The Godfather - A masterpiece of modern cinema (The Godfather I (DVD))

Member Name: navidson

Product:	The Godfather I (DVD)
Date:	01/05/09 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great cast, Perfectly understated

Disadvantages: None

The Godfather signalled the rebirth of the gangster genre as a potent force within American Cinema. When it arrived in 1972, films such as Bonnie and Clyde had already paved the way for a more violent kind of gangster film, but one where our sympathies lay with the criminals rather than the victim.

There are career best performances all over The Godfather - Marlon Brando is regal and morally strong as the patriarch of the family, Al Pacino transforms from a clean cut boy on the fringes of the family to a charismatic, tough leader. James Caan as the hotheaded Sonny is also excellent, as is Robert Duvall, cast in the role of the chief legal advisor to the family.

Much of The Godfather has made it into movie folklore (The horses head, The toll booth shooting) but what makes it so special is the way it accurately portrays ethnicity and illustrates the importance of the family in modern society. It involves the viewer even in the quietest moments (The opening with Bonasera, pleading for justice for an attack on his daughter) all the way up to the brutally famous scenes of ultraviolence.

The Godfather is a self contained film of its own - But it really takes on new subtleties and themes when viewed along with the Godfather Part II. If you can watch the two back to back, the viewing pleasure is increased, as massive chunks of backstory are filled in, and the audience comes to realise how 'The Godfather' made his progression to the head of the family, and American society.

This is still an absolute classic - And even though the more modern pretenders to the throne (Goodfellas, Casino) have to batter their way into the 'Best of' tables through sheer volume alone - The Godfather shows them how to make the perfect gangster film, with reverence, subtlety and sympathy.

Summary: The first of the epic gangster films, and still the best