The Godfather

This article is about the 1972 film. For other uses, see Godfather.

The Godfather
Directed by	Francis Ford Coppola
Written by	Mario Puzo (novel and screenplay) Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by	Albert S. Ruddy
Starring	Marlon Brando Al Pacino James Caan Robert Duvall Diane Keaton Richard S. Castellano Abe Vigoda John Cazale Talia Shire
Cinematography	Gordon Willis
Edited by	Marc Laub William H. Reynolds Murray Solomon Peter Zinner
Music by	Nino Rota Carmine Coppola
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	March 15, 1972 (USA) November 1, 1972 (Australia)
Running time	175 min.
Country	United States
Languages	English Sicilian Latin
Budget	$6,000,000

The Godfather is an Academy Award-winning 1972 crime film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with screenplay by Puzo and Coppola. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and James Caan The story spans 10 years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the life of the Corleone crime family.

The Godfather was initially ranked as the third greatest film in American cinematic history (behind Citizen Kane and Casablanca) on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies list by the American Film Institute. It has now been re-ranked number two under Citizen Kane, with number three being Casablanca. It is also the top movie on Internet Movie Database's Top 250 list, as well as #1 on Metacritic's top 100 list and #1 on Rotten Tomatoes' all-time best list.

Two sequels followed, The Godfather Part II in 1974 and The Godfather Part III in 1990.

Plot

The film begins at the reception for the wedding of Don Vito Corleone's daughter Connie to Carlo Rizzi in the late summer of 1945. Corleone, known to his friends and associates as Godfather and Tom Hagen (the Corleone family consigliere) are preoccupied with hearing requests from friends and associates because "no Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter's wedding day". Meanwhile, the Don's youngest son Michael, who has returned from World War II service as a highly decorated war hero, tells his girlfriend Kay Adams anecdotes about his father's criminal life, reassuring her that he is not like his family.

Among the guests at the celebration is the famous singer Johnny Fontane, Corleone's godson, who has come from Hollywood to petition the Godfather's help in landing a movie role that will revitalize his flagging career. Jack Woltz, the head of the studio, will not give Fontane the part, but Don Corleone explains to Johnny: "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." Hagen is dispatched to California to fix the problem, but Woltz angrily tells him that he will never cast Fontane in the role, for which he is perfect, because Fontane seduced and "ruined" a starlet that Woltz favored. The next morning, Woltz wakes up to find the bloody severed head of his prize stud horse in the bed with him. Woltz gives in.

Upon Hagen's return, the family meets with heroin dealer Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo, who is being backed by the rival Tattaglia family. He asks Don Corleone for political and legal protection, as well as financing to start the mass importation and distribution of heroin, but despite the huge amount of money to be made, Corleone refuses, explaining that his political influence would be jeopardized by a move into the narcotics trade. The Don's oldest son, hotheaded Sonny, who had earlier expressed to the Don his support of the family entering into the narcotics trade, breaks rank during the meeting and questions Sollozzo's assurances as to the Corleone Family's investment being guaranteed by the Tattaglia Family. His father, angry at Sonny's dissention in front of a non-family member, later privately rebukes him. Don Corleone then dispatches his aide, Luca Brasi, to infiltrate Sollozzo's organization and report back with information.

File:Godfather15.jpg

Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, the Godfather.

Soon after his refusal, Don Corleone is shot several times in an assassination attempt at a local market. It is not immediately known whether he has survived. Meanwhile, Sollozzo and the Tattaglias kill Luca Brasi. Sollozzo then abducts and persuades Tom Hagen to offer Sonny the deal previously offered to his father. Sollozzo reasons that Sonny is more amenable to the deal than was his father, and that with Don Corleone out of the way, Sonny will accept the deal. Enraged, Sonny refuses to consider the deal, promising a war with the Tattaglias and Sollozzo.

