The Godfather

Whenever you think about mafia movies, inevitably the number one title that comes to mind is Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. This trilogy of films, released over the course of eighteen years, secured nominations for all three movies in the Best Picture category at their respective Academy Awards, winning two of them. While the third film has its share of detractors, it is still a well-made film and a fitting conclusion to this saga. But all great film series have a first chapter, and The Godfather’s first film is generally considered the best of the three. I personally prefer The Godfather Part II, but it is a photo finish that could have easily gone either way. Both are, in my eye, the best this genre has to offer.

The Godfather began life as an ensemble novel by the late Mario Puzo. Reading this book, after having seen the film, is a bit of a shock. There is some of what makes the film great in there, but there is also a lot of filler and character stories that could never be translated to the screen. We do, however, get some greater insight into the characters that is only lightly touched on in the film. And there is also some background information, specifically about Don Vito Corleone, that would wait until the second movie before getting filmed. It’s a fascinating read, and there are moments of greatness in that book, but it has gotten overshadowed by what Francis Ford Coppola did when making this feature film.

Paramount Pictures secured the rights to film the novel well before it gained popularity. This allowed them to gain those rights for the paltry sum of just $80,000, a figure Puzo accepted only because he had some gambling debts he needed to pay. But after they bought the book, they struggled to find a director for the project. When they did finally sign a director, Francis Ford Coppola, they were immediately at loggerheads over his choice for casting. Coppola wanted Marlon Brando for the role of Don Vito, a significant part for an actor that was on the outs with Hollywood at the time. Brando had been a huge star in the 1950s and 60s, but a string of flops, combined with his notoriety for being problematic on set, had gotten him virtually blacklisted. No one wanted to work with him and he was seriously considering giving up acting.

Coppola’s insistence paid off, though. He got Brando for the part, and while the shoot wasn’t free of his usual shenanigans, the results made up for it. His performance is amongst the best in his career. He disappears behind some subtle, and not-so-subtle, makeup effects that gave him jowls and altered the shape of his face. He also spoke in a raspy voice that was distinctive and became iconic. He would be rewarded with an Oscar win for this performance, although he turned down the honor. 

Al Pacino proved more difficult to get for the role of Michael Corleone. In the early 1970s, Al was not a known commodity. This was not his first film, but his credits were sparse, and he was an unrecognizable face; something the studio was trying to avoid. They wanted a bankable star that would virtually guarantee a return on investment, and Al Pacino was not that man in 1971. This became a sticking point between Coppola and Paramount Pictures. Paramount wanted someone like Warren Beatty or Robert Redford. At one point, Burt Reynolds was even offered the role, but Coppola threatened to quit the project if that happened. After a lot of fighting back and forth, Pacino was signed, but Paramount was keeping a close eye on production and threatened to step in and take over should the film not meet expectations. 

This constant overlooking by the studio made filming The Godfather very stressful for the young director. He goes into great detail about the struggles in his wonderful commentary, but the main thing he was dealing with was the constant threat that on any day he could be fired. When the filming was all complete, the studio had their first look at the picture. Their thoughts boiled down to: it needed to be cut down to two hours. After every last moment of character development was removed, and a two-hour cut of the film was presented to them, they realized in horror that all the best moments were gone. This was not a story that could be told so easily in a two-hour runtime. Cooler heads prevailed, and the film was restored to its original length. 

The film takes the parts of the novel about the rise of Michael Corleone to Godfather and jettisons pretty much anything else. It opens on the wedding of Connie Corleone (Talia Shire), daughter to Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) and sister to Michael (Al Pacino), Sonny (James Caan), and Fredo (John Cazale). This wedding scene lasts nearly a half-hour, but it introduces us to all the main players. We get a sense of who Vito is as he is being greeted by guests of the wedding, some who are there to take advantage of a Sicilian custom where the father of the bride must grant the wishes of the guests. Vito is obliging, but he makes several points to some of them, including the need for respect and how he should be the first to be approached when seeking justice, not an afterthought when the law fails to do so. 

