The Godfather 1972
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Also seen by this director: Peggy
Sue Got Married, Rumble Fish, Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, American
Graffiti, Paper Moon
- Based on the book by Mario Puzo
- Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan,
Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Diane
Keaton, Talia Shire
- Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have
seen this actor in:
o
Marlon Brando – Don Juan DeMarco, Apocalypse Now, Superman, Candy, Reflections in a
Golden Eye, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Young Lions, Teahouse of the August Moon,
On the Waterfront, The Wild One, Julius Caesar, A Streetcar Named Desire
o
Al Pacino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Merchant of Venice, Insomnia, Donnie Brasco, Looking
for Richard, Heat, Carlito’s Way, The Scent of a Woman, Glengarry Glen Ross,
Frankie and Johnny, Sea of Love, Author Author, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico,
Panic in Needle Park
o
James
Caan – Detachment, Dogville, Misery, Dick
Tracy
- Robert Duvall – Widows, Sling Blade, The Stars Fell on Henrietta, M*A*S*H and many series
- Sterling
Hayden – Doctor
Strangelove
- Diane Keaton – Something’s Gotta
Give, Marvin’s Room, First Wives’ Club, Reds, Looking for Mr Goodbar
· Why? Group
pressure (FB film group)
- Seen: 26 June 2020
Believe it or not, we have never seen The
Godfather. We’re not entirely sure that we want to. But here we sit.
I assume you’ve seen it or at least know
the story so I’ll skip the summary and just tell you what I think of it:
The
good stuff
Ø
Brando
is always good (but was this role worth an Oscar?)
Ø
Pacino
is young!
Ø
The Sopranos is better but it does owe a lot to this
film
Ø
The
photography is good.
Ø
Pacino
lifts it.
Ø
I
remember the theme song. Quite nice.
The
bad stuff
Ø
I
don’t generally like Mafia films (although Donnie Brasco is excellent).
Ø
It’s
very long.
Ø
Weddings
are boring.
Ø
Family
dramas are (usually) boring.
Ø
The
padding in Brando’s mouth looks fake.
Ø
It’s
tediously macho.
Ø
It’s
boring.
This
film is vastly overrated. It’s handsome enough and Pacino and Brando are good
but it’s just not interesting.
2*
of 5
Which only shows you shouldn't listen to groups, on FB or anywhere else, no matter how great friends of yours they may (pretend to) be. I congratulate you on not following the herd mentality. Art is, or at least should be, person-to-person communication, with the proviso that movies are one of the most collaborative of all arts.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm a "Godfather" fan, I've recently even seen (in two sittings) the whole seven hours of the first two movies edited in chronological order and with about an hour of deleted scenes. It was first shown on TV as a mini-series in the late 1970s. I don't like mafia movies myself, and I still think "The Godfather" isn't one. To my mind it is overhyped rather than overrated (like Shakespeare, incidentally). Plenty of overrated stuff at the IMDb top, though, "Pulp Fiction" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" being to my mind the most egregious examples.
I agree about Brando's Oscar. It should have gone to Larry for "Sleuth". Of course you disagree. I guess you would have given it to Michael Caine for the same movie, and it would have been well-deserved too.
I have never seen "The Sopranos". One day I might, but the chances are more or less equal to my seeing any of the Harry Potter stuff. We'll realise cold fusion first.
Oh it's so good to disagree with you again. I've missed that. Not only about this film but about FB. I enjoy very much discussing things in my FB groups and if some are impolite and abusive, others are that much kinder and intelligent. Wouldn't be without them. Re 'Sleuth' - there we agree! Larry is definitely worth an Oscar for that role. It might be the best he's ever done.
DeleteWhat do you have against the 'Sopranos' by the way?
Every great movie is overhyped or overrated in some way! Look at Casablanca! So I don't think this point makes much sense!
ReplyDeleteWas Godfather a mafia movie? I think not. In a technical sense, of course, it is. It deals with the mafioso stuff but the main course is never made great by its main ingredient but the ingredients.
I love Godfather and watch it every year. For me, it taught about family, betrayal, and power. I knew it was a great movie esp when Brando the Don, said, ”I wasn't going to be on circus boy here. I wanted to protect my family and I fight for it until the end”
Another side of history tells us evil or bad people aren’t really born bad and evil. Some of them do maybe but not all. Consequences follow and the judges never take that into consideration. Society breeds them in the first place. Please see Joker for the same reason I agree with the movie. However, I felt uncomfortable watching it and thought it was way dark. But it had to be to make people think to do not mistreat others for their own faults.
Watching Sopranos now actually. Really really great writing. Something you would say after finishing a great movie in the theater, ”look here, this is the reason I came to watch cinema (or tv here)” :)
The most brilliant thing for me in Godfather 1/2 was classical smooth storytelling. It reminded me of the golden era of Hollywood without ever taking me there. And the acting was brilliant. My fav character was Tom Hagen, the family consigliere.
Was this movie macho? Yes absolutely! But that's the way the mafia is supposed to be. I see Iron Lady and loved it and didn't say it was a feminine one.
There you go, Maan! You and Alexander in agreement once again! I agree that the Godfather is about family, power and betrayal and those are subjects that simply don't interest me. At least not the way they're dealt with in 'The Godather.' But never mind, I'm very content to be in the minority about this film. Most people like it. I don't. But there you have it :-)
ReplyDeleteI am sorry i realised it later that my comment on this thread about Godfather was more idealistic than a rational defense of the movie! Times like this reminds me to slow down in lofe and get detached from THINGS and deep down focus on enjoying my beingness!
DeleteAgain, so glad to find this! I have been reading a lot of your reviews here every night before sleep!
Love to you and Hal!
Don't apologise! Rational reactions to films are not always necessary. Sometimes we love or hate a film simply for emotional reasons and that's part of the fun of it all. For example, rationally I know that The Godfather is a well-crafted film but it leaves me cold emotionally. Anyway, I'm so happy that you're reading the reviews and I look forward to more comments. Love from both of us :-)
ReplyDelete🙂
Delete