Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Godfather

  • 1972
  • R
  • 2h 55m
IMDb RATING
9.2/10
1.9M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
58
18
Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972)
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Play trailer1:16
9 Videos
99+ Photos
CrimeDrama

Don Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son Michael. However, his decision unintentionally puts the lives of his loved ones in grave danger... Read allDon Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son Michael. However, his decision unintentionally puts the lives of his loved ones in grave danger.Don Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son Michael. However, his decision unintentionally puts the lives of his loved ones in grave danger.

  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writers
    • Mario Puzo
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Stars
    • Marlon Brando
    • Al Pacino
    • James Caan
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    9.2/10
    1.9M
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    58
    18
    • Director
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Writers
      • Mario Puzo
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Stars
      • Marlon Brando
      • Al Pacino
      • James Caan
    • 5.4KUser reviews
    • 202Critic reviews
    • 100Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #2
    • Won 3 Oscars
      • 32 wins & 31 nominations total

    Videos9

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:16
    Watch Official Trailer
    The Godfather
    Trailer 2:03
    Watch The Godfather
    'The Godfather' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:16
    Watch 'The Godfather' | Anniversary Mashup
    'The Godfather' | Filming Locations
    Clip 0:43
    Watch 'The Godfather' | Filming Locations
    The Godfather
    Clip 1:42
    Watch The Godfather
    The Godfather
    Clip 0:48
    Watch The Godfather
    The Godfather
    Clip 1:49
    Watch The Godfather
    Ben Schwartz Is Don Corleone, James Bond, and Pennywise
    Video 3:21
    Watch Ben Schwartz Is Don Corleone, James Bond, and Pennywise
    '2001: A Space Odyssey' Changed Michael Mando's View of Life
    Video 1:20
    Watch '2001: A Space Odyssey' Changed Michael Mando's View of Life

    Photos516

    Marlon Brando and Salvatore Corsitto in The Godfather (1972)
    Al Pacino and Simonetta Stefanelli in The Godfather (1972)
    Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, James Caan, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Julie Gregg, Morgana King, Tere Livrano, and Gianni Russo in The Godfather (1972)
    Marlon Brando and Al Martino in The Godfather (1972)
    Al Pacino in The Godfather (1972)
    Marlon Brando and Salvatore Corsitto in The Godfather (1972)
    Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972)
    Al Pacino and Diane Keaton in The Godfather (1972)
    Al Pacino in The Godfather (1972)
    Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972)
    Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, and John Cazale in The Godfather (1972)
    Abe Vigoda in The Godfather (1972)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Marlon Brando
    Marlon Brando
    • Don Vito Corleone
    Al Pacino
    Al Pacino
    • Michael Corleone
    James Caan
    James Caan
    • Sonny Corleone
    Diane Keaton
    Diane Keaton
    • Kay Adams
    Richard S. Castellano
    Richard S. Castellano
    • Clemenza
    • (as Richard Castellano)
    Robert Duvall
    Robert Duvall
    • Tom Hagen
    Sterling Hayden
    Sterling Hayden
    • Capt. McCluskey
    John Marley
    John Marley
    • Jack Woltz
    Richard Conte
    Richard Conte
    • Barzini
    Al Lettieri
    Al Lettieri
    • Sollozzo
    Abe Vigoda
    Abe Vigoda
    • Sal Tessio
    Talia Shire
    Talia Shire
    • Connie Corleone Rizzi
    Gianni Russo
    Gianni Russo
    • Carlo Rizzi
    John Cazale
    John Cazale
    • Fredo Corleone
    Rudy Bond
    Rudy Bond
    • Cuneo
    Al Martino
    Al Martino
    • Johnny Fontane
    Morgana King
    Morgana King
    • Mama Corleone
    Lenny Montana
    Lenny Montana
    • Luca Brasi
    • Director
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Writers
      • Mario Puzo
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Godfather Part II
    9.0
    The Godfather Part II
    The Shawshank Redemption
    9.3
    The Shawshank Redemption
    The Dark Knight
    9.0
    The Dark Knight
    Pulp Fiction
    8.9
    Pulp Fiction
    Forrest Gump
    8.8
    Forrest Gump
    Schindler's List
    9.0
    Schindler's List
    Fight Club
    8.8
    Fight Club
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    9.0
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Godfather Part III
    7.6
    The Godfather Part III
    Goodfellas
    8.7
    Goodfellas
    Inception
    8.8
    Inception
    The Matrix
    8.7
    The Matrix

