A Timeless Classic

Rating: Null/10 (8 December 2001)

My six criteria for a "great" film:
1) Good source material (one of the great pulp fiction novels of all time
2) Good screenplay (faithful to the spirit of the novel) 3) Good direction (Coppola's masterpiece) 4) Good casting and performances (Brando and an ensemble "Dream Team") 5) Good cinematography (the movie's "look" matches its tone perfectly) 6) Becomes a part of popular culture (name another movie that has given us more memorable quotations?)

"The Godfather" hits a home run on all six. I've lost count of how many times I've seen this film, but I never, NEVER get tired of watching it; there's always something new to see that I didn't notice before.
My favorite scene? Oddly enough, it's when Michael and Kay are walking down the street at Christmastime. For a few seconds they are obscured by a sidewalk newsstand. Watch the expression on Diane Keaton's face change from joy to horror as they emerge from the other side of the stand...without her saying a word we realize she's seen the newspaper headline about the Don being shot, and Michael is still unaware of her reaction, or the newspaper headline, until she says, "Michael..."
Now THAT's moviemaking, folks.