MARCH 14, 1972
The Godfather has topped many polls of the greatest films, inspired a host of mob movies and is credited with changing cinema forever.
The most famous gangster film of them all premiered at the Loew’s State Theatre in New York on March 14, 1972, and has never lost its appeal.
It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and charted the fortunes of the Corleones, an
Italian-american mafia family led by patriarch Vito, played by Marlon Brando.
Critics and audiences alike hailed it as an instant success, even though expectations had been low as Brando was considered past his prime and Coppola had just directed a string of box office flops.
Paramount Pictures had paid just $80,000 for the film rights, and the studio’s first picks for the director turned it down. But the film, also featuring Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton and Robert Duvall, won three Oscars – including best picture – and became the highest-grossing film to date.
Based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola, the plot spanned the decade from 1945 as Vito Corleone’s youngest son Michael – played by Pacino – underwent a transformation from war hero to ruthless crime lord.
It had audiences gripped from the first line of “I believe in America”, despite graphic violence and a running time of two hours and 58 minutes.
The Godfather is also hailed as the inspiration for gangster classics such as Goodfellas.
“Jolly Good, Says Prince,” is the headline about a royal trip to South America.
“Prince Charles sampled the local firewater in Sao Paulo, Brazil, yesterday, and pronounced it ‘a jolly good brew’,” continued the article.
“The Prince, on an eight-day official visit to South America’s largest country, had just sampled caipirinha, a kind of rum made from cane sugar. Brazilians have been delighted with the Prince’s obvious preference for informal occasions instead of official ceremonies.”
Caipirinha, pronounced kai-pir-in-ya, is made with cachaça (cah-cha-za), and is a cocktail that is found all over Brazil, from the beaches to the rainforests.
It is made from distilled fermented sugarcane juice and is traditionally served with fresh lime and sugar over ice.