The Godfather Trilogy (1972-1974-1990)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola                           Writers: Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola
Film Score: Nino Rota & Carmine Coppola         Cinematography: Gordon Willis
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and Robert De Niro

Since I just recently purchased and watched The Godfather Collection on DVD and then re-watched it with Coppola’s audio commentary, I thought this would be a good time to review this A List entry. I must say, however, that I still prefer watching the story chronologically and thus will always keep my copy of The Godfather Saga on VHS that Coppola, in a moment of financial weakness, was forced to edit together for CBS. I know, it’s sacrilege, but something about seeing the whole thing unfold linearly over time is magnificent.

My first exposure to the films came late, but is something I will be forever thankful for. In 1983 while on tour with a band we found ourselves playing for a week in the unlikely town of Drumheller, Alberta, one of it’s many minor claims to fame being one of the locations where Quest For Fire was shot. We were playing in the bar of a hotel owned by a pair of Italian brothers. One night they had us down to their apartment in the basement of the building that they shared with their mother and she made us a wonderful Italian meal. That Saturday night, after our gig was finished at two in the morning, the brothers closed down the bar while we packed up our gear. Then they proceeded to roll out the big screen television and a number of men began coming back into the bar. The reason: to spend the rest of the night watching the first two Godfather films. I had never seen them before and so I stayed up until dawn, mesmerized by the power of the story, the artistry of the filmmaking, and the perfect atmosphere in which to watch them.

It’s hard to imagine now but, with the exception of Marlon Brando, the entire star-studded cast of The Godfather--including Abe Vigoda--were relative unknowns at the time. Al Pacino’s Michael, of course, is the thread that ties all three films together. There’s certainly little need to rehash the plot of the rise and fall of the Corleone family here. Not only did the first film win an Academy Award, but the sequel, The Godfather Part II, won as well for best picture and both have achieved canonical status. The third . . . well, this came at a time of another of Coppola’s financial downturns, and it shows. Where the first two films use parallel set pieces that mirror each other in a beautiful way (the wedding / christening, and the execution finales) their use in The Godfather Part III seems trite and unimaginative. Still, the death of Mary and the ascension of Vincent Mancini are chilling.

Michael Sragow’s review of the first two films for The A List is straightforward and full of literary allusions, a tone befitting his subject, which he ultimately labels, “a national creative triumph.” I couldn’t agree more. It’s really the expert melding of so many brilliant parts, from Mario Puzo’s original novel, to Coppola’s directing, the acting of Brando, Pacino, De Niro and the rest, the evocative score by Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola, and the incredible camera work of Gordon Willis. They are the perfect storm of filmmaking excellence and will be hailed as masterpieces for as long as filmic art is celebrated.