Holly and I had our work cut out for us this week- The Wizard of Oz and The Godfather! There is really nothing that can be said about either of this films that is not cliche- especially the Godfather. There is a temptation to feel as if you must take watching The Godfather as a more serious endeavor than watching a movie like The Wizard of Oz; Which, is not unwarranted, given how critics have showered this movie with acclimation's and with how many people have claimed it influenced them. AFI has the Godfather down for six different categories on its lists:
American Film Institute
- 1998 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies #3
- 2001 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills #11
- 2005 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes:
- "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse," #2
- 2005 AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores #5
- 2007 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) #2
- 2008 AFI's 10 Top 10 #1 gangster film
(source Wikipedia)
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As we can see, Godfather raise risen in the rankings by one in the past ten years (overtaking Casablanca). Does it deserve all of its praise? Yes. It's not exactly a fun movie, but it is indeed consequential. Roger Ebert nicely sums up the film's influence:
This is probably the best way to explain the power of the film and its lasting influence on critics and the public alike. The story follows a crime family in the years following World War II; It can be seen as the "fall" of the old world style mafia Dons (Don Corleone) or as the fall of Michael Corleone as he assumes control of the family business. Like other 70s films, The Godfather is dark, gritty, and interested in portraying things as realistically as possible. There are many times in the film when it will show a character trying to think through a problem, and the camera will just stay on a character, as nothing really interesting happens.
the story views the Mafia from the inside. That is its secret, its charm, its spell; in a way, it has shaped the public perception of the Mafia ever since. The real world is replaced by an authoritarian patriarchy where power and justice flow from the Godfather, and the only villains are traitors.
This is probably the best way to explain the power of the film and its lasting influence on critics and the public alike. The story follows a crime family in the years following World War II; It can be seen as the "fall" of the old world style mafia Dons (Don Corleone) or as the fall of Michael Corleone as he assumes control of the family business. Like other 70s films, The Godfather is dark, gritty, and interested in portraying things as realistically as possible. There are many times in the film when it will show a character trying to think through a problem, and the camera will just stay on a character, as nothing really interesting happens.
The story is not as complicated or deep as people make it out to be. It's not far off from Goodfellas to be honest. Both portray the crime lifestyle in the latter Twentieth century. Both try to glorify lives of crime. Both feature older gangsters who are uncomfortable with narcotics and both show the cost of the changing times. But, obviously Goodfellas would not exist if it were not for the Godfather.
Overall, the Godfather is successful at what it tries to do. It's not exactly a joy to watch. But, I would say that the film mostly deserves the praise that it receives. Even if only because of the lasting cultural legacy it left us (the honorable gangsters).
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