The Godfather (1972) Review

Michael (Al Pacino), the fresh-faced and idealistic son of Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), returns home as a war hero and is determined to live his own life away from the Corleone Family business: organised crime. But tragic circumstances cause shockwaves through the crime world of New York and forces Michael to face the legacy of his family and his true calling as the "Godfather".

The film was the first event film of the 70s, maybe even of all time. Hordes of cinemagoers queued to see the critically acclaimed film. The Godfather slowly became implanted into the collective consciousness of not just America but the world through the dialogue, characters and atmosphere created by Mario Puzo, the author of The Godfather, the film is based upon, and Francis Ford Coppola, the director and screenplay writer of the film.

In the words of Puzo, when asked what made the story of The Godfather so irresistible, he would state, "A great combination, the family story and a crime story. And also, I made them out to be good guys except they committed murder once in a while". However, when adapting the book for the big screen with Puzo, Coppola wanted a darkened and more philosophical take on the story: "I looked at it as the story of a king with three sons". It is a pulp fiction turned into a Shakespearean play, an epic of criminal patriarchy, of family, of the American dream itself. The opening scene in the film is a perfect portrayal of reciprocity and tells the audience everything you need to know about the Godfather, Don Corleone and his power and trust in the community. The film begins with a lone trumpet playing a single mournful note over a black screen before we hear a shaky voice say, "I believe in America". It is an Italian immigrant, Amerigo Bonasera (Salvatore Corsitto), an undertaker, who has come to ask for a favour from Don Corleone. He seeks to avenge an attack on the dignity and body of his daughter, who he raised "in American fashion" after she was beaten by her boyfriend and another young man. Bonasera tells the Don about the attack, the arrest and the trial of the two men in detail. The trial did not go the way Bonasera wanted as the judge gave the two men a suspended sentence and allowed them to get back onto the streets that very same day. He wants justice and he is willing to part with his new American values to get it. "For justice, we must go to Don Corleone". The scene plays out like this:

CORLEONE: I understand. You found paradise in America, you had a good trade, made a good living. The police protected you and there were courts of law. And you didn’t need a friend like me. But now you come to me and you say, “Don Corleone give me justice.” But you don’t ask with respect. You don’t offer friendship. You don’t even think to call me “Godfather.” Instead, you come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married, and you ask me to do murder, for money.

BONASERA: I ask you for justice.

CORLEONE: That is not justice; your daughter is still alive.

BONASERA: Let them suffer then, as she suffers. [Pause] How much shall I pay you?

CORLEONE: Bonasera . . . Bonasera . . . What have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully? If you’d come to me in friendship, then this scum that ruined your daughter would be suffering this very day. And if by chance an honest man like yourself should make enemies, then they would become my enemies. And then they would fear you.

BONASERA: Be my friend - [He bows to Corleone] - Godfather? [He kisses Corleone’s hand].

CORLEONE: Good. [Pause] Someday and that day may never come, I’ll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day—accept this justice as a gift on my daughter’s wedding day.

The scene is maybe the best opening to a film ever. The scene introduces the theme of violence, bond and virtue that drive the rest of the movie. The real mastery of this scene is the way Coppola helps us understand the complex interaction in a subculture that 99% of the audience have little to no understanding of. The viewers naturally understand Bonasera's point of view for wanting the two men killed for what they did to his daughter, but they also understand why Corleone refuses to kill the men for him. The audience shudders and cringes at Bonasera’s awkward effort to give money where what is missing is the right relationship between the two men, and they also recognize why Bonasera has been suspicious of developing a relationship with the crime boss before. The audience sympathises with Bonasera once he accepts a "gift" from Don Corleone. A chain, not just a string, is attached to the "gift" and with that chain, Bonasera's American dream breaks. We comprehend all this easily, and we view the environment through the lens of reciprocity. Reciprocity is an impulse; it is the fundamental currency of society. Bonasera uses it to buy vengeance, which in itself is a form of reciprocity. Corleone utilises it to manipulate Bonasera to enter Corleone's extended family.

