The Godfather has long been hailed as a masterpiece of cinema, and more than 50 years after its debut, it still stands out. Francis Ford Coppola is considered a visionary director, namely because of his influence and contributions to the New Hollywood movement that saw films drastically change from what was popular before the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, The Godfather is considerably more familiar to modern audiences than anything that came out even a decade earlier.

Francis Ford Coppola directed this 1978 classic that would go on to become one of the most iconic crime films ever made. Starring Marlon Brando, James Caan, and Al Pacino, The Godfather gives a tense and introspective look into the Corleone crime family of New York City.Release Date March 24, 1972 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Runtime 175 minutes Franchise(s) The Godfather Budget $6 million Expand

The Corleone family is incredibly powerful and influential due to the status of the patriarch, Don Vito Corleone, who has been given the title of Godfather. In this capacity, he serves his people, granting favors and pulling strings. However, when the Don refuses to grant a favor to another leading family, a power struggle follows, which very nearly tears the Corleone family apart for good.

The Godfather’s Status As A Landmark Film Is Well Earned

For a modern audience, The Godfather has clear flaws, such as the long-drawn-out scenes that contribute to the film’s three-hour runtime, while doing little to develop the story. The fight scenes are poorly choreographed and the narrative has odd or seemingly unnecessary elements. However, the movie needs to be viewed through the lens of innovation and progress. Comparing the film to today’s landscape of action-packed, highly edited, and minutely choreographed blockbusters is an unfair comparison. After all, The Godfather helped pave the way for modern films.

Francis Ford Coppola has long been hailed as a visionary director, and a large part of the reasoning behind that is his influence and contributions to the New Hollywood movement that saw films drastically change from what was popular before the 1960s and 1970s.

The film explores a moment in time when Hollywood transitioned away from everything being filmed on a studio lot, with false backgrounds and actors whose performances were over the top. Coppola’s vision gave filmmaking authenticity, with performances that required nuance and subtlety. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino absolutely nailed this with their performances and opened the door to many other actors doing the same.

It’s thanks to The Godfather that theatrical movies today look and feel a certain way and actors perform in the way that they do. The Godfather is not a perfect film, but it is an inspiring and powerful picture that continues to be relevant and worth watching. From the performances to the compelling drama that plays out between families, it remains a thrilling and powerful film.

The Godfather Is An Epic Crime Drama

The narrative is elaborate, with twists and turns throughout, and a satisfying conclusion that ties it all together. Based on the 1969 crime novel, The Godfather, by Mario Puzo, the film is a complex adaptation. Puzo adapted his own material into a screenplay and added important details to further define the story for the screen. The exploration of the mafia, alongside their strongly defined family values and moral code, is an intriguing one, and well-defined by the first chapter of the series.

For the Corleones, everything comes back to family, and seeing that central premise explored in the context of violent and criminal behavior… makes it an interesting study.

Interwoven with the crime narrative are love stories, an exploration of a character having a change of heart, and betrayal. All of these details are complementary, with clever sequencing that exposes the juxtaposition and similarities between seemingly contrary moments. For the Corleones, everything comes back to family, and seeing that central premise explored in the context of violent and criminal behavior — from both the people who are seen as criminals and those who have supposedly respectable positions — makes it an interesting study.

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While there are cracks that have appeared with age, the heart and soul of The Godfather endures. It remains an incredible film, and a defining point in the careers of Coppola, several of the actors, and Hollywood. It deserves praise and recognition for that status, but beyond what it deserves, it is a film that continues to be intoxicating, entertaining, and addicting. The Godfather remains an all-time great.

ProsThe Godfather is a defining piece of cinematic history.Performances from iconic actors that stand out such as Marlon Brando and Al Pacino.The themes and their exploration are clever and intricate. ConsOver time, the film has begun to show its age in both the visuals and narrative.