We also meet Michael in this opening scene. Michael is in attendance with his girlfriend, Kay Adams (Diane Keaton), a non-Italian who is finding this environment and the stories she hears of the people here to be frightening and fascinating. Michael is there wearing his military dress uniform, which tells us he fought in the war. We will learn throughout the film that this was not with his father’s blessing, who felt Michael should have stayed with the family rather than fight for strangers. This is expanded on even more in the novel. Meanwhile, Sonny is revealed to have a hot temper and is sneaking off to have affairs. Fredo is left more of a mystery until later in the film when it is revealed that he doesn’t have a strong personality and is largely ineffective. This aspect of his character plays a major role in the second film.

After the wedding, there are a handful of brief scenes that are there to cement not only the power Vito wields but also the degree that he will go to support and protect his family. We also learn that he controls a number of judges and police officers, people that the other mafia families want on their side as they prepare to expand beyond alcohol, gambling, and prostitution. They want to get into the drug business but need the law protecting them, something Vito won’t grant for fear he will lose their protection should he get involved in this venture. This leads to an assassination attempt on his life, a violent gang war, and Michael exiled to Sicily after he voluntarily executes the men responsible for the attempted assassination on his father. All of this is leading up to Michael taking over for Vito, who is growing frail and will soon be unable to lead the family. Michael is just as shrewd as Vito, but far more cold and calculating.

So much of this movie is atmosphere. This is a film that sets the tone, and you never forget just where the character’s priorities are. Vito says early on, “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” Vito’s priorities are to his family, and we never see him do anything that he feels will harm them. Michael outwardly presents the same thing, yet his actions ultimately tear the family apart. Not all of that is in this film; some of it plays out in the sequels. In this first film, though, Michael coldly brings about the deaths of several in the family, including his new brother-in-law. Michael also lies to Kay, whom he marries late into the film. He reassures her that he is not a killer, and at first, she believes him. But she quickly sees that he is not the man she originally fell in love with, and that frightens her. 

Diane Keaton is one of the most fascinating actors to watch in this movie. She isn’t in the film much, but what she does do is haunting. During the aforementioned scene, she confronts Michael when he has been accused by Connie of killing her husband. He reassures Kay that he is innocent of the murder, and she accepts that answer. Up to that point, Kay isn’t sure and, though she fears it may be true, she doesn’t want to believe it. You can see on her face that she is frightened, but she doesn’t flinch when he gets angry at her for even asking. That fear melts off her face when he relents and tells her what she wants to hear. But it quickly comes back when she is escorted out of the room, and the door is being shut in her face, locking her out of this part of Michael’s life. 

This is an intricately woven tapestry of family, religion, organized crime, and brutal violence. It became the poster child for mafia-related entertainment. It’s, of course, not based on a real story, and many of the elements do not accurately represent what the real mafia is like. Still, though some felt it romanticized organized crime, it also is a cautionary tale of the downfall of Michael Corleone, especially when the trilogy as a whole is viewed. He is not a character to look up to, any more than Vito is. However, Michael is a far darker character than his father, and that ultimately leads him to lose everything he holds dear in his life. This is not something to aspire to, nor someone to emulate; far from it. This is filmmaking brilliance bringing us a character so multifaceted and well-defined, the “hero” of the story yet also the villain. It is fascinating to watch all of this play out, even in just this first film. It’s not just a mafia movie; it’s so much more.

Academy Award Nominations: 

Best Picture: Albert S. Ruddy (won)

Best Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Best Actor: Marlon Brando (won)

Best Supporting Actor: James Caan

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Duvall

Best Supporting Actor: Al Pacino

Best Adapted Screenplay: Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola (won)

Best Costume Design: Anna Hill Johnstone

Best Film Editing: William Reynolds and Peter Zinner

Best Sound: Bud Grenzbach, Richard Portman, and Christopher Newman

Best Original Dramatic Score: Nino Rota (Revoked)

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Release Date: March 24, 1972

Running Time: 175 minutes

Rated R

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton

Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola