The Godfather

Just as "Psycho" changed the horror genre forever and just as "Star Wars" would later change the science fiction genre, "The Godfather" changed the gangster genre. By default, it is my favourite movie from 1972. It is a story of how a son succeeds his father. The director of this movie, Francis Ford Coppola, also saw the story as a metaphor for American capitalism. I saw clips of this movie in film school and was familiar with all the famous pop culture references (having used some of them myself in one of my videos) but it was a while before I finally got the chance to watch both "Godfather" movies back-to-back. Normally, I steer clear of R-rated films but also I knew how important this franchise was for 1970's Hollywood. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep the characters straight and that I would have trouble following the plot. This ended up being the case and it did affect my ability to enjoy the movie. What fascinates me more is how the making of "The Godfather" and the stories surrounding the accolades this movie achieved sound like they belong in the mafia genre.

The opening music for opening credits is quite noteworthy. Don Corleone's opening scene does wonders for his character, so much so that a film archetype comes into being. I love the masterful reveal when Woltz wakes up in bed. We don't see the blood on the blanket at first but after one subtle movement, we notice it (an actual head was used by the way). I did not expect what happens at the fruit stand so close to the start of the film. I wish to give a shout-out to the film's cinematography. I loved the shot of Michael and Kay passing the newspaper stand because the camera follows the two characters and the stand acts as a sort of wipe editing transition. The change of expression on Kay's face after passing the stand is so sudden that we are in Michael's position and don't understand at first. The editing in the movie should also be pointed out. Fast cutting always accompanies important plot points such as when Vito collapses while playing with his grandson. Then we have the famous climax where Michael becomes the Godfather in more ways than one. His ironic rejection of Satan is impressively intercut with the murders of all those against him. The use of music is what is most amazing in this sequence. The closing shot has also become iconic as the cinematography once again performs a task usually handled by the editing.

The story of the production of this film could be its own gangster movie. "The Godfather" was made at a time when the Golden Age of Hollywood was definitely over and public tastes had changed so much & so fast that studios could not keep up. Many even feared that television would replace tradition moviemaking. Between 1972 and 1977, these fears were eliminated. I find it cool that the studio's first choice for director of "The Godfather" was Sergio Leone. Writer Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola were both in need of money when they began making of this show. Coppola and his friend George Lucas at the time were struggling to keep their independent film studio in San Francisco going. When Coppola was offered the job, Lucas felt that the only way for them to survive in the industry and not let their talent go to waste was for Coppola to make "The Godfather". Should it succeed, both of them and other talented filmmakers just out of school could keep being filmmakers and some day get their independence from corporate Hollywood. Coppola wanted the film set in the same time period as the original book and filmed on location in New York and Italy. He was initially at odds with the studio because they were out to save as much money as possible and Coppola was facing the loss of his job constantly during filming. When members of his crew were scheming to get him fired, Coppola fired them first. Thankfully, when the studio heads saw the scene of Michael killing Sollozzo and McCluskey, they let up on their pressure. Coppola also began to get his way as the book gained popularity (the film rights were acquired before the book was published). Coppola sought out A-list actors for his movie and it paid off in this case. He likewise had to fight Paramount on the casting of practically every character. Before "The Godfather", Jewish actors were mostly cast as gangsters in movies. That all changed in a snap after 1972. Marlon Brando at the time was not doing very well career-wise and other actors considered for the lead included George C. Scott (who also refused a Academy Award for Best Actor in 1970) and Orson Wells. Brando found himself back on top after this role and I believe it is all thanks to the opening wedding scene. I would imagine that working with a cat during such a pivotal scene would be hard but Brando makes it look effortless and so natural. He did use cotton balls in auditioning for the character of Vito but I am unsure as to whether Brando used them during the actual filming of the movie. Al Pacino on the other hand was an unknown when he was cast as Michael. I could tell that the character of Johnny Fontane was based on Frank Sinatra and according to Al Martino, the influence of his godfather (who was also a crime leader) got him the role of Fontane. I didn't recognize James Caan as I watched the show and I forgot that Talia Shire was in 'The Godfather" until I finally recognized her at the end of the movie. I didn't know until now that she is Coppola's sister. I wish I could have kept my eyes open for Joe Spinell as both Shire and Spinell would later star in "Rocky" by the way. As another fun fact, Coppola's infant daughter was used for the baptism scene at the end of the movie.

You would think that everyone involved would be happy over the success of "The Godfather" but not so. The film won Golden Globes for Best Dramatic Picture, Director, Dramatic Actor (Brando), Screenplay and Original Score. While the number of Golden Globe wins was greater in number than its Oscar wins, the film did win the only Academy Award that matters: Best Picture. It also won Best Adapted Screenplay and Marlon Brando won Best Actor. His win unfortunately was an offer that he was prepared to refuse. This was an early example of politics getting in the way of the celebration of art in filmmaking. Many celebrities have causes that are just and should be undertaken but I believe however that they shouldn't do it on the world's stage, at a time when film and art should be applauded. A celebrity is already on the world's stage by way of their popularity so in my opinion, why do they need to use the Oscars as a platform for their causes? Brando's cause is and was important (a cause which I also care about) but I believe he could have done more for his cause by accepting the award. Accepting an Oscar for his role in "The Godfather" has hardly anything to do with Native American misrepresentation in the media. He wouldn't have offended anyone by accepting the Academy Award. As an Oscar winner, he has the popularity alone to bring light to this issue. Al Pacino also boycotted the ceremony because he felt his performance belonged in the Best Actor category. He was nominated alongside his co-stars James Caan and Robert Duvall in the Best Supporting Actor category. Other Oscar nominations garnished include Best Director, Costume Design, Film Editing and Sound. "The Godfather" was the highest grossing film preceding "Jaws" and the American Film Institute has this movie all over its lists. It is #11 for thrilling movies, #5 for film scores and is #1 in the gangster film genre. AFI also has the line, "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse", as #2 behind the famous line from "Gone with the Wind" (Funny enough, real-life gangsters adapted this line of Don Corleone’s and the film also encouraged them to clean up their grammar). Most importantly, AFI sees "The Godfather" as the second best movie of all time after "Citizen Kane".

I am now under the impression that three movies/directors saved Hollywood and helped it transition from the Golden Age to the Blockbuster Age. They are George Lucas with "Star Wars", Steven Spielberg with "Jaws" and Francis Ford Coppola with "The Godfather". Spielberg almost quit filmmaking after seeing "The Godfather" because he felt he couldn't match Coppola's talent. Coppola actually opened the door for both Spielberg and Lucas as well as for other filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Sylvester Stallone. "The Godfather" is good because the real life production mirrored the genre it belongs to. It also was more realistic in terms of its characters than other films before it, changing the way Italian actors were used and portrayed in movies & TV. I gave the rating I did for this film not because it was poorly made but based on my own tastes. It may be better the second time when I understand completely what is happening but for now, I like the story of the making of "The Godfather" more than the film itself.

3 Stars out of 5