The Godfather is the granddaddy of movies
IT’S impossible to over-estimate the cultural and artistic importance of Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather films – the first two especially, but even the under-estimated third instalment has its place.
As with pretty much any great work, The Godfather films were born out of conflict, desperation and sheer bloody-mindedness.
Author Mario Puzo very nearly sold the screen rights to his novel for a mere US$12,500, but eventually settled for about US$80,000 and – thankfully – a cut of the profits. He was later paid more as the studio retained him to help on the script.
Likewise, director Coppola was no-one’s first choice to direct. Coppola was coming off the failure of The Rain People – which is worth seeking out, if you can find a copy. But producer Robert Evans insisted that only an Italian-American film-maker could do the material justice and eventually Coppola – desperate for money as ever – agreed.
Coppola fought back as the studio attempted to update the story and shift the location out of New York – which was a famously expensive and problematic location in the early 1970s.
Cinematographer Gordon
Willis – today remembered as an all-time great – also turned down the job, saying that the production looked too chaotic and disorganised to succeed, but he came on board after agreeing with Coppola that the film must be shot in a classical style, with theatrical framing, no aerial shots and no zoom lenses. The results are as breathtaking today as any film from the era, despite the complete lack of trickery and artifice.
The cast – Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire and John Cazale among them, with Robert De Niro joining for Part II – is still one of the greatest assemblages of talent ever put together. Coppola resisted studio pressure to cast more famous or names and almost always got his way. Ironically, it would be Coppola’s insistence on having his daughter Sofia in The Godfather III that would attract some of the greatest criticism of that movie.
The Godfather is an epic that proved that viscera and grit had their place in mainstream cinema. It was the most successful film of 1972 and still ranks among the most successful films of all time.
The Godfather Part II replicated the triumph and also received the Academy Award for best picture, the first sequel to do so – in 1974.
Without The Godfather, there is no Goodfellas, Sopranos ,or even Apocalypse Now. The film turned Paramount Studios back into a force and resuscitated or jump-started the careers of everyone involved.
If you’re lucky enough to have the chance to watch these films on a cinema screen in the next few weeks, go. You won’t see many better films in your life.
The Godfather is returning to select New Zealand cinemas for special screenings between Friday, February 25 and Sunday, February 27. The Godfather Part II will do the same between March 4 and 6. Both films are also available to rent from iTunes, Neon, GooglePlay and YouTube.