The Godfather
Anupama Chopra

Review by Anupama Chopra

The Godfather

1972

2012 marked the 40th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola's classic. The Godfather is no longer a film, it is a myth. The characters — Vito Corleone, Michael, Sonny, Tom Hagen — and scenes are so well-know that the dialogue has become part of colloquial language. "I will make him an offer that he can't refuse", "It's not personal Sonny, it's strictly business", "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes." These lines in themselves contain a world of meaning and don't require further explanation.

The years haven't dated a single frame in The Godfather — from the virtuoso opening wedding sequence to the last despairing close-up of Kay's face. In fact, the artistry seems even richer now — from Nino Rota's haunting score to Al Pacino's staggering performance — his eyes seem to get more bruised as the picture progresses and bodies pile up. Predictably, The Godfather spawned a school of imitators.

This was a movie so good that it almost immobilized one of the world's most successful directors. Steven Spielberg said: "I felt that I should quit, that there was no reason to continue directing because I would never reach that level of confidence." The Godfather still has that power.


TRIVIA: Marlon Brando wanted to make Don Corleone 'look like a bulldog', so he stuffed his cheeks with cotton wool for the audition. For actual filming, he wore a mouthpiece made by a dentist; which is on display in the American Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York.


(This piece was first published in Mumbai Mirror)

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