There is little doubt that this masterpiece of a film will remain in the glossary of cinema history for years to come. But the performance of Marlon Brando in the role of Vito Corleone will possibly outlive the film. The maverick of an actor was deemed a ‘has been’ by many Hollywood producers. Charles Bluhdorn, who was head of Paramount pictures at the time, said Brando would "never appear in a Paramount picture". Every actor of a certain age wanted or was considered for the role of Vito Corleone: Orson Welles, Laurence Olivier, Vittorio De Sica, Danny Thomas and Edward G. Robinson, were all up for the role. Orson Welles pleaded his case to Coppola for him to play the crime boss but Coppola and Puzo only wanted one man to play the role. Puzo even went as far as to write a letter to Brando saying that he was the "only actor who can play the Godfather". The studio would finally give in when Coppola showed them Brando's screen test for the role. At the screen test, Brando sent Coppola outside and when he was called back into the room, Brando had stuck cotton balls in his cheeks, put shoe polish in his hair and rolled his collar to transform into how Brando imagined the crime boss and Coppola loved it. However, the studio also wanted to be guaranteed that he would not compromise the production of the film. Brando paid a personal bond to insure the studio against any potential damages, and he also agreed he would do the film for free.

The character of Vito Corleone grants Brando permission to show more of the gentleness that was so captivating and distressing in his early flashy roles. Don Vito could have easily been played as a magnificent old warrior, a regal killer, a handsome champion, but Brando manages to humanize Vito. A daring choice by Brando, but that’s what he made a career out of, daring choices. Out of a dry mouth and clenched teeth comes a light, soft voice; it has the devious, combative, and pugnacious nature of a self-assured battle-hardened elderly man. The key to Brando's voice acting comes after Don Vito has been wounded and the raspy nature of his voice brings sympathy to the character; it is as though this was the first time Corleone had been wounded and the bullets from the attack had cracked his voice. Brando internalises the power of Don Vito, making him softer and less physically aggressive, where that side of himself is locked inside but you never get the sense you could ever intimidate or beat him.

It is understandable why Coppola wanted Brando to be the mob boss and why Puzo could only see him as the godfather. Brando gives Don Vito his mysterious aura from his own life: Vito Corleone's character is not explained; we merely side with him and conclude that, yes, he could become the king of the criminal underworld. The film is not driven by Brando, but he gives the film his iconic presence needed to elevate it to another level. Brando went on to win an Academy Award for his role as Don Vito Corleone and, in true Marlon Brando fashion, he refused to turn up in protest of the representation of Native Americans by Hollywood and to call attention to the Wounded Knee standoff. He sent Marie Louise Cruz, also known as Sacheen Littlefeather. She attended on behalf of Brando to decline the award and to deliver a speech. The audience response to Brando's boycott was divided between jeers and applause.

The rest of the cast is made up of relatively unknown and B list actors who had yet to enter the mainstream, but when comparing actors and actresses to Marlon Brando, they are all relatively unknown. These actors who filled the main cast were Diane Keaton, James Caan, Talia Shire (the sister of Coppola), John Cazale, Robert Duvall. All of these put in fantastic performances. There is not a single performance in the film that could be rated below an 8 out of 10 with Caan and Duvall getting Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor.

The most important part to cast was the role of Michael Corleone. In the book, Michael is described as tall, blonde and handsome. Everyone involved in the film had an idea of who they wanted to cast. Paramount Pictures had a list of who they wanted to play the World War II vet and college graduate. The studio wanted Robert Redford and even offered the role to Warren Beatty, who turned it down. The studio went on to audition Caan, Martin Sheen, Dustin Hoffman, David Carradine and Dean Stockwell for the role of Michael, but none of them had the right sparkle for the role. Coppola knew the man he wanted, but even Puzo did not want to have him, but after pushing, Coppola got his way and Al Pacino was cast as Michael Corleone. Pacino had only been in one film before this, The Panic in Needle Park (1971), but he was a star on Broadway.

Pacino creates a quiet, threatening space around himself; his performance, which is distinguished, big yet keeping it honest and without any ostentation, complements Brando’s. Similar to Brando in the film, Pacino is transparent; he is never caught acting, yet he manages to change from a stainless, wide-eyed, handsome college boy into the rightful heir to Vito Corleone's criminal empire, becoming more intense, self-assured, and more isolated at every step.

