The Godfather (1972)

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

Mario Puzo (screenplay), Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay),

Stars:

Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan

Top 250 #2 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marlon Brando	...	Don Vito Corleone
Al Pacino	...	Michael Corleone
James Caan	...	Sonny Corleone
Richard S. Castellano	...	Clemenza (as Richard Castellano)
Robert Duvall	...	Tom Hagen
Sterling Hayden	...	Capt. McCluskey
John Marley	...	Jack Woltz
Richard Conte	...	Barzini
Al Lettieri	...	Sollozzo
Diane Keaton	...	Kay Adams
Abe Vigoda	...	Tessio
Talia Shire	...	Connie
Gianni Russo	...	Carlo
John Cazale	...	Fredo
Rudy Bond	...	Cuneo

Storyline

The story begins as "Don" Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia "family", oversees his daughter's wedding with his wife Wendy. His beloved son Michael has just come home from the war, but does not intend to become part of his father's business. Through Michael's life the nature of the family business becomes clear. The business of the family is just like the head of the family, kind and benevolent to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family. Don Vito lives his life in the way of the old country, but times are changing and some don't want to follow the old ways and look out for community and "family". An up and coming rival of the Corleone family wants to start selling drugs in New York, and needs the Don's influence to further his plan. The clash of the Don's fading old world values and the new ways will demand a terrible price, especially from Michael, all for the sake of the family.

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Plot Keywords:

mafia | drugs | wedding | drug dealer | lawyer | 

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Taglines:

An offer you can't refuse.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian Latin

Release Date:

24 March 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mario Puzo's The Godfather

Filming Locations:

110 Longfellow Road, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$223,758 (USA) (4 April 1997)

Gross:

$134,821,952 (USA) (2 May 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Alfran Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release) Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Evans apparently screened the films about gangsters that Paramount had released before he arrived at the studio, including The Brotherhood. He noticed that most of the films were unsuccessful and also that they had not been written or directed by Italian-Americans, and said that he hired Francis Ford Coppola in part because he wanted to "smell the spaghetti".

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Goofs

In the scene where Tom Hagen tells Don Corleone about Sonny's death, Corleone says "Consigliere of mine, I think you should tell your Don what everyone seems to know." Marlon Brando pronounces the G in Consigliere, even though whenever G is immediately followed by L, the G is silent.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bonasera: I believe in America. America has made my fortune. And I raised my daughter in the American fashion. I gave her freedom but I taught her never to dishonor her family. She found a "boy friend," not an Italian. She went to the movies with him. She stayed out late. I didn't protest. Two months ago he took her for a drive, with another boy friend. They made her drink whiskey and then they tried to take advantage of her. She resisted. She kept her honor. So they beat her. Like an animal...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Other than Mario Puzo's name there are no opening credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Mall Wedding Sequence"
(1972)
Music by Carmine Coppola

User Reviews

"The Godfather" is pretty much flawless, and one of the greatest films ever made

Rather than concentrating on everything that is great about The Godfather, a much easier way for me to judge its quality is on what is bad about it. Almost every film has something that I don't like about it, but I can honestly say that I wouldn't change anything about The Godfather. There is nothing weak about it and nothing that stands out as bad. That's why it gets ten out of ten.

This is one of those films that made me wonder why I hadn't seen it earlier. The acting from everyone involved is great, Marlon Brando comes across perfectly as the head of the family, and James Caan and Al Pacino are excellent as his sons. The soundtrack by Nino Rota is also very memorable, bringing back memories of the film every time I hear it. The plot has to be excellent for it to get ten out of ten, and it is, it's far from predictable and the film is the definition of a great epic.

The film is pretty shocking in the way every death occurs almost instantaneously, and as it spans ten years so many different things happen and every minute of it is great entertainment. It's a well-made and entertaining film that is only the first part of a trilogy, but it stands on its own as a wonderful film in its own right. If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for? This was one acclaimed film that didn't disappoint.