Michael, who is considered a "civilian" (not involved in the mob business) by the other mafia families and therefore able to live a more normal life, visits his recovering father in the hospital. He is immediately shocked to find that there is no one guarding him. Realizing that his father is again being set up to be killed, he calls Sonny with a report, then moves his father to another room. He then goes outside to watch the door. With the help of an overwhelmed Enzo (the baker), who feels indebted to the Don, he bluffs away Sollozzo's men. Police cars soon appear with the corrupt Captain McCluskey, who breaks Michael's jaw when he insinuates that McCluskey is being paid by Sollozzo to set up his father. Just then, Hagen arrives with "private detectives" licensed to carry guns to protect Don Corleone, and takes Michael home.

Following the attempt on the Don's life at the hospital, Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey, who is acting as Sollozzo's bodyguard, request a meeting with Michael in the interest of ameliorating their differences. A quietly seething Michael volunteers to kill both men during the meeting, thus initially amusing Sonny and the other senior members of the Corleone family; Sonny later admonishes him for reacting so personally and emotionally. However, Michael convinces them that killing Sollozo and McCluskey is in the family's interest: "It's not personal. It's strictly business." The meeting between Michael and Sollozzo, with McCluskey attending, is arranged at a quiet local restaurant in the Bronx, as requested by Michael so he will "feel safe". After being searched by McCluskey, Michael excuses himself to go to the restroom, retrieves a planted revolver, and immediately assassinates Sollozzo and McCluskey with near-point-blank-range shots to the head and neck. To avoid his arrest for the murders, Michael is sent to Sicily while the Corleone family prepares for all-out warfare with the rest of the Five Families, who unite against the Corleones, as well as a general clampdown on the mob by the police and government authorities.

While in Sicily, Michael lives under the protection of Don Tommasino, an old friend of the family. While there, he falls in love with and marries a local girl, Apollonia, who is later killed by a car bomb intended to assassinate Michael.

Meanwhile, back in New York, Don Corleone returns home from the hospital and is distraught to learn that Michael was the one who killed Sollozzo and McCluskey. Some months later, in 1948, Sonny severely beats Carlo Rizzi for brutalizing the pregnant Connie, and threatens to kill him the next time he abuses her. Later, on the order of Tattaglia, Carlo beats Connie severely in an attempt to lure Sonny out. Furious at the treatment of his sister, Sonny drives off alone to fulfill his threat. On the way, he is ambushed and machine-gunned to death at the causeway tollbooth.

Instead of seeking revenge for Sonny's killing, Don Corleone meets with the heads of the Five Families to arrange an end to the war. Not only is it draining all of their assets and threatening their survival, but ending the conflict is the only way that Michael can return home safely. Reversing his previous decision, Vito agrees that the Corleone family will provide political protection for Philip Tattaglia's traffic in heroin. At the meeting, Don Corleone intuits that Don Barzini, not Tattaglia, was responsible for the mob war and Sonny's death.

With his safety guaranteed, Michael returns from Sicily. More than a year later, he reunites with his former girlfriend, Kay, telling her that he wants to marry her. With the Don semi-retired, Sonny dead and middle brother Fredo considered incapable of running the family business, Michael is now in charge, and he claims that the family business will soon be completely legitimate.

Clemenza and Tessio, two Corleone Family caporegimes (captains) complain that they are being pushed around by the Barzini Family and ask permission to strike back, but Michael refuses. With his father as consigliere, he plans to move the family operations to Nevada and after that, Clemenza and Tessio may break away to go on their own. Michael further promises that Connie's husband, Carlo, is going to be his right hand in Nevada, while Hagen will be the Family's Las Vegas lawyer.

File:Al Pacino and Robert Duvall in the Godfather.jpg

Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen (left) and Al Pacino as Michael Corleone (right)

In Las Vegas Michael is greeted by Fredo and Johnny Fontane in the hotel-casino partly financed by the Corleones, and run by Moe Greene. Michael explains to Johnny that the Family needs his help in persuading his friends in show business to sign long-term contracts to appear at the casino. In a meeting with Moe Greene, Michael offers to buy out Greene but is rudely rebuffed. Greene believes the Corleones are weak and that he can secure a better deal from Barzini.

