There is a time as not just a horror fan but a fan of all cinema that you need to get your hands on a film that made history and is considered one of the best films ever made. THE GODFATHER is one of those films. It’s a film that one can watch over and over again and not only enjoy the great story, but can be affected by it’s results. I first saw THE GODFATHER when I was a teenager, as a kid I didn’t understand it, but while taking cinema classes in High School, it was considered a must see film, even though it was not covered in class because of it’s violent content.
My whole life, my parents always told me stories about this film, and even have a story of their own. My parents saw THE GODFATHER in theaters when it first came out. When they were done seeing it they told my grandparents and others that it was a terrible film. However, they were confronted after many of my relatives and their friends saw it, and clamed it to me a masterpiece. Turns out my parents spent three hours making out, and didn’t realize that there are people like myself who would of killed to be there in that time to experience cinematic history. But No, for myself it would not stop there, in 1998 I was twenty one years old and moved to a new town with my family. Little did I know that about a quarter of a mile down the road lived Mario Puzo, the man who wrote the Godfather books and the screenplay. I never got to meet the man, but my sister became good friends with his granddaughter as they attended the same college together. Sadly I never got to see or meet the man as a year later he passed away. Still I always liked the fact that a man with such talents lived a few doors down.
For those of you who have been living in a box your whole life; THE GODFATHER is about the Corleone Family, a well organized family of mobsters who are in charge of organized crime such as booze and gambling in New York. “Don” Vito Corleone or as they all like to call him “GODFATHER” (Marlon Brando) is in charge of the family. He has three sons, Fredo (John Cazale), Sonny (James Caan) and Michael (Al Pacino) as well as his adapted son/lawyer Tom Hagan (Robert Duvall) . The Godfather is well respected, and all the crime familes come to him for advice, and to do business. But when a Drug dealer named Virgil Sollozzo comes looking for Mafia Families to offer him protection in exchange for a profit of the drug money. The Godfather declines to help him, because he does not care for what drugs do to people. Because of the this Sollozzo tries to have the Godfather killed, which starts a war. His younger son, Michael, who wants to live a normal life, somehow gets himself involved in the family business and begins to fill has father shoes. With the Godfather’s age catching up with him, he soon realizes that one of his sons will have to fill his shoes one day, and with war between the families about to begin in the streets, lives will be taken and someone new will end up becoming the next Godfather.
I can sit here are write a lot of detail on how great of a film this is. Honesty films like this rarely get made so well that they not only leave you speechless, but make you want to re-watch the film after you just spent almost three and half hours in front of the television watching it. THE GODFATHER is a film that no matter how hard you try to pick it apart you can’t come up with one negative thing to say about the film. The script is perfect, the directing is perfect, the acting is out of this world and the overall production value is flawless. The film won best picture at the Academy Awards in 1973 as well as best actor in a leading role (Marlon Brando) and Best Screenplay. It was also nominated in seven other categories and James Caan, Al Pacino and Robert Duvall were all nominated for best supporting actor, but all lost out to Joel Grey for his performance in CABARET. Director Francis Ford Coppela was also nominated but lost out to the director of CABARET as well, but would get it for THE GODFATHER PART II in 1975.
Overall, THE GODFATHER is one of the best films ever made, and one of the best films I have ever seen. Its no wonder the film is ranked the number two film of all time on IMDB.com (Behind SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION for some odd reason) and is considered by many to be the number one film of all time. While I can’t say it’s my favorite film of all time it is up there on my top ten list. This film also hits me on a personal level as well. My mother is 100% Italian, and I grew up spending a lot of time with my grandparents who were true Italian Americans who live in the time that the mob was active. But it’s not the violence and crime that I can relate too, but the emotions of the family that makes the Corleones so great in the film. I can relate to the good times they have as a family. The Big parties, the great food, and having every single family member from your cousins to your forth and fifth cousins all together under one roof or in one big yard having a great time together. That doesn’t happen anymore, but it’s something I miss. And if there is one thing I take from this film over all it’s violence is how it express the importance of family, and how anyone will do anything to protect their family and their interests.
THE GODFATHER DVD comes in the box set or can be bought separately. Your best bet is to buy the box set. All three films are part of the Coppola Restoration box set. It comes with all three films with the original directors commentary, and a two disc supplements DVD, which includes all the goodies related to the making of all three GODFATHER films. The supplements discs come with all the original behind the scenes footage, additional scenes, Filming locations, Corleone Family Tree, The music of THE GODFATHER, Historical timeline, profiles on the filmmakers as well as Photos and storyboards. The second disc. is full of all new features such as The world of THE GODFATHER, a featurette titled The Masterpiece that Almost Wasn’t; When Shooting Stopped, Emulsional Rescue Revealing THE GODFATHER, THE GODFATHER on the red Carpet, and four short films on THE GODFATHER. This is a must own set for not only fans of the GODFATHER Films but for aspiring filmmakers.
Sure you may argue that THE GODFATHER films are not horror films, but it does have elements of real life horror. After all when someone is out to kill you and you wake up with a horses head in your bed; I think that’s about as horrific as things can get. If you never checked out these films go and rent or buy them. They are true masterpieces of cinema.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
