BBBBB
(out of 5)
The masterpiece that started it all. At a level of popularity on par with such other classics like Gone With The Wind and The Sound Of Music, this phenomenally successful epic was responsible for changing the face of cinema in the seventies, plus boosted mafia films to a level of popularity that has yet to go away. Marlon Brando is the commanding presence of the title, the head of a respected family who run much of the organized crime in 1930s New York City. His eldest son (James Caan) is a hotheaded punk who is set to take over the family, while younger brother Al Pacino has decided to not be part of the family and wants to live a legit life with his girlfriend (Diane Keaton). When trouble befalls his father, however, Pacino finds himself unable to avoid stepping in to help settle things, eventually getting sucked in to the life of a crime lord. Stunning in every respect, acting, directing, photography, editing, writing, there is nothing bad you can say about this marvelous film, and it was followed by an even more impressive sequel two years later.
Paramount Pictures, Alfran Productions
USA, 1972
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Screenplay by Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel by Mario Puzo
Cinematography by Gordon Willis
Produced by Albert S. Ruddy
Music by Nino Rota
Production Design by Dean Tavoularis
Costume Design by Anna Hill Johnstone
Film Editing by William Reynolds, Peter Zinner
You’re on a real Coppola kick these days eh?