Rating: 
Summary: A truly flawless film classic
Review: For years I avoided seeing this movie. I'd heard something about a bloody horse's head in bed with a man, and I thought, Why would I want to watch such a thing?
How wrong I was. I'm sixty years old, and I just watched this movie for the first time. Now I know what all the hoopla has been about, why so many of the actors went on to become stars, how Coppola's fame was developed/enhanced, and why it has spawned what, four? Sequels. What a terrific film. Yes, it's a true classic.
As everyone probably knows, it's the story of a Mafia dynasty headed by patriarch Vito Corleone, played by the perfectly cast and incomparable Marlon Brando. Al Pacino, looking impossibly young, plays the conflicted and rebellious eldest son who finds himself sucked into assuming his father's mantle, carrying on family tradition...
Oh, lordy, it's a great movie that explores so many universal themes: the immigrant experience, loyalty, death, tradition, dreams for one's children, crime, honor.
If you've never seen it, see it now. If you've already seen it, see it again.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of my two favorite movies of all time.
Review: Rarely does a film manage to express the power of a novel from which it was based -- but "The Godfather" does manage to do quite well. Realizing that the entire second section of the novel could not be fit into the movie (but was cleverly woven into "The Godfather, part 2") Puzo and Coppola produced a film which was remarkably consistent with the remainder of the book (although there are a few 'jumps' in the plot which make more sense to someone also familiar with the book). The cast for this picture could not possibly be better -- both in the first-rate Hollywood actors AND in the on-location Sicilian actors selected for those portions of the movie filmed on that island. Brando is perfect as the aging Don, Pacino portrays the inherently moral but tormented Michael extremely well, Caan is ideal as the hotheaded Sonny, and Robert Duvall, in the best role of his career, is splendid as Tom Hagen. (And I loved Simonetta Stefanelli as Apollonia)! In addition to the writing and the casting, the filming and cinematography was also excellent. Who could ever forget Sonny's murder at the toll booth? And the baptism scene? Classic filmmaking at its best. I can't recommend this picture highly enough -- although I would strongly encourage the reading and re-reading of the novel as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasantly Surprised!
Review: If you haven't seen the film The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola it is worth the time! When first deciding to watch this movie I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it there is plenty of violence although there is a hint of a love story.The story is based on a Mob family which is headed by Vito Corleon, played by Marlon Brando. Of course there are the usual gunfights, bloodshed and killing that are the norm when dealing with a mob movie and of course all of this is talked about in the first few minutes of the movie but there is also an element of romance when Al Pacino's character, Michael, falls in love and decides to not follow in the family business. Then when Vito is shot in the street his son Michael takes matters into his own hands by killing the murderers. From there the story develops into one that you just have to see to believe. This story has more twists and turns then I could have imagined. Yes there are some parts that will make you cringe but all in all this movie was well worth watching and I was plesantly surprised and am looking forward to watching the sequels.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: This is one of the greatest films ever made. Any doubt about that can be dispelled by watching the movie. I missed this when it first came out, and then a curious thing happened. For some reason I thought I had seen the film. One decade and then two went by and I kept hearing what a great film The Godfather was. But I was unimpressed because I thought I had seen it. I don't know what film I had seen, but it wasn't The Godfather. Seeing this film for the first time over thirty years after the fact of its production is a startling experience. The Godfather is a work of art from first scene to last. There is the most amazing adherence to that fiction which is truer than fact. I would like to say that I played cards with Mario Puzo who wrote the novel from which the film was adapted and who famously worked with Coppola on the screenplay, but in fact I only played cards with some people who had played cards with Puzo. Ah, such is the effect of celebrity. Puzo became like Coppola something of a legend after this film was produced, and everybody suddenly knew him or played cards with him. Everybody, from the most unsophisticated celluloid fan to the most erudite and jaded critic had walked out of that theater after 171 minutes mesmerized and delighted and emotionally moved by an uncompromising look at not just a Mafia family, but the psychology of families since time immemorial. The truth that we have all lived and experienced was made large on the screen in the form of the Corleones. I can guarantee you that audiences from every culture on the planet would understand the underlying psychology of this movie and take it to some serious extent as their own. Marlon Brando plays the godfather (the patriarch, of course, or