The Godfather

Rating:
Summary: BMIHES (Best Movie I Have Ever Seen)
Review: I have looked at this movie and woah, what a movie. The first bit has a bit of confusion if you don't listen hard enough though after that- it's simple yet very interesting.

Firstly, Brando puts so much personality into this... But the other actors were so good that this kickstarted their careers.

Also, if you haven't read anything about the classic scenes (living in a cave for so many years? o.O) you won't expect anything that happens. Some excellent shots at certain places add to the tension of the movie.

Some innovative effects also make this movie classic. Just watch the shootings; you'll never get them out of your head. EVER.

From beginning to the end, this film has worked itself up to utter perfection. The acting, the directing and the writing (well, maybe) are perfect. I have just stated my reasons for this.

Rating:
Summary: A Family Is a Family
Review: The Godfather is the story of the Corleone family. The Corleones are involved in the ultimate of all family businesses: the mafia. They are headed by Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando).

After some wrangling about the narcotics business, Vito is wounded in a hit. His son Sonny (James Caan) takes over for him while he's recuperating. Sonny is very different from his father. While his father is a calculating businessman, Sonny is prone to letting his emotions interfere with his judgement.

Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is Vito's war hero son (WW II) who has come back for his sister's wedding. He doesn't want to be involved with the family business and his father wants it to stay that way. Eventually though he is drawn into the crime world and that life seems to suit him better than it does any of his siblings.

The Godfather is ultimately a movie about family. Through two of Vito's biological sons, Sonny and Michael, and his adopted son Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) we see the workings of a large family with very different individual personalities. It is apparent that the family is most important to each member through their actions and their words. It is actually Sonny's devotion to his sister that causes him his troubles.

There were some aspects of the movie that seemed to be left out due to time constraints. The movie was already nearly three hours long and I'd hate to think of how much was left on the editing room floor. There seem to be some important parts of Michael's transition from civilian to soldier to Don that are not fully explained. But those aspects are better left to a book or the imagination. Although another half hour wouldn't have been so bad.

The acting in The Godfather is first rate. My favorite performance was given by Duvall as the outsider son. He's not Sicilian in a family that prizes its heritage but he is still nearly accepted as a full member of the family. He is Vito's primary advisor in matters of business but never gets his hands dirty. It's not explained if that is his choice or a choice made for him. It appears to be a little of both. Even when a boy is raised as a son, if he isn't blood he can never really be 100 percent family.

Any number of other performances could have garnered Academy attention. I've always thought of Pacino as a good actor but until I saw this movie I never saw him as great. While he hasn't ever matched the performance he gave in this film, it would be very difficult to do considering the depth and realism he gave the character. Like I said, I felt there were problems with the transition that Michael makes to Don, but Pacino does an excellent job with the actual being of the character in each phase. There is little an actor can do with character development. That is more the writer's job to handle.

The Godfather is an excellent tale about an American family. The movie makes a clear point that families and families no matter what line of work they are in. They still have the same loyalties and bonds that hold them together through good times and bad. Anyone would be lucky to have , in their family, the kind of familial love that the Corleones show each other.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful movie
Review: "The Godfather" not only lives up to all--ALL--its kudos, it stands the test of time. I never tire of re-watching it, because each time I find something new to admire.

The commentary offered by the director and stars in the beginning adds to the experience and makes one appreciate the movie even more. I shudder to think how it would have turned out had Robert Redford or Ryan O'Neal been cast as Michael (as the studio wanted); Al Pacino gives what I think is the best, and certainly most controlled, performance of his career as the character who is arguably the center of the entire story. I can forgive the minor flaws (the occasional difficulty in understanding what Marlon Brando is saying, the fact that the severed horse's head lacks the white patch we saw on the live animal's forehead) because everything else works so beautifully.

Even if you are not generally a fan of movies concerning the Mafia (as I am not), this is a great film.

Rating:
Summary: Defined a genre, set a new standard
Review: The facts that this movie came out on the same year when I was born and that I got to finally see it for the first time on my birthday were a funny coincidence.

For those who don't want to bother reading an extensive review, here are the three reasons why you should see it:
-Excellent performances delivered by young Al Pacino, Diane Keaton and James Caan, not to mention Marlon Brando.
-Inanimated objects have a life of their own. They complement very powerfully the performances and feelings of the actors.
-The way they (specially Pacino) figure things out, how they tie ends, and come to conclusions

This one is unlike conventional mob movies: this IS the mob movie, but actually more about a family that was stronger than anything else.

