I was fortunate to see "The Godfather" back in 1972 upon its theatrical release. No matter how many "gangster" movies were made before this, here we had a different kind of movie. We had a movie foremost about "family" and dedication to one another. If you could manage to ignore the fact that this was one of the New York mafia families (set in the 1940s), it was as if we were watching a model family. At once honoring the family patriarch, Don Vito Corleone memorably played by Marlon Brando , and at the same time witnessing the rise of the new family leader, Michael Corleone played by Al Pacino. Equally memorable was the role of Santino 'Sonny' Corleone created by James Caan. And memorable for Robert Duvall who created the quiet role of Tom Hagen. Many list have "The Godfather" as number one of all time. To me that doesn't matter, films are meant to be enjoyed each for its own merit. Regardless, there probably will never be a "gang family" movie that approaches the overall impact of this one.
Coppola directed this movie and its follow-ups. Not all of his have been great efforts. For me "One From The Heart", shot entirely on a sound stage, looks and sounds cheap, I consider it a failure. But he also directed such a fun movie as "Peggy Sue Got Married", another "family" theme. Al Pacino, even though he was 31 during filming, was still essentially an unknown, but his role as Michael put him on the map, and he is still going strong. "The Godfather" is a long movie at three hours, but it never seems long, so well told is its story. It is a classic in every respect, and a copy belongs in the library of every serious movie fan.
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