The Godfather

One of cinema's best regarded films of all time turns 50 this year and that film would be Francis Ford Coppola's iconic crime masterpiece, The Godfather. Just the name alone brings back Nino Rota's hauntingly wonderful score to mind along with carefully crafted visuals of the Corleone family in late 1940s America and the incredibly talented cast but I wanted to explore today how the film is for newcomers and how might it fair for future generations.

Adapted from Mario Puzo's 1969 novel of the same name, The Godfather follows Michael Corleone, a decorated veteran of WW2, as he is thrusted into his family's criminal business after an attempt is made of his father's life by one of the other rivalling mafia families. A very young Al Pacino stars as Michael, alongside the likes of other stars in their breakout roles such as Robert Duvall, James Caan, Diane Keaton, while the established actor, Marlon Brando, would set the standard for mafia dons in films as the iconic head of the family, Vito Corleone. 

Running at 177 minutes, The Godfather is by no means a quick slice of entertainment, and while it has been imitated and spoofed so many times, Coppola's vision still proudly stands the test of time as one of the greats. There isn't a moment wasted and, if anything, I would gladly see a longer version of the film as the world Coppola creates is so vivid and engaging I was left wanting more. In particular, I found this to be the case during the scenes in Italy, where a whole other film could be made, and also during a brief skip in time in the latter half which could have been explored in further detail. However, as it stands, the 1972 epic depiction is a thrilling film to watch as Coppola and Puzo's script explores this era of organised crime in such detail that even the mafia tried to prevent The Godfather from being made.

Some older films do suffer from pacing issues and the technical limits of their time that will deter newcomers but none of those issues can be found here as The Godfather builds and builds towards its conclusion without any problems. It's the type of film that is loaded with many great and memorable scenes that gracefully move from one to the next as the running time races by with nary a dull moment that makes this so very hard to fault. The acting, the visuals, Rota's fantastic score and direction are all on point to ensure this will continue to stand the test of time and remains one of the best films around.