even the warlord if you like) of the past and the present, and then, as must always be the case, comes a new godfather. What is fascinating is who this new godfather is and how he comes to power. The ending of the film is--after so many brilliant scenes and so many psychologically true surprises and so many excursions to Queens and the Bronx and Sicily and Las Vegas (each vignette absolutely integrated into the story of the film)--even more ponderously true and a surprise that sneaks up on us so stealthily that it is not a surprise. And when the credits begin to run after Diana Keaton's tears of realization, we too realize the "message" of the film. It is a message that I think would be understood in the Middle East today (and two thousand years ago as well) as I write this, a message of tribal ways and the rise and fall of warlords and the Machiavellian machinations of the prince who would be king. But it is Al Pacino's performance as the son of the godfather that in the final analysis steals the show as he goes from the intellectual boy who would be a legitimate American success at the finest colleges, etc. to a man wearing the hat of Al Capone. And Pacino makes us believe every step of the way. Well, I should not say that it Al Pacino who steals the show. In truth this is Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece. He would not have the film he has without Al Pacino or Marlon Brandon and certainly not without the novel and script from Mario Puzo, of course; but make no mistake about it. Coppola manicured every scene. He attended to every detail, from the color of the wine to the tires on the cars to the dances and the music to the villas abroad to the sleaze of Las Vegas to the perfect casting of the main characters right down to the extras including both cute and not so cute kids, as indeed life would give us. In some very real sense Coppola lived this movie and it was a part of him, and yet I am stuck by the fact that Puzo invented it. This is an American classic, an uncompromising work of art that engages, informs and moves the audience--just about any audience--to ask the great questions regarding who we are and what we should do and how we should live. From the wedding to the funeral to the christening to the priest in Latin voice-over as the final vengeance is planned to that final vengeance (that we know will NOT be the final vengeance), we are glued to our seats as the life of human beings (who could very well be us) passes before our transfixed eyes. Oscars went to Brando as best actor, and to Puzo and Coppola for best screen adaptation. In a rare show of almost universal agreement among movie goers, critics, and the Academy, The Godfather won the Oscar as Best Picture in 1972. Don't miss this as I had for so long, and see it for Coppola who can take his place among the greats of all cinema for this film alone.
Rating:
Summary: The Number One Movie of All Time
Review: I was fourteen years old when I saw this film in 1972 in the theater. I knew then that this is a masterpiece and that Mr. Brando would win the Oscar. I said then that this was the best movie I had ever seen, and that still stands today thirty-two years later. There is no weak point in this film, the acting by all concerned, writing, the camera work, and of course the man who put it all together Mr. Coppola, did a superb job. This film is the most honest and realistic portrait of life. I can't think of any movie that is more believable. Scarface is compared but doesn't even come close and in my opinion isn't a good film. People tell you when a movie is good or bad so what. But one way to be sure is when everyone tells you a movie is great, and that has always been the response I've heard for this film. Thank God they came to their senses and released it separately from the box set. Unfortunately this has been a trend in DVD land where box sets come out first telling you this is the only way to get a film. I can't wait for The Godfather II which is very close to this film in greatness, I will pass on The Godfather III, it never should have been made.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of my two favorite movies of all time.
Review: Rarely does a film manage to express the power of a novel from which it was based -- but "The Godfather" does manage to do quite well. Realizing that the entire second section of the novel could not be fit into the movie (but was cleverly woven into "The Godfather, part 2") Puzo and Coppola produced a film which was remarkably consistent with the remainder of the book (although there are a few 'jumps' in the plot which make more sense to someone also familiar with the book). The cast for this picture could not possibly be better -- both in the first-rate Hollywood actors AND in the on-location Sicilian actors selected for those portions of the movie filmed on that island. Brando is perfect as the aging Don, Pacino portrays the inherently moral but tormented Michael extremely well, Caan is ideal as the hotheaded Sonny, and Robert Duvall, in the best role of his career, is splendid as Tom Hagen. (And I loved Simonetta Stefanelli as Apollonia)! In addition to the writing and the casting, the filming and cinematography was also excellent. Who could ever forget Sonny's murder at the toll booth? And the baptism scene? Classic filmmaking at its best. I can't recommend this picture highly enough -- although I would strongly encourage the reading and re-reading of the novel as well.
