The Godfather
This was the first big movie of the 1970s, making stars of Al Pacino & James Caan, with tons of Oscars and a comeback for Marlon Brando. Based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel, this excellent film remains a classic, fully deserving of its reputation. Francis Ford Coppola can be credited with putting down the groundwork for 70s cinema with his technical engineering and his audacious set-pieces – the horse's head, the slaughter of Sonny, the wedding party with Don Corleone's court indoors, the progress of Michael's Sicilian courtship with Apollonia contrasted with Connie & Carlo's explosive domestic life, and the array of assassinations . . . carried out against the sacramental rites in which Michael officially assumes the role of godfather.
The sequel . . . The Godfather Part II (which took six Oscars, including the only one for Best Picture ever awarded to a sequel) and is arguably even more compelling with its celebration of power, corruption & lies into complete moral decay. The Godfather continues to enthral audiences with its emphatically mythic exploration of the family . . . cursed with blood and ambition.
The film is currently doing the rounds to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
