Last night’s movie: The Godfather

Holiday season often brings wonderful presents. I was fortunate this year to get a really nice one from a buddy, the Godfather DVD collection. To top it off, he also grilled steak and ribs for me last night before we watched The Godfather, the 1972 film that began the saga. Simply brilliant, the film has amazing acting, script, cinematography, and direction; this was recognized with three Academy Awards (Brando refused his for Best Actor) and seven aditional nominations.

Francis Ford Coppola collaborated with author Mario Puzo on the screenplay. There are many constructs throughout that provide a great foundation for the acting. The parallel actions during the opening wedding scene (the old man singing a dirty song in Italian as Caan take the bridesmaid upstair for a quick one as Duvall reads telegrams telling the Don his politicans are fucking him by not showing at his daughter’s wedding as Johnny Fontaine walks in and the women all want to fuck him), the parallels between Diane Keaton and Simonetta Stefanelli (Pacino’s two wives), and the parallel staging of the main assasinations (on Brando and by Pacino), to name just three.

Brando, Pacino, Duvall, and James Caan brought the characters to life. Especially Pacino, who renders an awesome transformation from sweet, untouched returning war hero through tragedy and harsh reality into a cold, ruthless Don. We noticed, in accord with Pacino’s character arc, that if you accept the rules of the Mafia world, the Corleone family thoughout the film only responds to the wrongs done them by others. And there are so many famous scenes, no wonder men are constantly quoting or referring to the film.