An Icon

Rating: 10/10 (7 December 2001)

At once an observant homage to crime films of the Thirties and Forties and a loving portrait of an Italian-American family, Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Mario Puzo's superlative novel (Puzo also co-write the script) is an achievement few films can hope to approximate. Coppola, along with his cinematographer, Gordon Willis, and his production designer, Dear Tavoularis, have created a history wholly realized, burnished brown as if a memory that will never completely fade. The world of the Cosa Nostra they present is closed and stuffy which provides an intimacy that generates an extraordinary amount of warmth and a feeling of lives being affected. The cast is flawless: the actors, to a person, inhabit the characters with such understanding and affection that they will be forever associated with them. (Al Pacino as Michael in the trilogy will never be able to match this work elsewhere.) But it is Marlon Brando in the title role that delivers such devastating work that you can only sit and stare in wonderment. Brando has a presence wise beyond his years and his gentle, thoughtful manner is never once betrayed his calculating, violent acts. Every movement, every vocal inflection is detailed and planned but he offers a spontaneity that never reveals technique. Guided by Coppola's abiding dedication to realism, Brando pushes this film to icon status. Not to be missed.