Written by: Dominicus at 4:59 am
Movie Info:
Writer: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Al Lettieri, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, Gianni Russo, Rudy Bond, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg, Michael V. Gazzo, G.D. Spradlin, Gastone Moschin, Tom Rosqui, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda, Sofia Coppola, Raf Vallone, Franc D’Ambrosio, Donal Donnelly, Richard Bright
Rating: R
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Release Info:
Original Air Dates: Direct to DVD
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $61.95
The first time I watched The Godfather I was hooked. It became my favorite movie at that time and has held that spot ever since. Movies have come and gone, but no matter how many times I watch this it never gets old. Sure, some might say that’s because it’s The Godfather and something this amazing couldn’t get old, but I think it’s more than that. I think it’s that the first and second movies were so much more than movies.
I think it’s safe to say that these first two films were art, serving as examples of what Hollywood used to produce and isn’t as frequent to offer anymore. The Godfather has been reviewed by countless critics and is one of the most loved movies of all time. It’s almost loved more than The Godfather II.
When you think about it, what isn’t there to love about this series? The young (at the time), emerging talents were all involved. Distinguished names like James Caan, Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire (Coppola’s sister) and many others are present and accounted for. Al Pacino was practically unknown when he was given the role of Michael Corleone, a role that would change his career and launch him into stardom. Despite the fact that the role did that, he earned it.
This is one of his most powerful roles. Even though I know every move he will make in these films, some of those moves still chill me when I watch them. He is icy cold and always attempting to remain in control, until it’s necessary that he let go. When he does, it is still hard to watch. He is one of the most enigmatic actors in this movie and his presence glues me to my seat every time I watch.
In the first and second film, Pacino’s only real competition for an absolutely amazing performance is Brando and De Niro. Don Vito Corleone is a character that was made to be adored. Starting out small and rising from adversity, Vito was made to be the man he became in every single way.
He learned first hand the importance of power and how to handle himself once he got it. He never showed the lack of compassion that others showed him when he was a young child, but he was never one to back down and he always did what he had to in order to protect his family. Brando was perfect for the first movie and while he could have played in the second, De Niro was chosen instead. Brando was simply never asked to reprise the role. It’s probably all the better as Brando was monetarily screwed out of the deserved money for his part in this series.
Like all good films, you could watch any of these alone and take away a great deal without needing to see the others. You will want to see them, but you won’t need to. One of the things that makes these films so popular is the fact that they seem to cater to a range of different people. People searching for symbolism will love these movies. They will look at the meanings of fish and oranges in a whole new light. However, as blatantly obvious as these symbols are to me, they could easily be ignored without a problem. People manage to get as much or as little as they want from these movies and it works out well.
This was a series that no one wanted to give the benefit of the doubt. They never knew how wrong they would be. The studio execs wanted a small time movie set in present day. Coppola wouldn’t hear of it, instead making it the grand 1940’s affair that will go down in history as one of the best movies of all time. The first film set the way for the second, which I believe was one of the only sequels to surpass its original in terms of magnificence and popularity. It becomes increasingly hard to explain how good these movies are because I feel like I am repeating something that has been said before. If you haven’t seen these movies, no words will do them justice. If you have seen them, then you already know what I am talking about.
What it comes down to is that this set is one of the hottest collector’s items that will be offered this Christmas. Everyone knows someone that loves these movies and you can bet they will be selling like hotcakes. Ashtyn also did a review of the standard definitive set, The Godfather Coppola Restoration Box Set. Like this one, it received high recommendations and rave reviews. This is just one set that everyone needs to own and that’s the best way I can put it.
The The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration Giftset Blu-ray Plot
The Corleone family is laid bare before our eyes in this heartwrenching tragedy that details the history of one mob family through two mob bosses and a lifetime of pain. Like all tragedies, this history has three parts. In three movies you learn how the Corleone family came to be, how Michael (Al Pacino) changed the direction of the family, and how things end. Each section is shown the respect it is due and a hard working set of actors make sure that everything runs smoothly.
After the first film, no one could wait for the second. After the second, there was a long pause until the third picked up. That was unfortunate as some feel that too much time had passed. Others, like me, feel that there is no way that the third film could ever live up to the legacy of the ones before it. That being said, watching it without the pause ensures things make more sense and it doesn’t feel as bad as people waiting over a decade to see it remember it to be.
The movie opens in 1946 at Connie Corleone’s (Talia Shire) wedding to Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo). The wedding is a traditional, old world Sicilian wedding to appease Connie’s father, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). In attendance is the entire Corleone family, including two of Connie’s older brothers, Sonny (James Caan) and Michael (Al Pacino). Sonny wants to be just like his father. He is strong willed, fiery, and fiercely loyal to the family. Michael has shunned the family ways and instead went off to fight the War. Now that the war is over, he is able to attend the family wedding as a decorated war vet. In tow, he brings his future wife Kay Adams (Diane Keaton).
It is obvious from the beginning that Michael is the lone child that does not embrace the family philosophy. In the beginning, he promises his girlfriend that he is nothing like his family. Later, once he embraces the ways thanks to a hit on his father and the murder of his brother Sonny, he tells Kay that he will be the one to make the Corleone family legitimate. We all know it’s not that easy though. Once you’re in the mafia you rarely, if ever, get out.
Michael takes control of the family after Sonny’s hot headed ways lead to his demise and his father eventually dies. Michael is the natural choice because, as it is shown in subtle ways, he is the most like his father. Later we learn how different he is. He runs his business differently, conducting business in a way that Don Vito would have never wanted. In some ways, he may be trying to get rid of the hassles of the other five families to become a legal empire, but in other ways it appears that he is drunk on power and his iron fist demands respect or murder.
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Written by Dominicus - Visit Website
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At 23 years old, I feel that I've lived enough life to share my opinion with the world. That's what I'm doing here, as a writer, for Literary Illusions. I was born in Florida, raised in California, and currently living in Colorado, where I go to a small school in the middle of nowhere. Majoring in Business Administration, I have the goal of one day ruling the world. Interests in life include dating, movies, sports, hanging out with friends, drinking, bar hopping, and writing in both an inebriated and sober state.
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