The Godfather (18)

Film

Gangster films

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<strong>Rating: </strong>5/5
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Time Out says

An everyday story of Mafia folk, incorporating a severed horse's head in the bed and a number of heartwarming family occasions, as well as pointers on how not to behave in your local trattoria (i.e. blasting the brains of your co-diners out all over their fettuccini).

Mario Puzo's novel was brought to the screen in bravura style by Coppola, who was here trying out for the first time that piano/fortissimo style of crosscutting between religious ritual and bloody machine-gun massacre that was later to resurface in a watered-down version in The Cotton Club. See Brando with a mouthful of orange peel. Watch Pacino's cheek muscles twitch in incipiently psychotic fashion. Trace his rise from white sheep of the family to budding don and fully-fledged bad guy. Singalong to Nino Rota's irritatingly catchy theme tune. Its soap operatics should never have been presented separately from Part II.

Author: GA

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Release details

Rated:

18

UK release:

1972

Duration:

175 mins

Cast and crew

Cast:

Richard Castellano, Sterling Hayden, Al Pacino, James Caan, John Marley, Al Lettieri, Richard Conte, Robert Duvall, Marlon Brando, John Cazale, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire

Editor:

Peter Zinner, William H Reynolds

Screenwriter:

Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola

Production Designer:

Dean Tavoularis

Music:

Nino Rota

Cinematography:

Gordon Willis

Producer:

Albert S Ruddy

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

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Comments & ratings

Rated as: 5/5 (5 ratings)

  • Like Citizen Kane, for me the Godfather is essentially a B-movie. Enjoyable, entertaining and well-made but a piece of work which adds nothing to our understanding of the human condition. The characters are essentially cartoonish and the writing is too often cliched. Although some of the scenes and the score are iconic they cannot make up for the portentous tone that runs throughout. Lift to the Scaffold. Now there is a great crime film.

    Paul Slamin Wed Oct 21 2009
    Rated as: 3/5
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  • Read the book before watching the movie if at all possible. It will enhance your enjoyment of what is without question the greatest gangster movie of all time.

    p downey Sun Oct 11 2009
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • Love this movie

    Benna Thu Oct 2 2008
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  • The epic masterpiece that all other epic masterpieces are compared to.

    Magmabulle Sun Jun 8 2008
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • This is one of the most well written films I have seen. every actor was amazing. My favourite character was Tom Hagen

    Jesse Fri Apr 18 2008
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • This is the standard of movie-making that all directors without exception strive to equal. An all-star cast of Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton ensure that this film reaches all levels of society. It is so influencial that the real mafia in Little Italy will kiss the ring on the index finger of their boss as a sign of respect and refer to him as Godfather. 'The Godfather' came first in The American Film Institute Top 1000 films ever made and it is unquestionably worthy of nothing less

    Kushal Patel Wed Aug 29 2007
    Rated as: 5/5
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