzo's best-seller and it tells the story of a family. Vito Corleone is the head of his family. He is also the head of the family's business. His family deals with different situations that are dealt with in their own style and fashion. In other words, they are the Mafia. When Vito's son comes home from the war, he decides on his own behalf to not get involved in his family's business. Michael Corleone, Vito's son, decides to live his own life while his family deals with their own problems. But, when one of Vito's sons, Sonny, played by James Caan, is killed during a mob hit, Vito decides to take revenge against the people who killed his son. Meanwhile, Michael becomes aware of his surroundings and starts to see a downfall of his father's empire. His father is severely injured in the streets after being gunned down and Michael starts to wonder who's going to watch over the family. In other words, who's going to be the next godfather? As the movie progresses, I was suddenly starting to see a change being done to the movie and also to the movie industry. This rise and fall story is told very beautifully and is directed with a focused look at a world where family sticks together and carry out their jobs and fall down and suffer the consequences. This movie has a lot in store and has a lot of feeling about the underworld of the mafia. We even see that even though Michael does become who he is in the end, we know that for a fact that the choice was one that couldn't be refused. The Godfather is a film to be hailed. It's portrayal of the Italian mob is not stereotypical. Instead, the movie focuses on a family that is doused with honor, pride, lust and life. People do get hurt in these drastic situations and those wounds do hurt in a way that you've never felt before. For me, this film speaks louder than the words that are being said. It is more than a gangster movie. It is what the movies are meant to do, which is entertain us at its best and greatest. The performances by Marlon Brando is excellent. He really leads a very well-casted movie that include Al Pacino, as Michael Corleone, Robert Duvall, as the family lawyer, who is Irish and the supporting role of Diana Keaton as Pacino's love interest. All of the acting in The Godfather is phenomenal. This is the movie that made Al Pacino a star. He is that great of a legendary actor to star as Michael. Director Francis Ford Coppola said that in several interviews involving his film, he said that The Godfather was the hardest film to make. With a ballooning budget and a casting problem with the role of Vito Corleone, Coppola suffered most of the time and even was afraid he'll lose his job. In my opinion, he should be proud of the film he made. Even though it was troubling to make, in the end, it paid off. Not only being in the top 10 grossing films of 1972, but also allowing us to see a movie that's worth watching and worth looking at. It is also fill with style and power that in the end, we are starving to see it again. The Godfather took home 3 Oscars, including Best Picture and spawned 2 sequels. As a movie buff, all I can say is that The Godfather leads behind other classic movies like Citizen Kane, Lawrence of Arabia and Casablanca. Like those 3 other movies, it's the power and story-telling that grabs us out of the movie theater and puts us into the spotlight with well-scripted characters and various stories that emerged out of the family. The sheer critical praise of The Godfather continues to seen and even though it's been 41 years since the film's release, this film isn't going to die. The epic scope and vision of this underworld is going to live on and keep this classic pumping. The Godfather is the best film of 1972 and yet, one of the greatest movies of all time. ★★★★ 4 stars.