04/19/09 - The Godfather

The Godfather (1972, 175 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/

Here we have a definite cinematic masterpiece. This film lives up to pretty much every expectation and reaches the bar no matter how high you set it. This was my third viewing of the film and it gets better each time.

We follow Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) as he ages and eventually passes the torch of being Don of the family to his son Michael (Al Pacino). Michael has three brothers: Sonny (James Caan), Fredo (John Cazale) and his adopted brother Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall). One of the great things about this movie is how amazing each character is in their role. Even the lesser characters such as singer Johnny Fontane (Al Martino) are superb in their performances. If this film does not make you a fan of Pacino, you really don't have much hope of liking him. Like Jack Nicholson is the master of the "going crazy" persona or Johny Depp the "eccentric guy", Al Pacino is the best actor at playing "cold and calculating". We truly just glimpse the surface of this character near the end of the movie, but he delves fully into it in The Godfather: Part II.

Another great thing about this movie is that every scene carries importance. Every little cut seems to be there for a reason. Scenes don't lull or become boring ever as something is always going on that provides character development. Besides this great aspect, the musical score is well done. The classic opening theme is enjoyable while the music for transition scenes is also well-suited and fitting.

The Godfather contains so many memorable qualities but one that I want to focus on is the Baptism Scene. This scene is no doubt one of my favorite scenes in cinema. The cuts after Michael Corleone renouncing Satan to his hired henchmen killing family heads is spine-chilling every time I see it. The music for this scene is again perfect. The whole climax from the beginning of the baptism to the end of the movie (around 20 minutes) is simply flawless.

Overall, I gave this film a 10/10. Is this really a surprise though? The film is, without a doubt, one of the best you will ever see. Ask pretty much anyone that's seen a lot of movies if they think The Godfather is amazing and they will say it is. Not many films hold such a reputation. Is this to say it's the best movie ever? No, and in fact I like The Godfather: Part II more and it's next for me to watch.