Something about the Shakespearean Mob Epic is so entrancing to me. I find the thrilling aspects of the backroom dealings to be so entertaining, reminiscent of The Departed (2006). I also love the crescendos when all of the plotting boils over. I think of films like The Irishman (2019), and how when Frank kills Jimmy Hoffa it is so heart-wrenching, but maybe more so terrifying. I love the humor of movies like Goodfellas (1990) or The Town (2010) Even the movies that go for a more grounded feel like Black Mass (2015) or a show like The Sopranos (2000) are gripping because they center themselves around characters that are entirely evil. However, none of these (and I genuinely mean NONE) even come close, in my opinion, to the greatness that is Mario Puzo’s The Godfather (1972). Before we get into why I love it, I simply need to gush and implore you to watch it (again: in my case it will be the 20+ time). This is a movie that will always give you something new. It is one of three movies that I would actively describe as perfect pieces of art, 12 Angry Men (1957) and Alien (1979) being the other two. Everything from Marlon Brando’s performance, to Nino Rota’s score, to Gordon Willis’ cinematography, to the script penned by Mario Puzo, is perfectly and iconically directed by Francis Ford Coppola in a manner that has not been matched since. Phew. Now that all of that is out of the way, I can address my relationship with this film.
I saw this film, for the very first time, when I was just 16 years old, and I was too young. There are only two movies that I firmly believe I watched too early in life: Blade Runner, and this. Now, what I mean is not that the content is too extreme. I don’t care about that all that much. What I mean is that I did not respect the scope and maturity that this movie requires to interpret its many themes. This movie is not easy to watch. Nor should it be. It is a true adult movie. At its center is a man and his three sons, and the question that is presented to him is, “Can they go on without me?” What we discover over the course of the film is that only one of them can. And we also learn what lead to the predicament that is presented before Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). We learn that the life that he has chosen has lead to 1.) His eldest son, Santino(James Cann), is not smart enough to inherit his kingdom. 2.) We learn that his middle son, Fredo (John Cazale), is not strong enough to inherit the kingdom. Finally there is the youngest Corleone. Michael (Al Pacino). At the beginning of the film, Michael is returning to the family a war hero, with a woman who he will marry who is not of this world. Michael is no gangster. Michael is a civilian. But he is also exactly the right person to be the next Don, especially after the death of the oldest Corleone. This movie is all about how one man, Michael, can be corrupted by even the smallest temptation for power, and how he is eventually willing to shut out anyone in his life in pursuit of that power. That is why I love this film. It is human. Michael Corleone is simply a man, who in a moment of passionate defense of his family, becomes a twisted, warped version of himself. He becomes the version of himself who, instead of telling his wife all the details of his day as they lay down, says to her “Don’t ask me about my business Kay,” when she goes out of her way to ask.
I think the reason that as I have grown in my relationship with this movie, I have appreciated it more, is because I see how easy it is to slip into Michaels frame of thinking. this idea that power and secrecy are pursuits that are just a means to a just end. Michael says at one point in the story, “In five years, Kay, the Corleone name will be totally legit.” The problem is that right now it isn’t and it will take a lot of dirty work and sacrifice to get there, and at the end of it, will leave Michael an old wealthy man who is at his core, alone. All those movies (other than The Irishman, which you should watch) in someway view the life of a gangster as something that is exciting and entertaining. The greatness of The Godfather is found in that it is a tale of warning. Its big point is that you should not sacrifice those you love for some idealized version of the future that you think is preferable, and that is exactly what Michael does. Please watch this movie. That is all I want to leave you with. Start a Paramount+ account and cancel it a day later, as long as you get to watch Mario Puzo’s The Godfather.
Sawyer Huelat 