That is The Godfather. All three hours of this film run by (it feels like) in a matter of minutes. From the wedding party of Don Corleone's daughter to the baptism of his granddaughter, we watch the saga of a family as it passes through its worst crises.
Almost anything that can be said about this film has already been said, so let me touch on a few items that particularly impressed me.
The acting is very fine. Marlon Brando's and Al Pacino's performances have been heavily praised elsewhere, but the others cannot be ignored. James Caan is perfect as the violent, dangerous Sonny. He is bursting with energy: he looks like a coiled spring ready to be released. Richard Castellano and Abe Vigoda are very fine as old family retainers: Castellano mixes Italian bonhomie with violence, while Vigoda is extraordinarily world-weary.
The cinematography: Gordon Willis is one of America's greatest treasures. The opening sequence alone earns him immortality. The choreography and editing of the baptismal sequence is breathtaking: one of those "frame-by-frame" sequences. A masterpiece of timing.
This film is the definition of masterpiece. It made Coppola the filmmaker he is today. He has never come close to this success again, much as he has tried. One of the finest films of the 70's, rivaled only by Chinatown.
Copyright 1997 by Dale G. Abersold