Michael returns home. In a private meeting, Vito explains his expectation that the Family's enemies will attempt to kill Michael by using a trusted associate to arrange a meeting as a pretext for assassination. Shortly afterwards, Don Vito dies of a heart attack while playing with his young grandson Anthony in his tomato garden.

During the funeral, Tessio conveys a proposal for a meeting with Barzini, which identifies him as the traitor that Vito was expecting.

Michael arranges for a series of murders to occur while he is standing as godfather for Connie and Carlo's son.

• Pete Clemenza shoots Don Stracci and his bodyguards with a shotgun as they exit an elevator.
• Moe Greene, while having a massage in one of his hotels, is shot in the eye by an unknown assassin (this form of execution was later known as the "Moe Greene Special").
• Don Cuneo, while leaving a hotel, is trapped in a revolving door by Willi Cicci and shot.
• Don Tattaglia and a prostitute he is with are gunned down while in bed by Rocco Lampone and another unknown assassin.
• Finally, Don Barzini is shot on the steps of a courthouse by Al Neri, who is disguised by wearing his old policeman's uniform.

Michael's presence at the baptism gives him a perfect alibi for the murders. After the baptism, Tessio believes he and Michael are on their way to meet with Barzini. Instead, he is taken away by Willi Cicci and other buttonmen to be killed. Before he is carried away, Tessio tells Tom Hagen that he always liked Michael and his betrayal was simply just business. Michael confronts Carlo about Sonny's murder and tricks him into admitting his role in setting up the ambush. Michael informs Carlo that his punishment is to be excluded from the family business and hands him a plane ticket to exile in Nevada. Carlo gets into a car to go to the airport and is garroted by Clemenza.

Later, Connie confronts Michael, accusing him of Carlo's murder. Kay questions Michael about Connie's accusation, but he refuses to answer. She insists, and Michael lies, assuring his wife that he had no role in Carlo's death. Kay is relieved by his denial, believing it to be true. As the film ends, she watches Clemenza and new caporegime Rocco Lampone pay their respects to Michael, kissing his hand and addressing him as "Don Corleone." The door is closed by new capo Al Neri, as she realizes that Michael has become the new Godfather.

Cast

• Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone — the head (the "Don") of the Corleone family, Formerly known as Vito Andolini. He is the father of Sonny, Fredo, Michael and Connie and surrogate father to Tom Hagen. Husband of Carmella Corleone. A native Sicilian.
• Al Pacino as Michael Corleone — the Don's and Carmella's youngest son, recently returned from military service following the end of World War II. He initially wants nothing to do with the Corleone family business. He is the main character of the movie.
• James Caan as Santino "Sonny" Corleone — Vito and Carmella's hot-headed eldest son; he is being groomed to succeed his father as head of the Corleone family. He is the family's underboss.
• Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen — an informally adopted son of Vito and Carmella Corleone, he is also the family lawyer and the new consigliere (counselor).
• Diane Keaton as Kay Adams — Michael's White Anglo-Saxon Protestant-ish girlfriend and, ultimately, his wife and mother to his children.
• John Cazale as Fredo Corleone — the middle son of Vito and Carmella Corleone. Fredo is not very bright and appears to be the weakest of the Corleone brothers.
• Talia Shire as Connie Corleone — Vito and Carmella's only daughter. She marries Carlo Rizzi.
• Richard S. Castellano as Pete Clemenza — a caporegime for the Corleone family.
• Abe Vigoda as Sal Tessio — a caporegime for the Corleone Family.
• Al Lettieri as Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo — a heroin dealer associated with the Tattaglia family.
• Gianni Russo as Carlo Rizzi — Connie's husband. Becomes an associate of the Corleone family.
• Sterling Hayden as Captain McCluskey — a corrupt police captain on Sollozzo's payroll.
• Lenny Montana as Luca Brasi — an enforcer utilized by Vito Corleone.
• Richard Conte as Emilio Barzini— Don of the Barzini family.
• Al Martino as Johnny Fontane — a world-famous popular singer and godson of Vito.
• John Marley as Jack Woltz — a powerful Hollywood producer.
• Alex Rocco as Moe Greene — longtime associate of the Corleone family who owns a Las Vegas hotel.
• Morgana King as Carmella Corleone — Vito's wife and mother of Sonny, Fredo, Michael and Connie, and surrogate mother to Tom Hagen.
• John Martino as Paulie Gatto — A "button man" (soldier/hit man) under Capo Pete Clemenza and Vito's driver.
• Victor Rendina as Philip Tattaglia— Don of the Tattaglia family.
• Simonetta Stefanelli as Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone — A stunningly beautiful young girl Michael meets while in Sicily.
• Sofia Coppola as Michael Francis Rizzi — Connie and Carlo's infant son (seen in big baptism scene at the end of the movie).
• Louis Guss as Don Zaluchi — Don of the Zaluchi family of Detroit.
• Tom Rosqui as Rocco Lampone — a caporegime in the Corleone family.
• Joe Spinell as Willi Cicci — Soldier in the Corleone family.
• Richard Bright as Al Neri — Michael Corleone's bodyguard. He eventually becomes a caporegime.

