#1 THE GODFATHER-1972

The Godfather-1972    (Academy Award for Best Picture of 1972)

Rated: R  Running Time: 2hrs 55mins

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast:
Marlon Brando.....Don Vito Corleone
Al Pacino.....Michael Corleone
James Caan.....Sonny Corleone
Robert Duvall.....Tom Hagen
John Cazale.....Fredo Corleone
Talia Shire.....Connie Corleone
Diane Keaton.....Kay Adams
Al Lettieri.....Sollozzo
Abe Vigoda.....Tessio
Richard S Castellano.....Clemenza

Cinematography By: Gordon Willis
Music By: Nino Rota
Written By: Mario Puzo (novel)  Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola (Screenplay)

"That's my family Kay, Its not me" we hear Michael Corleone say to his girlfriend at his sister's wedding! Its from that moment on in the film that a series of events starts to unfold that will eventually pull Michael into the family business and down a dark path! What a masterpiece of  film The Godfather is! Right from the start you get hooked with being a part of the Corleone family! The cast is superb and at least on film really worked well together! Brando plays Don Vito Corleone so very well, with that husky voice, to his loyalty to family and to the business that he has created. Very quiet yet calculating and we can tell he has no trouble ordering brute force or even death to get what he or his family needs. "Im gonna make him an offer he cant refuse"  James Caan is perfect as the hot headed oldest son Sonny. Robert Duvall adds his usual charm as Tom Hagen. Diane Keaton is solid as Kay Adams, the naïve girlfriend who has a deep love for Michael. John Cazale in a small supporting role is excellent as the quirky brother Fredo, who appears to be sort of the black sheep of the family and doesn't seem to be trusted with the major parts of the family business. (its kind of sad watching Cazale because he was so talented but cancer would take his life 6yrs later and his full potential was never reached) Then there is Al Pacino, who did a heck of a job as Michael. Pacino takes Michael from the quiet World War II hero at the beginning of the film and makes him into the ruthless and also very calculating Don we see at the end of the film. The Cinematography by Gordon Willis was extraordinary as he goes from the colorful lights of the Wedding and into some of the dark shadows of the organized crime world. Even though these are bad people that do bad things, you cant help but to try and like and understand their way of life. The film is long at almost 3hrs, but I have to be honest I never notice the time when I watched it and it kept me wanting for more. Good thing that 2yrs later they made the sequel!  I give The Godfather 5 out of 5 stars, certainly not a perfect film, but after you add everything up it certainly feels like you watched perfection.