A tale of personal business

Rating: 9/10 (21 January 2007)

Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather' is often voted amongst the best films of all time, but watching it today, it's surprising how conservative it feels. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though, for, it's undoubtedly a piece of film-making of the highest class; but also a slow, stately epic that one could not imagine being made today in quite the same form (the contrast with Scorcese's 'Goodfellas', for example, shows clearly the direction in which film-making has evolved). On the other hand, to be fair to 'The Godfather', one must note how much it has influenced the gangster films that have succeeded it, perhaps making it seem more orthodox than it was at the time of its release (there are even stories that it influenced the real life mafia!). Of course, there's something conservative in the very idea of a gangster story, with its appeal to ideas of tradition and respect, even if the need for a plot means that such tales must inevitably focus on period when the traditional codes are breaking down (and the need for honesty must expose the extent to which they are a sham anyway). 'The Godfather' does both these things, in what is ultimately, behind the superficial subject matter, a story of personal transformation, that of Al Pacino's clean-cut college kid into the true successor of his mafioso father (played by Marlon Brando). The fact that this was arguably Brando's last great, complete, cinematic performance, as well as Pacino's first, has undoubtedly added to the movie's iconic status. Overall, I can't quite agree that this is the best movie ever: for all its sweep, it's a tale of people lacking a certain core of humanity, and therefore lacks the emotional intensity of my very favourite films. But it's still a mighty thing, worthy of its place in the cinematic canon.