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The Godfather
1972
Chilling portrait of a Sicilian family's rise and near fall from power in America and the passage of rites from father to son. Based on a novel by Mario Puzo. Read more
| Starring | Marlon Brando, Richard Conte, James Caan, Richard Castellano |
|---|---|
| Director | Francis Ford Coppola |
| Genres | Drama |
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The Godfather
Chilling portrait of a Sicilian family's rise and near fall from power in America and the passage of rites from father to son. Based on a novel by Mario Puzo.
| Starring | Marlon Brando, Richard Conte, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Al Pacino, Sterling Hayden, Talia Shire, Diane Keaton, John Marley |
|---|---|
| Director | Francis Ford Coppola |
| Studio | PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT (UK) |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 must-see movies, Ezio's Top 10 |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 08 Oct 2001 Production year: 1972 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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This crime drama and its 1974 sequel are among American cinema's finest achievements since the Second World War. The production problems are well documented — how Paramount wanted a quickie, how Francis Ford Coppola came cheap and how he turned the picture into an epic success, a box-office hit that was also an artistic triumph. His first masterstroke was casting Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton, four relative unknowns and one known risk; his next masterstroke was to keep cool under fire, like Michael Corleone himself, turning Mario Puzo's pulp novel into art and showing how capitalism and crime go hand in hand. It's thrilling, romantic, tense and scary — a five-course meal that leaves you hungry for more.
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A brilliantly-made film with all the fascination of a snake pit: a warm-hearted family saga except that the members are thieves and murderers. Cutting would help, but the duller conversational sections do heighten the cunningly judged moments of suspense
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Most helpful member's review
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92 out of 105 people found this review helpful
a big yawn
not 4 me give it a mis
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Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
The Godfather of all films!!
I guess every now & again you've got to attack a list of 'films to watch at least once in your life' and see - just see - if you'll like them.
Let me be honest, I'm no gangster lover, I don't like violence in films or blood & guts and so was a little apprehensive about whether I would really enjoy 'The Godfather' or not.
However I am pleased to say it's fantastic, It's a classic!! I couldn't believe it was made in 1972... if it was released now it would still be a brilliant film and so is even more impressive when you think how innovative it was at the time and how influential it has been since.
For the ignorant (like me) yes this film contains some violence - it is a gangster film after all - but what is refreshing is it is not gratuitous nor long and drawn out like you get in a lot of modern films which want to simply shock their audience. This is a long film - best part of 3 hours - but the violent bits only add up to about 5 minutes in total and they are not particularly gruesome.
Instead, I think what makes the Godfather so good (and why I have given it 5 stars) is it is packed full of great plot, character and story line - it deals with core family issues (most notably the relationships between the Godfather and his sons and them and each other), there's romance, debates on culture and tradition as well as dealing with values like honesty, respect and loyalty.
A little slow for the first hour, once you get past the infamous horses's head scene (which is actually fairly amusing or may be it's my sick sense of humour!) the story really picks up and you find yourself gripped to the very end.
So pop it on your list, sit back & educate yourself with an absolute classic. As for me, I'm going to now rent Godfather 2, 3...... -
News and features
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Godfather rules Empire poll
- 24 Sep 2008
The Godfather has claimed the title of best movie of all time in a new poll from Empire magazine. More than 10,000 cinema-goers, film-makers and critics contributed to the film bible's Top 500 poll. The 1972 mafia film, starring Marlon Brando as crime boss Vito Corleone, took the top spot, followed by Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark in second place. Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back was voted third, prison drama The Shawshank Redemption came in at fourth and Spielberg... Read more
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The Godfather
Chilling portrait of a Sicilian family's rise and near fall from power in America and the passage of rites from father to son. Based on a novel by Mario Puzo....
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