Coppola does not stress the similarities between father and son; they are simply there for us to notice and put together ourselves. Michael embraces the best of his father's personality and his transformation to completely mirror his father comes when Michael’s jaw is broken and his cheeks become jowly, just like his father’s. However, Michael develops several personality traits and a lack of values which Vito would not approve of, but Michael is careful to wait to handle the family business in his own way once Vito is not there to show his disappointment in him.

The beginning of Michael's journey to follow in his father’s footsteps happens when Michael has to step up to save his father, and to prevent the family from any future harm. The restaurant sequence where Michael acts on behalf of his family and takes things into his own hands is one of the best sequences in film history through the acting and the direction. After a tragic event, Michael creates a plan with the help of his brother Sonny (Caan) and his adopted brother and Don’s Consigliere, right-hand man, Tom Hagen (Duvall), to solve the family’s main problem. The plan is simple: they have to kill Police Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) and rival gangster Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri). As a total outsider, Michael quickly earns the trust of both of them. Solozzo invites Michael and McCluskey to a dinner where they try to come to a settlement before any more violence on the streets. Although Sollozzo was very cautious, Michael managed to kill him and the police captain.

Among the major accomplishments of this sequence is the extreme tension created by Coppola. The scene is trying to capture Michael's true thoughts. This is his very first murder in his life, his very first illegal act. Despite being a war veteran, pure murder is something that even he can not endure with fearlessness. The tension the audience feels throughout this sequence is the genuine fear and anxiety that Michael feels at the moment.

The scene reaches a whole new level of anxiety and fear once Michael goes to the bathroom to collect the gun for the murder. The scene cuts from the restroom to the restaurant table, where McCluskey and Sollozzo wait for Michael to return from the restroom, and back to the restroom, and so on. The length of the shots during the restroom sequence goes like 17 s – 3 s – 13 s – 5 s – 17 s, where the longshots are the ones in the restroom. These shortcuts to the interior of the restaurant raise the audience's fear that Michael has been in the bathroom for too long, and that Solozzo and McCluskey will notice. Also, Coppola creates a sense of claustrophobia in the scene with the restroom’s door standing in the way of seeing Michael from the camera’s point of view.

One of the most unforgettable shots in the scene is Michael's close-up. The shot lasts for more than half a minute, moments before the murders are committed. The slow tracking movement that is getting closer and closer to Michael and the extremely loud noise of the train in the background getting loud as the shot gets closer to his face is creating an incredibly tense and stressful scene. This train noise could also be heard when Michael is in the toilet preparing himself to perform his first crime and the loud train noise follows Michael as he walks back to the table with the gun in his pocket. They both indicated a great deal of anxiety, dread, and uneasiness.

Al Pacino’s performance is truly fantastic here. This scene saved Pacino from getting fired from the film. Pacino said years after the film, "I remember not being able to articulate [about Michaels arch through the film], even to Francis," he said. "For the first couple weeks of filming, they were going to let me go". He insists to this day that Coppola saved him from being fired by moving up the shooting of a key scene, "When they saw that scene, they kept me". The scene that Coppola moved up was this restaurant scene. This scene captures a film actor’s hardest skill: to express the tiniest changes of expression and emotion through their eyes. Alfredo James Pacino is the master of this. The audience can see just what Michael feels through Pacino's eyes every second he is on the screen.

This scene is truly movie magic. Coppola manages to put you inside of the head of the main character through his most insecure moment and the audience then begins to truly understand the character. Francis Ford Coppola manages to create constant tension by allowing time to pass, silence fall and then interrupting the silence with loud in your face noise.

The scene in the restaurant is the saddest in the film. Once Michael has committed the murders of the police captain and rival crime boss, he goes to leave the crime scene before leaving the restaurant. He suddenly remembers his instructions, drops the gun. The music rises in triumph, but Michael and the audience can not help but feel that a great loss has happened. Michael, the golden boy in the family, the college graduate with a glowing military record, the son Vito wanted more for than the family business, has crossed over. He is now on the road to his throne. Suddenly, The Godfather reveals itself as not just an anthology of a mafia boss, or even a story arc of majestic set pieces, but Michael's fall towards evil.