Rating:
Summary: One of the supreme treasures in the american cinema
Review: This film was a superb adaptation from Mario Puzzo' novel- Coppola reached the peak and became a first rate director with this movie.
There are many worthy issues to remark. The first of them was the superb approach and conception given to this complex and even fascinating world of the mob.
Until this movie; no other one had made such analytical surgeon, with so deep gaze. The camera (with a photography which reminds us to Visconti in several dramatic sequences) establishes as another actor. The amazing cast was another cosmical achievement. Coppola has always had that hunter smell for the outstanding actors.
What can we add to the unforgettable performance of Marlon Brando? . More than acting Brando established a landmark; he became in a model for this role.
But the emerging talents such as Robert de Niro , James Caan, Talia Shire, Diane Keaton and the young raising promise as Al Pacino who had revealed the year before with Serpico, looks like they had established a unspoken commitment, not only with the directorial code, but with themselves.
The flow of the story follows the same model as a Symphony in four movements. Coppola will never be effectist with the action sequences; he makes that you feel as logical and the use of the music looks like a voice in off, which makes as a natural link for the work in progress.
There are, at least five unforgettable sequences in this legend movie. This work from its release, became in a reference film.
Watch it and you'll be always rewarded over and over.
An eternal triumph in the story of the cinema.
Rating:
Summary: The Original Classic you won't be able to refuse!
Review: Marlon Brando in his Oscar-refused role as the head of a Sicilian crime family. The biggest mob-film since "Little Caesar" and "Scar Face", and easily the very best of them all. Oscar-Winning production values include breath-taking location cinematography, a haunting score and the eerie love theme "Speak Softly, My Love", along with a spell-binding plot, will keep viewers hooked even before the opening credits. Followed by two sequels, both 5 star classics in their own right. Fans of the crime drama genre will delighted with this grand-daay of them all!*****
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greatest Films Ever
Review: talk about a film that brings it from start to finish? also the supporting Cast was on point.the pacing of the film,style&feel ruled the way that films in the years to come where made to appear.this film is timeless&just gets fresher with every new viewing.
Rating:
Summary: One of the all-time great films
Review: The Godfather is one of the greatest movies ever made with a great story and impressive cast. The movie tells the story of the Corleone family, one of the Five Families in New York City. Headed by Don Vito Corleone, the family must survive in the changing times after World War II as the drug industry begins to spread in America. The Godfather must try and hold his family and empire together against the other mafia families, but also against his own family. This movie has become an important part of American pop culture for good reason. The movie is full of great characters, fantastic one-liners, the instantly recognizable theme, and the still alarming violence. This is a great movie that should not be missed by movie fans everywhere. Marlon Brando fully deserved his Academy Award for his performance as Vito Corleone, the head of the powerful Corleone family in NYC. This was also the movie to skyrocket Al Pacino to the top as Michael Corleone who takes charge of the family when everything begins to go wrong. The impressive cast includes James Caan as the hot-tempered Sonny, Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, Richard Castellano as Clemenza, Diane Keaton as Kay Adams, and Sterling Hayden as corrupt cop, Captain McCluskey. The movie also stars John Marley, Abe Vigoda, Al Lettieri, Talia Shire, and Richard Conte. The DVD offers a great-looking widescreen presentation and commentary from director Francis Ford Coppola. Releasing the movie like this without the second two movies in the series was a great idea. The other two movies are good, but nowhere near as good as the original Godfather. For one of the best movies ever to come out of Hollywood, check out The Godfather!
|