Differences from the novel

One of the primary parts of Puzo's novel which was not used for the movie was the flashback story of Don Corleone's earlier life, including the circumstances of his emigration to America, his early family life, his murder of Don Fanucci, and his rise in importance in the mafia, all of which were later used in The Godfather Part II.

Many subplots were trimmed in the transition from the printed page to the screen, including: singer Johnny Fontane's misfortunes with women and his problems with his voice; Sonny's impulsive dabbling in street crime as a teenager and his utter lack of the tact and coolheadedness possessed in such abundance by his father; Sonny's paramour Lucy Mancini's new-found love in Dr. Jules Segal (a character entirely missing from the film), who not only repairs Lucy's vaginal malformation but puts Michael in touch with the surgeon who repairs Michael's facial bones (which had been damaged by Capt. McCluskey) and also operated on Johnny Fontane's vocal cords, thus restoring his singing voice; Jack Woltz' increasing pedophilia; Kay Adams's home life; Luca Brasi's demonic past; the Corleone family's victorious rise to power in earlier New York gang wars in which Don Corleone survives a previous assassination attempt and Al Capone sends triggermen from Chicago in an unsuccessful attempt to aid a rival gang; Don Corleone's ingenious plan used to take Michael out of exile in Sicily; the detailed savage attack on the two men who assaulted Bonasera's daughter, which was led by Paulie Gatto and involved retainer thugs (which was only alluded to in the film).

Additionally, the novel makes it clear that Lucy was not pregnant by Sonny when she moved to Las Vegas, thus leaving no room for Vincent Mancini of The Godfather, Part III. Curiously, Puzo wrote the screenplays of all three movies, so the contradiction was well known to him.

Characters with smaller roles in the film than in the novel include Johnny Fontane, Lucy Mancini, Rocco Lampone, and Al Neri (the latter two are reduced to non-speaking roles). Characters dropped in the film adaptation beside Dr. Segal include Genco Abbandando (only spoken of, he appears in a deleted scene featured in The Godfather Saga; he first appears on film in The Godfather II) and Dr. Taza from Sicily. Also, in the book, Michael and Kay have two sons, but in the movies they have a son and a daughter.

The novel and film also differ on the fates of Michael's bodyguards in Sicily, Fabrizzio and Calo. The film has them both surviving (Calo, in fact, appears in the third installment). In the book, however, Calo dies along with Apollonia in the car explosion, and Fabrizzio is shot and killed as one more victim in the famous "baptism scene" after he is tracked down running a pizza parlor in America. Fabrizzio's murder was deleted from the film but publicity photos of the scene exist.[4] (He is later killed in a completely different scene in The Godfather Saga which was deleted from The Godfather: Part II).

