← Back to Reviews
in
I really enjoyed the first hour with Marlon Brando, especially the wedding sequence. At this point the film reminded me of Elizabeth (1998) as the godfather was like royalty and had his own protocols for respect, while granting an 'audience' and dispersing 'favors and edicts'. That was fascinating to see. Marlon Brando's Don Corleone was like a monarch on the throne, cool stuff.
The second act was interesting as a mob war broke out and I enjoyed seeing so many stars in one movie. Damn! there's way too many to name. I swear Abe Vigoda looked ancient even way back in 1972. And on the flip side Diane Keaton never looked younger. My favorite subplot was the Johnny Fontane character who was based on real life Frank Sinatra.
I did get a bit bored by the third act. Just too many characters for any of them to become fully fleshed out and become real to me. This is what happens when a complex lengthy novel is brought to the screen: either the director has to cut characters & sub plots out of the story...or...spend less time on the development of them. And that's what keeps me from loving this film, it really needed to be a mini series to cover all the vast material in Mario Puzo's novel.
So I appreciate this film and enjoyed watching it, but I'm not sure what I will rate this at as it didn't 'speak' to me. By that I mean I don't find myself pondering the story the next day, nor did it elevate my thoughts or make me feel deeply.
The Godfather (1972)
So, I finally watched The Godfather. Most impressively I never checked how much time was left in the film. That's amazing for me, especially as it's a 3 hour movie and usually if I'm getting bored I'll check the time remaining at least a half dozen times. Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writers: Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay), Mario Puzo (novel)
Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Genre: Drama Crime
Writers: Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay), Mario Puzo (novel)
Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Genre: Drama Crime
I really enjoyed the first hour with Marlon Brando, especially the wedding sequence. At this point the film reminded me of Elizabeth (1998) as the godfather was like royalty and had his own protocols for respect, while granting an 'audience' and dispersing 'favors and edicts'. That was fascinating to see. Marlon Brando's Don Corleone was like a monarch on the throne, cool stuff.
The second act was interesting as a mob war broke out and I enjoyed seeing so many stars in one movie. Damn! there's way too many to name. I swear Abe Vigoda looked ancient even way back in 1972. And on the flip side Diane Keaton never looked younger. My favorite subplot was the Johnny Fontane character who was based on real life Frank Sinatra.
I did get a bit bored by the third act. Just too many characters for any of them to become fully fleshed out and become real to me. This is what happens when a complex lengthy novel is brought to the screen: either the director has to cut characters & sub plots out of the story...or...spend less time on the development of them. And that's what keeps me from loving this film, it really needed to be a mini series to cover all the vast material in Mario Puzo's novel.
So I appreciate this film and enjoyed watching it, but I'm not sure what I will rate this at as it didn't 'speak' to me. By that I mean I don't find myself pondering the story the next day, nor did it elevate my thoughts or make me feel deeply.