Right movie time again, I've decided to go for an epic trilogy this time, The Godfather trilogy to be exact, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which is based on the novel by Mario Puzo about the Corleone organised crime family. So here we go with the usual....
OK so the film begins back in 1945, the war has just ended, and the Don of the New York crime family, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) holds a wedding reception for his daughter, Connie (Talia Shire). On the wedding day, Vito's sons also attend, which include his youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino) along with his girlfriend, Kay Adams (Diane Keato), as well as his eldest son, Santino "Sonny" (James Caan), and his adopted son and consigliere (Italian for counsellor), Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall). During this day, Vito also deals with requests from his associates and people who are friends of the family. One of the requests comes from Vito's godson, Johnny Fontane (Al Martino) who asks that Vito help get a star role in a new picture that is being filmed, but the head of the studio won't let get the part. After the wedding, Vito sends Tom to Hollywood where he speaks with the head of the studio, Waltz (John Marley), who is quite abrasive and refuses to accept Tom's request to give Fontane the lead role. However the next day, in a new infamous scene, Waltz wakes up in his bed to find he has blood over his hands, and on pulling back the sheets he finds to his horror, his prize Stallion's severed head in the bed.
At around Christmas time, Vito sets up a meeting with a drug baron, Virgil Sollozzo "The Turk" (Al Littieri), who is backed by one of the rival families, the Tittaglias, and asks for Vito's consent to make an investment with him, for which he will offer his protection. However, despite the potential to make alot of money, Vito refuses Sollozzo's request as he doesn't want to get mixed up in the drugs business, which later leads him to send one of his men, Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana) to spy on Sollozzo. But at a meeting between Brasi and Sollozzo, Brasi is garotted by Tittaglia's men, and soon after Sollozzo's makes an attempt on Vito, as he sends his men to gun him down in public. Sollozzo intercepts Tom Hagen and insists that he speak to Sonny, and his capos, Clemenza (Peter S. Castellano) and Tessio (Abe Vigoda) to make a deal with him, but it is soon revealed Vito survived the attempt on his life. On hearing on his father's attempted murder, Michael goes to the hosptial where Vito is being treated, and he moves him to another room, and then goes out front and stands waiting poised for Sollozzo's men (pretending he has a gun in his pocket), who drive past. Soon after this a police Captain, McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) arrives on the scene, who is in cahoots with with Sollozzo, and Michael confronts him about Sollozzo, but before he can be arrested, Tom arrives on the scene and takes Michael away.
By this time, Sonny has taken charge of the Corleone family, and they arrange another meeting between Sollozzo, but this time they want to speak with Michael, as they refuse to deal with Sonny, due to his hotheaded nature. The meeting is set up at a restaurant, and Michael says that if Clemenza can arrange to have a gun planted at the restaurant, then he will kill Sollozzo and McCluskey. At the meeting, Sollozzo insists he wants a truce, Michael then excuses himself to the bathroom, where he finds the planted gun behind an old toilet, and goes back and shoots both men dead. After this Michael is forced to leave the country and travels to Sicily, where he meets and falls in love with a beautiful local girl Appollina Vitelli (Simmone Stefanelli), and they both marry. In the meantime back in New York, Vito is brought home from hospital as he slowly starts to recover from him wounds. Sonny however is set on making war between the families and kills the son of the head of the Tattaglia family, Philip (the son being Bruno). While this is going, Connie is having domestic trouble with her abusive husband, Carlo (Gianni Russo), who has been hitting her, this provokes Sonny into beating up Carlo, and threatening to kill him if he touches again. However Carlo has yet another fight with Connie, and this pre-empts Sonny into confronting Carlo again, however on his way over, he is ambushed at a toolbooth and shot dead by several gunman, who take off. On hearing on the news of his son's death, Vito arranges a meeting with the heads of the other crime families to make peace and stop the war, especially with Tittaglia, who lost his son as well. Although one of the other crime bosses, Don Barzini (Richard Conte) does show some resentment over the fact that Vito has had so much power and has not been willing to share it, as he clearly wanted to get into the drug business. Regardless of this, the heads of the families agree to make a peace for now, but Vito also realises that it was Barzini that was behind the hit on himself and on Sonny.