The ending of the book differs from the end of the movie: whereas in the film Kay suddenly realizes that Michael has become "like his family", the drama is toned down in the book, where Tom Hagen lets her in on secrets for which, according to him, he would be killed should Michael find out. During the film's baptism scene, all the heads of the Five Families were killed. In the novel, only Barzini and Tattaglia, previously at war with the Corleones, are killed.

Production

Coppola and Paramount

Francis Ford Coppola was not the first choice to direct, as at least two other directors were approached first. Italian director Sergio Leone was offered the job, but he declined on the basis that he did not find the story interesting as it glorified the mafia. (He went on to direct his own gangster opus, Once Upon a Time in America, which focused on Jewish-American gangsters.) At the time, Coppola had directed eight previous films, the most notable of which was the film version of the stage musical Finian's Rainbow — although he had also received an Academy Award for co-writing Patton in 1970. Coppola was in debt to Warner Bros. for $400,000 following budget over-runs on George Lucas' THX-1138, which Coppola had produced, and he took The Godfather on Lucas' advice.

There was intense friction between Coppola and the studio, Paramount Pictures, and several times Coppola was almost replaced. Paramount maintains that its skepticism was due to a rocky start to production, though Coppola believes that the first week went extremely well. Paramount thought that Coppola failed to stay on schedule, frequently made production and casting errors, and insisted on unnecessary expenses. Coppola says, in the DVD commentary, that he was shadowed by a replacement director, who was ready to take over if Coppola was fired, but despite such intense pressure, Coppola managed to defend his decisions and avoid being replaced.

Paramount was in financial troubles at the time of production and so was desperate for a "Big Hit" to boost business, hence the pressure Coppola faced during filming. They wanted The Godfather to appeal to a wide audience and threatened Coppola with a "Violence coach" to make the film more exciting. Coppola added a few more violent scenes to keep the studio happy.

Casting

Coppola's casting choices were not popular with the studio executives at Paramount Pictures, particularly Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone. Paramount, which wanted Laurence Olivier (who was unable to take the part due to health problems), originally refused to allow Coppola to cast Brando in the role, citing the difficulties Brando had had on recent film sets. One studio suit proposed Danny Thomas for the role instead of Brando citing the fact that Don Corleone was a strong "family man". At one point, Coppola was told by the then president of Paramount that "Marlon Brando will never appear in this motion picture." After pleading with the executives, Coppola was allowed to cast Brando on the condition that he appear in the film for much less salary than his previous films, that he perform a screen-test, and that he put up a bond saying that he would not cause a delay in the production (as he had done on previous film sets). Coppola chose Brando over Ernest Borgnine, as the former won him over with his screen test. Brando went on to win an Academy Award for his portrayal, which he refused to accept.

The studio originally wanted Robert Redford or Ryan O'Neal to play Michael Corleone, but Coppola wanted an unknown who looked like an Italian-American, who he found in Al Pacino. Pacino was not well known at the time, and the studio did not consider him right for the part, in part because of his height. Pacino was given the role only after Coppola threatened to quit the production. Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, Martin Sheen, and James Caan also auditioned. Elvis Presley was also interested in the role, but did not audition. The part is heavily influenced by the acting style pioneered by George Raft who in real life grew up with some and came in contact with prominent mobsters where he himself did some bootleg delivering.

Before Robert Duvall was cast, Bruce Dern, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen were considered for the role of Tom Hagen.

A then unknown Robert De Niro auditioned for the roles of Michael, Sonny, Carlo and Paulie Gatto. He was cast as Paulie, but Coppola arranged a "trade" with The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight to get Al Pacino from that film. De Niro would later play the young Vito Corleone in Part II, winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the role.

Sylvester Stallone auditioned for Carlo Rizzi and Paulie Gatto, Anthony Perkins for Sonny, and Mia Farrow auditioned for Kay. William Devane was seen for the role of Moe Greene. Mario Adorf was approached for a role as well.

