Little was expected of ‘The Godfather’ when it was released in 1972, but the epic trilogy ended up changing Hollywood forever. Lauded today as one of cinema’s masterpieces, and launching a trilogy that earned nine Oscars, no one knew quite what to expect when the cameras began rolling on the movie in 1971. But creating an epic was not anticipated.
Director Francis Ford Coppola was something of a Hollywood joke, having just made a string of box office duds, while Marlon Brando was deemed a ‘has been’. Even though the novel on which the film is based by Mario Puzo had been a best-seller, it’d been dismissed as pulp fiction, with The New York Times citing its ‘overdramatisation’.
Despite all this, The Godfather created screen magic and was hailed as an instant classic from the moment it premiered on 24 March 1972, winning three Oscars including Best Picture. Far more than that, it also changed cinema.
In film school, which was relatively new, Coppola studied film both practically and critically. He watched all the great American and foreign films from the festivals and learned how different lenses, angles, sounds, etc. affect audiences. Despite rather disliking the novel, Coppola was sought after to direct The Godfather in part because he himself was Italian-American and because the studio knew they needed some fresh new vision. The Godfather became the first Hollywood blockbuster. It was a book. It was a movie. It was a soundtrack. All of these elements were mass-marketed to push each other for greater sales and the film opened not in hundreds but thousands of theatres to massive critical and audience acclaim.
Because of The Godfather’s success, the studios shifted to centre more around blockbusters or “event films.” Studios also started looking for their next directors in recent film school alumni. There would be no Jaws (1975), no Star Wars (1977), no Taxi Driver (1976) were it not for Coppola and The Godfather.
it squashed the idea that Italians were uneducated and that Italians all spoke with heavy accents. Even though Michael is a gangster, you still see Michael as the one who went to college, pursued an education and that Italians made themselves a part of the New World. These were mobsters, but these were fully developed real human beings. These were not the organ grinder with his monkey or a completely illiterate gangster. It is an odd thing. I think to this day there are still some people who view the Italian as the “other”—somebody who is not American, who is so foreign. In films like Scarface [1932], the Italians are presented almost like creatures from another planet. They are so exotic and speak so terribly and wear such awful clothes. The Godfather showed that is not the case. In the descendant of The Godfather, which is of course “The Sopranos,” once again the characters are mobsters. But they are the mobsters living next door in suburban New Jersey, so it undercuts a bit that sense of Italian as the “other.”
One of the main reasons this film has managed to capture the world is likely the fact that Cappola’s script provides such an in-depth insight into the lives of the characters in such a way that we can relate to each character in a most sympathetic way. While it is unlikely we would be able to feel the same emotional connection to these characters in real life, in the film, their stories are so encapsulating that they become your stories.
According to Film Oracle, Coppola was on the brink of a nervous breakdown during the film’s production as he was concerned that he may be fired. This suggests the immense passion and dedication that likely fuelled the greatness behind the iconic and timeless film. The incredible performances of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino were directly the result of Coppola’s constant negotiations with Paramount studio, which may be quite surprising. Had he not had so much faith in these actors, the film might not have entered into the extreme success that it did.
Coppola’s unwavering belief in their abilities was rewarded with two of the most iconic roles in the seventies. However, the roles of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino are not the only memorable performances, considering Diane Keaton, John Cazale, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and several others brought their best to the table during the production of ‘The Godfather.’
Beyond the incredible performances of the cast, the choice to give life to the story as a periodic masterpiece was crucial to the films ultimate success. The incredibly impressive attention to finer details in combination with the legendary music of Nino Rota and the amazing cinematography of Gordan Willis essentially ties together the aspects of the film that together had an undeniable impact on the film industry.
There is no doubting that ‘The Godfather’ has made its mark as a historical curiosity, considering the immense praise it has received over time. The classic film has been influential in filmmaking education and it is also one of the reasons the world of entertainment has become most mesmerizing and magical. The creation of the film has left an impression on the film industry as the various aspects that came together to immortalize the story will be praised by generations to come. Each and every detail that went into the production of this classic are what makes it such an iconic masterpiece.
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