Michael meanwhile in Sicily is still living happily with his new wife, Appollina, but this turns sour very badly when one of his bodyguards, betrays him, and plants a bomb in his car, with his wife at the wheel, she is killed instantly. Michael travels back to New York and rejoins his union with Kay, who intially is reluctant and hurt that she hasn't heard from him all this time, but they soon marry. By this time, Michael takes over as head of the family, with Vito acting as his consigliere, with Tom being temporarily ousted from the job. Michael travels to Las Vegas and meets up with his older brother, Fredo (John Cazale), who is the weaker and less brighter son of the family, who has set up a meeting with Moe Greene (Alex Rocco). Michael says he wants to buy out Moe's casino to take over the families stakes, however Moe refuses as he says he has spoken to Barzini and he can make a deal to keep his casino. Michael refuses to back down and insists that Moe make a price, which angers Fredo who says to Michael he can't talk to Moe like that, but Michael calmly says to him to never take sides with anyone against the family again.
Not long after this however, Vito dies from a heart attack in his garden, and at the funeral, Michael is set to meet with the heads of the five families, but at the meeting he will be assassinated. Michael has other ideas of course as he has his men murder the heads of the families instead, including Moe Greene as well. Michael during this stands godfather to Connie and Carlo's baby girl (actually played by Francis Coppola's daughter, Sofia) but shortly after the christening, Michael confronts Carlo about Sonny's death, and he get's him to admit that Barzini approached him. Michael then tells Carlo he will be expelled from the family business and is given a plane ticket to leave, but on getting into a car he is garrotted by Clemenza, whereafter Michael is confronted by a hysterical Connie, witnessed by Kay, who asks if it is true that he ordered Carlo's death, but he denies it. And at this time, Michael now stands alone and in charge of the most powerful crime family, but in doing he has become the very thing he swore never to be a part of as the film concludes.
There is no two ways about it, the Godfather stands as one of the greatest American films ever made, and it is the true definition of an epic saga. Francis Coppola who at the time of making the film met with tremendous resistance from the Paramount pictures studio, who were continually on his back about not meeting their time schedule, as he overran and they were never happy with what he showed them in rough cut footage. But like all great films from the 1970s, the Godfather really was made under the most difficult of circumstances, and despite it all, Coppola still managed to create one of the all time great films. The crime family themes are so brilliantly developed in the Godather as are the characters, as in previous crime films it was never really done from the point of view of the family, it was morely just gangsters in their gangs, guns and bullets, and molls and business. The fact that Coppola also included quite a few of his family members in the cast (his mother, young daughter Sofia, his sister Talia Shire, and even his father, Carmine, feature in the Godfather series) makes it even more like a genuine family affair.
In terms of the performances, well there is little to fault here, with Marlon Brando, you could however say his performance does remain somewhat hammy, but it also shows great creativity, as Brando at the screen test had already worked how Vito should have been played, by putting tissue paper into his cheeks and speaking like Vito had been shot in the throat, hence his raspy voice. Brando also has several highlights in the film (even if you can't always make out what he says!), such as the scene where he meets with the heads of the five families and insists "that if his son (Michael, who is still in Sicily at this point) is struck by a bolt of lightning then I am going to blame some of the people in this room, and that I do not forgive!". His death scene is also quite poignant and nicely played as he carries on playfully with his grandson, playing hide and seek in the garden, before he collapses to the ground. And then there is the scene where he chastises Johnny Fontane who is in a bind with the studio head who won't give him the picture, as Fontane puts his hand in his hands saying he doesn't know what to do, after this Vito pounces out his chair and slaps him in his face. Vito then mocks him by saying "is this how you act, crying like a woman?! What I can do????! What can I do???").