Rating:
Summary: Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather"
Review: THE GODFATHER: Mario Puzo's Popular Novel Comes To Life In Artful Fashion...Filmed In Foreboding Tones, The Film Takes Us Into The Lurid World Of The Mafia...Marlon Brando Won An Oscar For His Performance, But It's Al Pacino Who Grabs Your Attention With An Unnerving Intensity...Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, James Caan, Robert DeNiro...

Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie of the 20th Century!
Review: With career making performances for Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall, and Marlon Brando's best performance ever, it's no reason why this movie had won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor(Marlon Brando). It's also no wonder why this movie is still one of the best American made movies of all time, even after 25 years later. If you like movies about the Mafia you'll love "The Godfather" This is the ultimate movie!

Rating:
Summary: Exercise in Morality
Review: The acting, directing, and script of The Godfather was excellent and beyond reproach. I cannot think of another movie (esp. one that was 3 hrs.) that captivated me and kept me glued to the screen from start to finish.

However, for me the Godfather is an exercise in morality. And by that I do not mean that they are monsters, etc. Although they are no Mahatma Gandhi, they are moral in their own way.

Eg. most other gangster movies portray their characters, even the protagonists as womenizers, heavy drinkers, people who get pleasure out of causing pain to others. In short they are portrayed as deplorable and morally corrupt individuals who abuse their power and use it to rise above society. For example in Goodfellas, the mobsters park wherever they want without fear of getting a ticket, they can play loud music without consequence etc.

Also, if someone were to insult a Goodfella, then they would be killed or severely injured.

However, the Godfather is not so base. The characters (except for Sonny and poss. Fredo) do not indulge themselves in petty vices. You don't see Michael Corleone chasing women, drinking, indulging in violence, etc. And those who do succumb to sensory pleasures come to an unfortunate end. In the end, although Michael is a "killer" he only survives because he is disciplined and does not excessively use his power for his own benefit, but only for his family.

Also in the Godfather is a Gandhi like forgiveness. Vito, when his son his killed, says "I want no acts of vengeance." Even in part II when he is insulted by the landlord, he is calm. Mike is also calm when he is insulted by others and does not react.

The killing in the Godfather can be considered as that of a soldier. Killing is not looked down upon currently in western society. Warfare is accepted. People kill animals for food. The west frequently engages in warfare to "protect" others. Some even argue that the US never has humanitarian interests in mind when it goes into another far away country, but is only acting to protect its own interests and force its philosophy upon others.

In this way, the killings committed by the Corleone family pale in comparison to what the government does. And what the govt. does is no secret. It is accepted by the American people!

So according to this line of reasoning, it makes no sense to criticize the Godfather for violence, both on the part of the filmmaker and the characters.

This movie helped me realize, when i was much younger, that real power is not boisterous and loud, and does not assert itself even when provoked. On the contrary, the person who does not react when confronted and insulted by others, holds the trump card and is the real victor. Gandhi knew this. And the fictional Corleone family knew this and that is why they were the best!

Rating:
Summary: The Godfather
Review: I have always found this film fascinating. It is a character study of Al Pacino's character, Michael Corleone. In the beginning he is wise to his family's business and all that it implies but clearly wants none of it. As the film progresses you can study him and watch him become the mafia Don --- to borrow from Star Wars -- he is seduced by the "dark side". A fascinating story with fascinating character studies. Watch the entire saga beginning with this film.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and astounding movie
Review: What can I say? I have only seen it once, but I can tell you that Brando and Pacino are amazing, the horse head will not make you sleep soundy at night, and Coppola is truly a legend of cinema for this film and an even better one, part II. I hope when ot comes out on DVD that it is not letterboxed.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: Perhaps the greatest Mob movie ever created, I'll quote one reviewer "The Godfather movies are "The Lord of the Ring's" of Mafia movies". I was surprised to find out that Brando's "death scene" was almost entirely impromtu, it fits the story so well. Anyways, this movie is a classic, a masterpiece of flimmaking, and it is now the benchmark for what all future movie in gangster genre will always be compared.