The "Gone With the Wind" of Mobster Movies

Rating: 10/10 (10 June 2013)

Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" truly qualifies as the "Gone with the Wind" of gangster movies. The first installment in the Oscar-winning trilogy covers decades, mob wars, romances, intrigue, and treachery. Specifically, "The Godfather" received three Oscars. First, it was voted Best Picture; the Academy recognized Marlon Brando as Best Actor, and Coppola shares a Best Writing statuttee with Mario Puzo. Clocking in at a robust 175 minutes, "The Godfather" cast Brando as the seasoned Don Vito Corleone, with Al Pacino elbowing his way right behind him as the youngest son Michael. James Caan makes a lot of fuss as Pacino's older brother Sonny, and the ever dependable Robert Duval is cast as the consigliere for the family. Interestingly, Caan, Duval, and Pacino all competed for Best Supporting Actor, and Coppola was up for Best Director. Dean Tavoularis' production designs, Warren Clymer's art direction, and Philip Smith's set decoration are all sumptuous. The best scenes include Michael's massacre at the restaurant, Carlo and his wife smashing dishes, Sonny's ambush in the causeway, Brando's death scene in the tomato patch, and the finale with the elimination of all of Michael's enemies. The screenplay deserved an Oscar. The least shall be first as Michael demonstrates during his meteoric rise to power. The dialogue contains quotable lines and several interesting characters who aren't relatives of the Corleone clan. Gordon Willis' shadowy, straight-on photography captures the treachery of the crime syndicate. Of course, "The Godfather, Part II" surpasses it in every respect, and it deserved the six Oscars that it garnered.