In American motion pictures, it's as authorative as its title role

Rating: 10/10 (23 June 2006)

It's amazing to think, having listened to Francis Ford Coppola's DVD commentary, that his 1972 epic The Godfather was produced under such incredible studio and financial pressure  one can only imagine what this picture could have been if Coppola was given a little more control. To this day, The Godfather remains a classic, truly extraordinary, and etched into the memories of all who've seen it. It is one of the most widely acclaimed and financially successful films of all time, consistently among the top film lists of most, and is my personal favourite motion picture.
Set in 1940's New York, The Godfather tells the tale of the patriarch of a mafia organization, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando)  a man who commands enormous authority and power  and both his literal and figurative families. When the Don refuses a proposition by the drug dealer Virgil Sollozzo, believing that narcotics is "a dirty business", Sollozzo  backed by the power of a rival mafia family headed by Don Phillip Tattaglia  orders an assassination attempt. Don Corleone barely survives the shooting and, for the love for his father, Vito's youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) decides to take action, masterminding a calculated move that will forever draw him in to the life of crime he always wanted to avoid.
The cast assembled for The Godfather can lay claim to being possibly the greatest ensemble ever featured in an American film. Marlon Brando's career-reviving turn as the Godfather himself has already cemented its place in cinematic history  no more needs to be said. Al Pacino demonstrates a remarkable transformation from idealistic youth to cold, calculated heir to the Corleone throne. James Caan as Sonny, the Don's eldest son, is as explosive, violent, and temperamental as the pages of Puzo's bestseller describe, and Robert Duvall as adopted son and family Consiglieri (Counsellor) Tom Hagen is all logic and composure. But the praise should rightly stretch out to all, even those in small roles, as all play a part in making Coppola's world of Italian culture and underworld crime authentic and believable.
When I try to pin down what it is, exactly, that makes a motion picture a "classic", I can't help but return to the notion of how memorable it is. This is ultimately where The Godfather qualifies  just about everything in this film is memorable in one way or another. We remember the acting  there is not a more iconic performance committed to film than Brando's Don Corleone. We remember Gordon Willis' celebrated cinematography, from the shadowy, atmospheric tension created in the offices where "business" is dealt, to his presentation of the sweeping, sun-kissed landscapes of Sicily. We remember the beautiful themes of Nino Rota's score  the haunting, lone trumpet that opens the picture and the full- fledged orchestral arrangement of the instantly recognizable "Godfather Love Theme". And who could forget the masterful inter-cutting during The Godfather's climactic baptism sequence?
From the opening shot of the thickly accented undertaker proclaiming "I Believe in America", to final unforgettable shot in the Don's quarters of the door closing on Diane Keaton, who finally realises the truth of what has happened, Coppola has attained a directorial quintessence with The Godfather that he may never again reach. While watching the picture, we simply cannot wait until the time comes to sit down and view it again. It's a rare quality in a film, and the hallmark of a cinematic masterpiece.