Tour de force

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2002)

Often imitated, never bettered and perhaps only equalled by "Goodfellas", Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" saga remains for many the greatest crime story ever put on celluloid. Epic, sprawling, grandiose and exquisite, the Corleone story has become part of modern popular culture and has inspired a whole new mentality regarding gangsters' and the role of organised crime in modern society. While the fabric of the real mafia has worn in recent years, "The Godfather" series remains the most romantic and nostalgic depiction of a society living above the law. It's a tour-de-force for just about all involved, none more so than the director himself.
Coppola had made seven unsuccessful films before he contacted author Mario Puzo, whose novel about a fictional Sicilian  American family of crime had become a best seller. Urged on by his heritage and commitment to creating a film that would match his huge ego, Coppola sat down with Puzo (when he could pull him away from the Black Jack tables of Las Vegas and Reno) and re-wrote the story. The result was a screenplay of supreme quality, eschewing the soap opera, meandering work of Puzo's novel for a tight, taut and fluid narrative.
The legacy behind Coppola's involvement on the film belies belief when we consider how well the film turns out. Paramount, by all accounts, despised Coppola. Through the entire film's shooting a standby director was waiting to take over as Coppola's head was constantly on the chopping board. It was at Coppola's insistence that Marlon Brando, who had not made a decent film for a good decade, be cast as Don Vito Corleone. Paramount wanted Frank Sinatra. Coppola also had to convince the studio that a young Al Pacino, 26 at the time, should play Michael Corleone, the aire to Vito. Studio executives thought Pacino lacked depth and was too small and scrawny to play the part. James Caan, who eventually played Sonny, was pencilled in early as Michael. Things could have been so different.
The story is based around the final years of the reign of Vito Corleone (Brando), a Sicilian immigrant who had formed a powerful empire of crime in New York. Now a man with powerful connections in the political and legal systems, Corleone is almost untouchable. His family consists of three sons; tough, aggressive eldest son Sonny (James Caan); weak, feeble but good-natured Fredo (John Cazale) and smart, quiet and distant Michael (Pacino). He also has an adopted son, Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), who also acts as the family's legal advisor  the Consilari. The youngest child is daughter Connie (Talia Shire). Sonny is next in line to take over the family business when Vito's time draws to a close, but his aggressive nature could be his undoing. When Vito denies capital assistance to Virgil The Turk' Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) for heroin trafficking, things take a downward turn. Michael assumes the role of Don and in the process the cracks in the family empire begin to appear. We witness the painfully slow collapse of the Corleone empire, as Michael's friends turn into enemies and the honour and code (Omerta) of the past becomes virtually non-existent.
Brando was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor as Vito and it is well deserved. He is utterly convincing and memorable, despite the numerous parodies on the character. But it is Pacino who shines as the ever-insular Michael. Starting out as idealistic war hero and ending the first film as power corrupted mafia boss, Pacino's portrayal of the youngest Corleone shifts seamlessly along. Pacino is at his best when his character is faced with a personal dilemma, not one associated with business'.

Of course the entire cast is brilliant. James Caan commands the first third of the film as Sonny. He is pure aggression, an old school tough guy who acts first and thinks later. Robert Duvall is solid as Hagen and is at his best in the early scenes involving studio hotshot Jack Woltz (John Morley). Diane Keaton is excellent as Kaye Adams, the WASP whose life is changed forever when she agrees to marry Michael. In the limited screentime allocated to her character Keaton gives it her all and is a far cry from the characters she became associated with in her Woody Allen films. Other actors of note include Richard Castellano as Capo Regime Peter Clemenza, Abe Vigoda as Tessio, Richard Conte as Don Barzini and Sterling Hayden as corrupt cop Captain McKluskey. Even the minor characters in the film are memorable.
The production design by Dean Tavoularis is exquisite. The Don's den is brilliantly lit, or more so unlit. It consumes its inhabitants in the shadows, and the Don himself moves with stealth around his cavernous headquarters. Complementing the design is the brilliant cinematography by Gordon Willis. The film is shot with a soft yellow filter, giving it an aged feel. When the film relocates to Sicily, Willis opens up the screen and fills it with breathtaking surroundings and the quaint, quiet environment of the tiny villages where the saga all began. Then when the film returns to the United States and Michael begins his ascendancy to the upper-echelons of power, Willis turns down the colour and presents Michael as an almost dead character, stripped of life and feeling. It's a great touch and is best emphasised when Michael woos Kaye, albeit without an inkling of charm, back into his life. He gestures Kaye towards the car, which resembles a Hearse more than a limo and her life in his downward spiral begins.
"The Godfather" smashed all box office records before it and spawned the blockbuster': one film from one studio that would be able to crush any of its opponents. The film took home three Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Actor (rejected by Brando) and Screenplay from Previously Published material. With Coppola now on top and Paramount in his corner the stage was set for the next chapter in the saga. But that's another story altogether