One of the all-time greats

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2006)

I saw this film during it's initial theatrical release and went back again and have seen it numerous times on television since. Francis Ford Coppopla has been fortunate to have not had just a single career defining masterpiece but several and this is one of them. He'll likely have one or two more masterpieces to add to his arsenal of enduring works before he is done. This ensemble cast is wonderful with Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Sterling Hayden, Robert Duvall, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Abe Vigoda, Al Martino and on an on. Nonimated for 10 Academy Awards it won surprisingly only three in Best Actor for Marlon Brando, Best Screenplay for Mario Puzo adapted from his novel with Francis Ford Coppola, and the big prize Best Picture. James Caan, AL Pacino and Robert Duvall were all nominated for Best Supporting Actor, the most ever from a single film in an acting category but so many from the same film caused a split in the vote and Joel Grey from Caberet ended up with the Oscar. Godfather went head to head against Caberet for the 1972 Academy Awards with Caberet wining six to Godfather's three. The Godfather was also nominated for costume design, film editing, sound and music score. Omitted was Gordon Willis with his brilliant cinematography. Willis would go on to be a favorite of Woody Allen in photographing Annie Hall and seven other Allen films. Willis, like many involved in the Godfather would also do Godfather II and III. Production Designer Dean Tavoularis team of Set Decorator Phillip smith and Art Director Warren Clymer give this film a rich look and an excellent period piece atmosphere along with Costume Designer Anna Hill Johnstone. Nino Rota's music score gives the film the flavor of a fine Italian wine. He scored all of Federico Fellini's films in Italy including La Vita Dolce and 8Â½ as well as scoring such films as La Strada, Obsession, War and Peace and Romeo and Juliet in his long career. This film also features great non-original music from Berlin to Bach and Mozart. Editor William Reynolds would have had quite an ambitious editing project with this three hour film and his skill paid off. The sequel Godfather II was a great film and one of the greatest and most recognized sequels in film history but I would have left it there and not made it a trilogy with Godfather III. I don't know how long this film has been #1 on the IMDb top 250 but it will likely be there in that spot for some time and it will take a film made after it to knock it out of the top spot. Maybe a film not yet made. I would give this a 10 and highly recommend it.