Hard to refuse

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2006)

It could be said that the film-adaptation of Mario Puzo's novel marked the beginning of a new era, as it established talents hitherto unknown to the wider public, including Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, and director Francis Ford Coppola. Furthermore, THE GODFATHER is often thought of as a "comeback" to Marlon Brando, which apparently puzzled the actor himself, as he pointed out in his autobiography that he'd been doing movies without considerable intermission for the last twenty-or-so years. However, the claim may not have been so unreasonable after all, as the role of Vito Corleone made Brando truly sought-after again. By the time Brando embarked on the role, no major studios would hire him due to a reputation for being "impossible" to work with, and Coppola was only able to convince Paramount that the actor was simply tailor-made for the part and could not be neglected by having him do a screen-test first. Considering that Brando had once revolutionized acting in America through his raw, unmasked portrayals of Stanley Kowalski and Terry Malloy in the 1950's, this procedure may sound shocking, but once accomplished, Brando proved that he remained the king of acting in the end. His portrayal of Corleone may strike us as being somewhat of a caricature today, as it has been endlessly imitated (and parodied) since, but Brando did in fact attribute the character with far more attention to complex detail than seen in a typical movie "gangster-boss" up till that time. That Brando's performance has now, in the eyes of younger generations such as my own, turned somewhat into a cliché is simply the inevitable result of his initial originality.
Also Pacino, Keaton, James Caan and Robert Duvall are, of course, quite outstanding in their roles. Particularly in Pacino's case, his handling of his character Michael Corleone's dramatic development as a person which is so crucial to the story, comes off as completely convincing. From being apparently a rather sympathetic character at the beginning, he changes as he becomes increasingly involved in his father's business life. It is this devoted focus on character development, as well as on how conflicting aspects of a personality interchange such as in Vito Corleone's case, that truly make the story so intriguing as it is. However, it is one thing to have a story of nearly endless potential, but this does not necessarily result in a successful cinematic interpretation of it. Other than outstanding performances, the direction of Francis Ford Coppolla is, of course, more than merely significant; even if one neglects the other qualities of the film, it may be treasured for its own sake, due to Coppolla's extremely competent, innovative techniques. There seems to be too many scenes and moments to pick out just one or two favorites; his ability to define the mood and atmosphere of a particular event through a painstaking attention to every single detail, is arguably of equal impact to the story as the performances of the actors, and make the film a visual delight. This is no less impressive when considering that THE GODFATHER was Coppolla's first major film; he was to establish himself further into the decade with other brilliant films such as THE CONVERSATION, APOCALYPSE NOW and this film's second act.
When released in 1972, THE GODFATHER turned out to be, not surprisingly, one of the most widely-seen, lavishly- praised films in the history of the medium, and earned three Academy Awards out of eleven nominations (Marlon Brando's refusal to accept the award, due to the "treatment of American Indians today by the film industry," has become famous in its own right). This is not to say, however, that THE GODFATHER is a film one is likely to grasp at first viewing; I, for one, did not quite understand its incredible reputation at first (though I did think it was a good film). Much as with CITIZEN KANE or BLADERUNNER, it is probably required to view THE GODFATHER through an historical context, and compare it to other films made around the same time, to get why it is so much adored. It helps matters that it's not only brilliantly made but really entertaining as well, so you're likely to have a good time no matter how you watch it.