Al Pacino is simply terrific as Michael, despite at the time of filming, the heads of Paramount where very unhappy with Coppola's decision to cast Pacino, they almost fired both of them off he picture. But Pacino plays Michael as perfectly as you could ever hope for, with a sense of icy cool, and at times he even appears completely emotionless (its almost like watching Ivan Lendl!), but early on there is also a genuine sense of care in him. But towards the end of the film, he turns from being a good man into an evil man, when he takes control of the Corleone family, he becomes corrupt as he wipes out his enemies. And despite his pretty emotionless demeanour, there are moments when Al brilliantly manages to convey subtly Michael's real emotions. He also has several highlights in the film, particularly the scene where he meets with Sollozzo, and the way where we see his eyes dart back and forth, waiting for his moment to kill the Turk, just as the sound of train screeches in the background. Another terrific scene is when he argues with Moe Greene at his casino, who storms out, and Fredo angrily says "Mike you don't come to Las Vegas, and talk to a man like Moe Greene like that!!", to which Michael calmly replies "Fredo, you are my older brother, and I love you, but don't take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever".
Other cast membes are also terrific, James Caan as Sonny is great, playing him as a hot tempered man, who's temper and implusiveness eventually get's the better of him. Caan's best scenes include where he beats up Carlo in public, and threatens to kill him if he touches his sister again, and the scene where he ultimately is gunned down at the toolboth (where he was wired up with the most amount squib bullets in cinema history at that time!). He also makes Sonny, despite his temper, quite a strong family figure, as he loves his family and does his best to stay strong for them all, especially during the crisis of the war with the other crime families. This is especially shown where he defends Connie at the dinner table when Carlo tells her to shut up, and he says "don't you ever tell her to shut up, you got that?!". Robert Duvall is also superb as Tom Hagen, the family's consigliere, or lawyer, who unlike Sonny is more the brains of the family, even though he is an adopted son, he remains firmly loyal to the family. Duvall also has great moments, especially where he argues with Sonny, and the moment where he tells Vito that Sonny has been killed.
Talia Shire, who was cast by Coppola in the part of Vito's daughter Connie, is terrific also, and the fact that she is in a unhappy marriage makes her even more heartbreaking figure, especially at the end where she is hysterical after Carlo is bumped off. Her best scene is easily the one where she rows with Carlo, who beats her with his belt, and she screams at him "I HATE YOU!!!" to which Carlo replies "Good! Now I'll kill ya!". This scene was in fact devised by Coppola as the studio were concerned there wasn't enough violence in the film, and they were intending on bringing a violence director in, so went ahead and did this great scene before they could. Diane Keaton, despite having a rather short screen also makes an excellent impression as Kay, Michael's girlfriend and eventual wife, and her character would get even better in the Godfather Part II. John Cazale as Fredo, similarly isn't given much screen time, but he too is superb as the middle son, Fredo, who is mainly stepped over, given his rather meek nature, and his scene in Las Vegas with Moe Green is great. His scene where Vito is gunned down in public is great too, as he is powerless to do anything about it, where he sobs inconsolably in front of his limp father, yelling "Papa!!!!!". And finally Richard Castellano as the colourful capo, Clemenza, who proves invaluable in the time of crisis during the family war. Castellano he has several great scenes, the main one where he drives around with Paulie, whom is murdered at Sonny's order by a gunman, while Clemenza get's out the car to take a piss. After Paulie is killed, Clemenza goes back to the gunman, and delivers the famous line "leave the gun, take the cannolli".
Direction wise Coppola hardly ever puts a foot wrong here, and he deserves no end of credit for what he has achieved with this film, and the saga in general, especially given the pressures he was under in filming. And he went on and deservedly won the oscars for Best Picture, Director and adapted screenplay (along with Mario Puzo). Technically the film also looks superb, and Gordon Willis's moody, dark photography is stunning, from the darkly lit scenes at the start to the gorgeous bright scenes in Sicily. And one of the most notable parts of the film is Nino Rota's memorable score, especially the way it begins the film, with that sombre trumpet playing the unforgettable opening moments. The sets and period design are also second to nil, especially given its very modest budget of 6.5 million dollars, and the film easily looks a million bucks (or should I say 6.5!).
Soooooooooooo that's it for the first part, part 2 will follow soon.......
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