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During an early shot of the scene where Vito Corleone returns home and his people carry him up the stairs, Marlon Brando put weights under his body on the bed as a prank, to make it harder to lift him.
    • Goofs
      During Sonny and Carlo's fight, one of Sonny's "movie" punches is shot from the wrong angle and clearly misses, but still produces the sound of an impact.
    • Quotes

      [to Rocco who has killed Paulie in the car]

      Peter Clemenza: Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

    • Crazy credits
      In the end credits, Marlon Brando's name is the only one that is not accompanied by the character name that he plays (e.g. "as Vito Corleone").
    • Alternate versions
      In 1972, Paramount was owned by Gulf & Western, so that company's name appears on the opening Paramount logo. When the film was re-released in 1997, Paramount was owned by Viacom, which placed its named on the re-release Paramount logo, and all subsequent video releases.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Godfather Saga (1977)
    • Soundtracks
      Mall Wedding Sequence
      (1972)

      Music by Carmine Coppola

    User reviews5.4K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Initially, I wasn't a fan... but then I realised
    This is a masterpiece. A timeless masterpiece. Initially, I didn't like this film all that much - I found it rather over-hyped and boring. This was until the advent of DVD, which gave me the feature I needed for this sort of film: subtitles. Once I switched them on and heard (read) every last word of Brando's ramblings and other characters ramblings, I grew a true appreciation for this epic.

    To make a true epic, you need all of three following ingredients working in near perfect harmony. For screenwriters who come across this, take the following pointers on board: 1) Contrasting Characters: Good films have some character distinction, but most fall rather flat because the core of each character is the same.

    Of course, there are exceptions to rule (ie... where you want mono-tonal characters... aka matrix; or where you want outlandish contrasts... aka The Fifth Element), but ultimately, this is what makes films deep, meaningful and grand. Consider the contrasts between the Don's children. Michael is rather cool, rational and collected, whereas Sonny is more hot-headed, spontaneous and simple minded. But simply having these contrasts is not nearly enough. What you really need to do is to develop these characters - place them in situations - and then dwell on how their character impacts on the situation they're put in. The Godfather is a terrific example of how to pull this off. While many try to do this in screenplays, most lose the plot and create character obscurities that stretch credibility.

    2) Transformation: The central character(s) must undergo a transformation, resulting in them being almost unrecognizable by the end of the film. By putting them into situations, the character's character must not only influence the outcome of the situation; it must also have a lasting impact on the character. Consider Michael at the wedding and compare that to the Michael we see at the end of the film. Again, many films try, but most fail because they come up with unreal (literally, not praisingly) or simply moronic transformations (eg, Wall Street).

    3) Patience: Men in Black 2 was an astounding film for one simple reason - it was an entire film squashed into about 70 minutes. It was not much longer than an episode of ER or Buffy. I certainly hope the new goal of Hollywood isn't to make films as short as possible.

    All the great ones spend time - time developing characters, family life, growth, patience with the story telling in general. This is the key (provided that the story isn't mind-numbingly boring). Dances with Wolves, Heat.. and so on are very patient but top-class films. While studios may be lukewarm on the idea of longer films, they are worth it if you have a ripper story to base it on.

    I feel that this film has not dated all that much and has tremendous re-watch-ability.
    helpful•494
    150
    • mattrochman
    • Oct 14, 2006

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Antiheroes We Love AND Hate

    Antiheroes We Love AND Hate

    Roman Roy, Harley Quinn, and more morally ambiguous characters we hate to admit we totally love.
    See the gallery
    View image
    Photos

    FAQ44

    • Was Tom Hagen the one who put the horse's severed head in Jack Woltz's bed?
    • Why didn't the Don do anything to stop Carlo from beating Connie?
    • What was Michael's rank as a Marine? What commendations -- medals -- was he awarded?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 24, 1972 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Instagram
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • Mario Puzo's The Godfather
    • Filming locations
      • Forza d'Agrò, Messina, Sicily, Italy(as Corleone village)
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Pictures
      • Albert S. Ruddy Productions
      • Alfran Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $6,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $136,381,073
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $302,393
      • Mar 19, 1972
    • Gross worldwide
      • $250,341,816
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.