Coppola cast his infant daughter, Sofia, as Connie and Carlo's newborn son, Michael Francis Rizzi, in the climactic baptism scene near the movie's end. Sofia Coppola played roles in the later Godfather movies. In Part II, she plays a nameless immigrant girl on the ship that brings Vito Corleone to New York. In Part III, she plays a major speaking role: that of Michael Corleone's daughter Mary. Coppola also cast his sons as Frank and Andrew Hagen, the two sons of Tom Hagen. They can be seen in the Sonny-Carlo streetfight scene and behind Al Pacino and Robert Duvall during the funeral scene.

Star salaries

Al Pacino, James Caan and Diane Keaton each received $35,000 for their work on The Godfather, and Robert Duvall got $36,000 for eight weeks of work. Marlon Brando, on the other hand, was paid $50,000 for six weeks and weekly expenses of $1,000, plus 5% of the film, capped at $1.5 million. Brando later sold his points back to Paramount for $300,000.

Filming

Most of the principal photography took place from March 29 1971 to August 6 1971, although a scene with Pacino and Keaton was shot in the autumn — there were a total of 77 days of shooting, fewer than the 83 for which the production had budgeted.

Locations around New York City and its environs were used for the film, as well as the Sicilian towns of Savoca and Forza d'Agrò outside of Taormina. At least one location in Los Angeles was used also (for the exterior of Woltz' mansion). A scene with Pacino and Keaton was filmed in the town of Ross, California. Interiors were shot at Filmways Studio in New York.

One of the movie's most shocking moments comes early, involving the real severed head of a horse. Animal rights groups protested the inclusion of the scene. Coppola later stated that the horse's head was delivered to him from a dog food company; a horse had not been killed specifically for the movie. This scene was shot in Port Washington, New York.

In the novel, Jack Woltz, the movie producer who has his horse's head put in his bed, is also shown to be a pedophile as Tom Hagen sees a young girl (presumably one of Woltz's child stars) crying while walking out of Woltz's room. This scene was cut from the film but can be found on the DVD release (though Woltz can still briefly be seen kissing the girl on the cheek in his studio in the film).

The opening scene of The Godfather is a long, slow zoom, starting with a close-up of the undertaker, Bonasera, who is petitioning Don Corleone, and ending with the godfather, seen from behind, framing the scene. This zoom, which lasts for about three minutes, was shot with a computer-controlled zoom lens designed by Tony Karp. The lens was also used in the making of Silent Running.

Two different churches were used to film the film's baptism scene. The interior shots were filmed at Old St. Patrick's in New York. For the baptism itself, Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 was used, as was other Bach works for the pipe organ. The exterior scenes following the baptism were filmed at Mount Loretto Church in Pleasant Plains on Staten Island, New York. In 1973 much of Mount Loretto Church was destroyed in a fire. Only the facade and steeple of the original church remained, and were later incorporated into a new structure that was built to replace the structure destroyed in the fire.

Reaction

Academy Awards record
1. Best Actor, Marlon Brando
2. Best Picture, Albert S. Ruddy
3. Best Adapted Screenplay, Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
Golden Globe Awards record
1. Best Picture - Drama
2. Best Director, Francis Ford Coppola
3. Best Actor - Drama, Marlon Brando
4. Best Original Score, Nino Rota
5. Best Screenplay, Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
BAFTA Awards record
1. Best Music, Nino Rota

The film is greatly respected among international critics and the public and is routinely listed as one of the greatest films ever made. It was voted greatest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly,^[5] and number 3 of all time in American cinema by the American Film Institute. In the 2002 Sight & Sound poll of international critics, it was ranked as the 4th best film of all time. Both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. This is not the case for the third installment in the "Godfather" trilogy.

The soundtrack's main theme by Nino Rota was also critically acclaimed; the main theme ("Speak Softly Love") is well-known and widely used.

