LogFAQs > #969143632

seginus
Marriage, war, death, birth. religion, Godfather takes up an operatic scope worthy of lengthy analysis but what I find most effective are the little slice-of-life details it spends time with. The old folks singing in Italian at the wedding and making the little kids laugh, the energy of the busy dinner table, the guy playing an out-of-tune piano with the poker game in the background. It's so confident taking time on this stuff that's more atmosphere/worldbuilding than plot. You gotta take the time to get the cannoli, even when you're offing a guy. And of course the cinematography, original score, and performances I think are justifiably iconic. I find myself appreciating its slow burn more every time I watch it.

rockus
What is there still to say about one of the most celebrated and acclaimed films of all time? Besides to simply agree that it deserves the acclaim. Impeccably cast, has some gorgeous textured photography by Gordon Willis, its straight up an all-timer. Incredible film.

Vis
Its crazy to me that this movie is as good as it is, because on-paper, it does a lot of things that Ive hated in the past. The runtime is absurdly long, and despite being a mafia movie, its very much a slice of life story about a family that just happens to be mafia. However, at no point during the three-hour runtime was I bored or looking at the clock. Every scene just did its job to keep me intrigued the whole way through. Even the opening scene was twenty minutes of a wedding, but that wedding was meant to show, not tell, about Vito Corleones power and authority as the titular godfather.

Its just fantastic character work across the board: Vito commands respect, but things go off the rails when he wont play ball with the drug trade. Sonny is reckless and impulsive, and its his hot temper that leads to his downfall, as he is incapable of treating the trade with the kind of finesse that is needed. Tom is calm, measured, and intelligentbut hes also not a blood relative, so they tend to ignore his advice (and honestly, I feel like a lot of problems couldve been avoided if people listened to Tom more). Fredo is a wimpy, easily-influenced loser that no one in the family really respects. And Michael is very stoic and loyal, but hes also willing to do what needs to be done, no matter what. Its interesting how much the movie tries pushing Michael as the good son, but that just makes him the only son with the stones to follow in his fathers footsteps. Its just a really solid story of the rise of a new godfather, especially in the wake of the downfall of the existing godfather.

Poke
What more needs to be said? A cinematic masterpiece, iconic lines/moments, people have probably exhausted themselves analyzing this film. But it's one of the best films and an important piece of Americana

Snake
A film that takes all of what came before but elevates to totally new artistic heights. A virtuosic masterpiece of thematic cinematography, juxtaposing heady themes of religion and family with the senseless murders of gangster flicks that dominated the early 30s and beyond.

ssbm
Rating: B+

It's so easy to like The Godfather. There's so many iconic scenes and the characters are really memorable. The first half of this movie is just banger after banger, all scenes that are firmly coded in popular culture. I really love the wedding scene introducing the movie. It really encapsulates how important family is to the mafia and that it's not always necessarily serious and bloody. It's a celebration. Later on, Sonny's reminded about how no business ever goes down during dinner and that's kinda similar. There's just kind of a holy sacrament space that Vito refuses to go over and many people follow his example.

Speaking of Vito, what a great character. Not a great performance; I can't stand Marlon Brando's acting and think it's really difficult to hear him. But man, I love Vito. Every line has so much weight to it and he really feels like he's at the end of his years and wants to pass down so much wisdom to his kids. Michael's also really great. I love his transformation throughout the movie and how he goes from hardcore hesitating to killing two people to mercilessly ordering a hit on all of his enemies during his godson's blessing. These two carry the movie, but the rest of the Corleone family is really good. I used to not like Sonny for being too much of a caricature. Now, I think his attitude and personality really adds something to the family and his presence is definitely missed once he's shot down.

I will say this movie is difficult to watch, in a conceptual way. This is my third time watching The Godfather and I feel like I like it more on each re-watch. This is my first time watching it with subtitles and that helps a TON. It's still tough remembering who is who, but you get a feel for all the varied characters.

Tangy
Ah here it is the movie that changed everything, Mario Puzos The Godfather. This film is legendary for several reasons and its a legacy that no fan of film can question. This film is nearly perfect in every way, but goddammit everything slows down when Michael goes to Sicily and I hate it. I get why hes there, I get thats important for his character, I get it the landscape is beautiful, but its the last thing I want to see as all this crazy shit is going down back in NYC. The other thing I dont understand is how it just immediately turned Michael into a piece of shit. Specifically towards Kay, like I get it your side piece got blown up in a car accident, but Kay literally waited two years for you to come back. Dude could at least be happy shes more loyal than he is. I dont know its really just nitpicking at this point. Just my reasoning for keeping it out of the Top 3 I guess.