The Godfather

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2018)

Watching The Godfather is an event. Clocking in at five minutes shy of three hours and having some of the most epochal dialogue in the history of film, watching The Godfather is taking part in something that has forever changed the landscape of cinema. Mario Puzo's novel that he himself helped adapt into the 1972 film by Francis Ford Coppola offered a groundbreaking insight into the world of an organized crime dynasty. Highlighting the human beings associated with such death and destruction certainly took audiences by storm in the early 70's, and continues to do so today. Seeing the origin of where a number of cinema's most iconic lines came from is a truly magnificent journey, and one certainly worth the three-hour investment.
Opening with a lavish and joyful wedding scene, a certain ominousness lurks beneath the smiles. The Godfather sets its tone exquisitely in its opening moments with the introduction of "Don" Vito Corleone, played excellently by Marlon Brando in arguably his most celebrated role. We learn in just a few minutes from both the body language of those around him and their willingness to please that Don Corleone is an important man with immeasurable influence. His influence is so great that, on this, the day of (his) daughter's wedding, there is a list of those approved to see him. In perhaps one of the most talked about film openings, we see Brando with his oft-imitated manner of speaking and his accidental side-kick of a small cat (a stray that had wondered on the set), delivering a speech that has left an indelible imprint on pop culture since its utterance.
The Godfather came out nearly 20 years before I was even born so I have heard lines from the film repeated for years. Somehow this film has avoided oversaturation and seeing the lines delivered from the characters onscreen was as fresh as hearing them for the first time. I was amazed to learn with this viewing that The Godfather is nearly a three-hour film. It is one of the films I watch with rapt attention every time I see it and is the perfect slow burn, that it has never felt like an overlong film. The coloration achieved is mesmerizing, as I almost feel like I'm watching the intimate home movies of the family onscreen.
A brilliant and elegant score by Nino Rota captivates the audience and informs us of the mood of each scene. In an interesting way, however, it also runs a contrast to the mood onscreen. In a move that has often been imitated, but never to achieve the effect of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola juxtaposed many happy and celebratory scenes with sinister ones. The most discussed example of such juxtaposition is the scene in which Michael Corleone, expertly played by Al Pacino, is becoming a Godfather to his sister Connie's (Talia Shire) baby at the same time that he is becoming the Godfather to the Corleone family. The baptism scene taking place in a brilliant church with beautiful stained glass and a menacing echo is shown between hitmen killing associates and members of the rival families. As Michael's Godfather vows are being read, the murders are taking place to bridge the two ways in which Michael is becoming Godfather. The splicing of that scene marked the phenomenal transition of Michael being the family outsider, to the don of the Corleone family. A number of other scenes use juxtaposition in such a powerful way, most notably the scene in which a man is killed with the Statue of Liberty towering in the background, representing the freedom that was sought, but never obtained. Another such commanding display of juxtaposition is the joy of Christmas filling the air when Vito Corleone was stopping for fruit, only to be paraded with bullets in an attempt on his life. Later, the glistening Christmas trees lining the front of the hospital when the second attempt on his life was made. In an astounding feat, Francis Ford Coppola flanked such opposite compositions together many times throughout The Godfather, with the method never coming off as a stale or forced representation designed to manipulate the audience.
In addition to the powerful scenes Francis Ford Coppola engineered using juxtaposition, he made many more standout scenes. Even though I'm vegan, THAT horse head scenes is among my favorite in cinema. That unassuming Nino Rota tone filling our ears as the camera pans the outside of the lavish home and into the bed where the horse head warning now sits is a truly brilliant example of powerful filmmaking. The tollbooth scene is another nod to the directorial aptitude of Francis Ford Coppola. Despite the fact that we have watched Sonny Corleone (James Caan) act with a quick temper and more than willing to kill any obstacle to his goals, we feel remorse for his massacre as we watch him being led to his death. There is such a bond between the Corleone's and the audience that we want to see them prevail over their troubles, despite the fact that they would be more than willing to consider us as acceptable collateral damage if we happened to walk on the wrong side of the street during one of their hits. That level of audience endearment to cold-blooded murderers proves Francis Ford Coppola's mastery at directing complex human relationships.
The Godfather is, for me, the film with the best opening and closing in the history of cinema. Losing none of its steam throughout its 3-hour runtime, the opening, and closing of the film show the lengths Francis Ford Coppola traveled through his incredible telling of Mario Puzo's story. The framing from the wedding to Michael becoming the Godfather of the family is magical. The framing and use of foreground, middleground, and background of that final scene are mesmerizing and perfectly sets the tone for the continuation of Michael's story for the two sequels that follow. Multiple actors play a role in The Godfather that also serves as my personal favorite roles of theirs including James Caan, Abe Vigoda, and Robert Duvall. In a film that is more tense and terrifying than my favorite horror films, The Godfather is a timeless classic that has more than earned its place on the list of best films ever made.