The Godfather was an enormous box office hit, smashing previous records to become the highest grossing film of all time. It made USD $5,264,402 in its opening weekend and went on to gross $81,500,000 in its initial run; nearly fourteen times its budget and marketing campaign. Re-releases boosted its North American total to $134 million. Template:Sound sample box align left

Template:Sample box end The Godfather won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Marlon Brando refused to accept the award and sent actress Sacheen Littlefeather in his stead to the Oscars to explain why) and Best Writing (adapted screenplay) (Francis Coppola, Mario Puzo). The film was nominated for eight additional Academy Awards. Furthermore, it won five Golden Globes, one Grammy, and numerous other awards. Nino Rota's music score for the film was initially nominated for an Oscar, but was subsequently withdrawn when it was discovered that Rota recycled some of the music he had written for an obscure 1958 Italian film Fortunella.

Stanley Kubrick believed that The Godfather was possibly the greatest movie ever made, and without question the best cast.

Cinematic influence

Although many films about gangsters had been made prior to The Godfather, Coppola's sympathetic treatment of the Corleone family and their associates, and his portrayal of mobsters as characters of considerable psychological depth and complexity was hardly usual in the genre. This was even more the case with The Godfather: Part II, and the success of those two films, critically, artistically and financially, opened the doors for more and varied depictions of mobster life, including films such as Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas and TV series such as David Chase's The Sopranos.

The image of the Mafia as being a feudal organization with the Don being both the protector of the small fry and the collector of obligations from them to repay his services, which The Godfather helped to popularize, is now an easily recognizable cultural trope, as is that of the Don's family as a "royal family". (This has spread into the real world as well -- cf. John Gotti — the "Dapper Don", and his celebritized family.) This portrayal stands in contrast to the more sordid reality of lower level Mafia "familial" entanglements, as depicted in various post-Godfather mafia fare, such as Scorsese's Mean Streets and Casino, and also to the grittier hard-boiled pre-Godfather films.

In the 1999 film Analyze This, which starred Robert De Niro, who played Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part 2, many references are made both directly and indirectly to the Godfather. One scene is almost a shot by shot replica of the attempted assassination of Vito Corleone.

Influence on popular culture

The Godfather along with the other films in the trilogy, had a strong impact on the public at large. Don Vito's line, "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" was voted as the second most memorable line in cinema history in a 2005 poll, called AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes by the American Film Institute.

Reports from Mafia trials and confessions suggest that Mafia families began a "real life" tradition of paying respect to the family don by kissing his ring, in imitation of the ending scene of the movie. There is no evidence of this custom being mentioned prior to the movie.

The scene where a delivery is made of a pair of pants and bullet proof vest wrapped around a fish is explained to be an old Sicilian message, "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes!" This expression has made it into widespread American parlance.

An indication of the continuing influence of The Godfather and its sequels can be gleaned from the many references to it which have appeared in every medium of popular culture in the decades since the film's initial release. That these homages, quotations, visual references, satires and parodies continue to pop up even now shows clearly the film's enduring impact. In the television show The Sopranos, Tony Soprano's topless bar is named Bada Bing after the line in The Godfather when Sonny says "You've gotta get up close like this and bada-bing! You blow their brains all over your nice Ivy League suit." In addition, the 1997 Welsh film Twin Town (dir. Kevin Allen) set in Swansea features a scene in which a severed dogs head is discovered in its owner's bed just as Jack Woltz finds the head of his prize stud in his bed.

