Don't ever take sides against the family

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2014)

Although the movie is three hours long, it absorbs us so effectively it never has to hurry. There is something in the measured passage of time as Don Corleone hands over his reins of power that would have made a shorter, faster moving film unseemly. Even at this length, there are characters in relationships you can understand just by the way the characters look at each other and talk to each other. Coppola has found a style and a visual look for all this material so "The Godfather" becomes something of a rarity. So much so that "The Godfather" (played brilliantly by Marlon Brando) himself is not even the central character in the drama. That position goes to the youngest, brightest son, Michael (Al Pacino), who understands the nature of his father's position while revising his old-fashioned ways. The Godfather's role in the family enterprise is described by his name; he stands outside the next generation which will carry on and, hopefully, angle the family into legitimate enterprise. Pacino plays Michael close to his vest; he has learned from his father never to talk in front of outsiders, never to trust anyone unnecessarily, to take advice but keep his own counsel. What else can I say about this movie that no one else has said: it's a classic and for good reason.