The Godfather : The Greatest Achievement in Cinematic History

Rating: 10/10 (3 July 2012)

Some things are just meant to be perfect, flawless and well, godly. The Godfather , by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo is . The way every aspect of filmmaking and storytelling compliments the other in this unforgettable film causes one to wonder ( really) if such a feat can be repeated, ever .
I always have the highest regard for the script before anything associated with films , therefore I'd like to talk about Godfather's screenplay first .
Adapted from Mario Puzo's novel of the same name The Godfather is all about a man's relationship with his family and his responsibilties towards it, that can cause him to abandon his own dreams and ambitions. That this setup is showcased by one of the most powerful mafia families in 1940s New York makes it all the more interesting .
The simple plot being that the head of the Corleone crime family is aging and other crime bosses want him out of the way seems rather straightforward. Enter Don Vito Corleone's youngest son Michael aka 'the innocent college boy' - as his elder brother and apparent heir Sonny Corleone likes to call him - along with a girl. He sums up his life and all that he expects from it in future in one line - "This is my family Kay , not me. " Quite clearly the kid wants nothing to do with his crime family or its power. But this family thrives on crime and inevitably becomes a victim as well. After Vito refuses to deal with a narcotics kingpin named Virgil Sollozo, he sets off a chain of events that alters his family and business structure forever. Even a man who has experienced all that life could offer fails to see what's coming and expresses his surprise later on.
A heartbreaking and mind numbing tale of how a powerful crime family comes to terms with all that it feeds on and how the same entities almost destroy the family was , is and will remain unforgettable .
The number of memorable scenes and dialouges is mind boggling. The scene where the Don delivers his famous line " I'm gonna make him ......." is enough to express the immeasurable power that the man possesses . And the one where a proud Hollywood producer awakes to find on his bed a ....... , or the restaurant where Michael ......... , or when Sonny pays the price for being hotheaded , and when the Don talks to his son , or when Michael does what he is destined to do, The Godfather overflows with great scenes.
The music and cinematography by Nino Rota and Gordon Willis respectively contribute greatly to the film's overall impact .
The Godfather can never be mentioned without naming Marlon Brando and Al Pacino in the same breath. The level of acting is just "Oh My Gosh" . While Brando is great and very believable as Vito Corleone , Al Pacino is and will always remain the one and only choice for Michael Corleone . It is said that Brando developed the mannerisms of Vito himself and if so , then he absolutely deserves his Oscar . Al Pacino transforms Michael from the ideal son to the guy he eventually becomes making sure that one is overwhelmed by the portrayal .
Not once have i mentioned in my tribute ( i ain't that great enough to review The Godfather) that The Godfather is a person, because he isn't and as the Hindi film ' Sarkar' , influenced heavily by The Godfather , says " The Godfather is not a man , but an idea." Just that this idea created history.
Note: As much as i don't want to mention it , i do really feel that there is one sequence in the film that required the editor's attention. But nonetheless , it only appears as such in repeated viewings and not the first one . So set aside your coke and popcorn because you're not just watching any other flick , you are watching the greatest of them all and after the conclusion you'll realise that the coke and popcorn are as they were when the words The Godfather appeared on the screen some three hours ago .