Symbolic significance of oranges

See also: The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III

Film scholars and fans of the Godfather movies note what they believe is the symbolic significance of oranges in the films, suggesting that after the appearance of an orange in the film an important "death scene" follows. In the first film, Tom Hagen and Woltz negotiate Johnny's movie status at a dinner table with a plate of oranges on it, and Woltz soon discovers his dead horse's head; Don Vito Corleone is buying oranges from a fruit seller when he is attacked; Sonny drives past a billboard promoting Florida Oranges before he is attacked at the toll booth; oranges are placed on the table at the meeting of the Mafia bosses (and specifically in front of the ones who will be assassinated at the film's climax); and Don Vito Corleone dies while eating an orange, as he plays with his young grandson. Tessio is also seen peeling an orange at Connie's wedding. Carlo, who is responsible for Sonny's death, is wearing an orange suit when Sonny beats him up. In Part II, Fanucci grabs an orange from a stand just before he is murdered by Vito in the hallway of his apartment building. Michael is also seen eating an orange while in a meeting with Tom Hagen and Rocco Lampone, as they are planning the assassination of Hyman Roth, who is killed in the final scene. Finally, as Michael Corleone dies at the end of part III, he drops an orange and it rolls away.

Adaptations

Chronological versions

Main article: The Godfather Saga

In 1975, Coppola edited The Godfather and The Godfather Part II together for TV, putting the scenes in chronological order and adding some previously unseen footage, but also toning down the violence, sex, and profanity. It is rated TV-14. This version of the story was called The Godfather Saga. In 1992, Coppola created another chronological version, this time including Part III as well, for a direct-to-video release that had a running time of 583 minutes. This version also incorporated new previously deleted scenes that had not been seen in The Godfather Saga.

DVD release

The Godfather was released on DVD for the first time on October 9, 2001 as part of a DVD package called The Godfather DVD Collection. The collection contained all three films with commentary from Francis Ford Coppola and a bonus disc that featured a 73 minute documentary from 1991 titled The Godfather Family: A Look Inside, plus a 1971 documentary. The package also contained deleted footage, including the additional scenes originally contained in The Godfather Saga; "Francis Coppola's Notebook" a look inside a notebook the director kept with him at all times during the production of the film; rehearsal footage; and video segments on Gordon Willis' cinematography, Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola's music, Francis Ford Coppola, locations and Mario Puzo's screenplays. The DVD also held a Corleone family tree, a "Godfather" timeline, and footage of the Academy Award acceptance speeches.

Currently, there have been several rumors that The Godfather and The Godfather Part II will be re-released in theaters and DVD in 2008. It has been said there a brand-new restoration headed by Robert A. Harris. The restoration was confirmed by Coppola during a Q&A for The Godfather Part III, saying he just saw the new transfer and said it was "terrific". Further confirmation for this release was when the American Film Institute canceled screening in August and September of the two films, stating, "THE GODFATHER shows have been cancelled. The film has been pulled from circulation in anticipation of its restoration and re-release in 2008. We apologize for the inconvenience". However, Paramount has yet to confirm these reports.

Video game

Main article: The Godfather: The Game

In March 2006, a video game version of The Godfather was released by Electronic Arts. Prior to his death, Marlon Brando provided voice work for Vito, however, due to poor sound quality from Brando's failing health, a sound-alike's voice had to be used instead. James Caan, Robert Duvall and Abe Vigoda lent their voices and likenesses as well, and several other Godfather cast members had their likeness in the game. However, Al Pacino's likeness and voice (Michael Corleone) was not in the game as Al Pacino sold his likeness and voice for the Scarface video game. Francis Ford Coppola said in April 2005 that he was not informed and did not approve of Paramount allowing the game's production, and openly criticized the move.

It was announced in August 2007 that Electronic Arts is looking to make a video game adaptation of The Godfather Part II as well. The game looks to be released in late 2008-early 2009

Further reading

• Burr, T, The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, New York: Time-Life Books ISBN 1-883013-68-2. Lists The Godfather as "the greatest film of all time."
• Cowie, Peter, The Godfather Book, London: Faber and Faber, 1997
• Marlon Brando and the Godfather
• Nourmand, Tony, The Godfather in Pictures, London: Boxtree, 2007 ISBN 978-07522-2637-8

External links

• The Godfather at IMDb
• Template:Filmsite
• The Godfather family tree and crime structure
• The Guardian, April 22, 2006, "Mob mentality"

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