Film Notes
     "Generally acknowledged as a bona fide classic, this Francis Ford Coppola film is one of those rare experiences that feels perfectly right from beginning to end, almost as if everyone involved had been born to participate in it. Based on Mario Puzo's bestselling novel novel about a Mafia dynasty, Coppola's Godfather extracted and enhanced the most universal themes of immigrant experience in America: the plotting-out of hopes and dreams for one's successors, the raising of children to carry on the good work, etc. In the midst of generational strife during the Vietnam years, the film somehow struck a chord with a nation fascinated by the metamorphosis of a rebellious son (Al Pacino) into the keeper of his father's dream. Marlon Brando played against Puzo's own conception of patriarch Vito Corleone, and time has certainly proven the actor correct. The rest of the cast, particularly James Caan, John Cazale, and Robert Duvall as the rest of Vito's male brood, all coping with how to take the mantle of responsibility from their father, is seamless and wonderful." (Tom Keogh, Amazon.com)
     The film got almost routinely rave reviews when it opened. New Yorker Magazine's Pauline Kael claimed it was the "greatest gangster picture ever made," and indeed it became the mafia movie that all other mafia movies were not only judged against, but inspired by Mario Puzo's novel, which inspired the screenplay, had sold millions of copies, so by the time the film opened, fans already existed and were lined up at the box office. One of the best aspects of the film is the way it evokes the period and landscape of the mid and late 1940s. The ambient lighting, costumes, and settings became a signature style that Coppola used in The Godfather series. He would use the same suggestive production design and atmospheric touches in The Godfather II (1974) when he evoked Don Corleone's early years, and again in The Godfather III (1990) in the Vatican scenes.        When Coppola made this film, which is now considered one of his three masterpieces, (the others being The Godfather Part III in 1974 and Apocalypse Now in 1979) he had only been making studio-backed features for a few years. He started his career working in different capacities on film sets since he had a thorough technical training at USC Film School, and later was funded to make low budget films by B-movie impresario Roger Corman, who had incidentally helped out many filmmakers and actors from Coppola's generation. His first films outside of his (surprisingly good) Corman productions were the Warner-backed Finian's Rainbow (1968) with Fred Astaire, for which composer Ray Heindorf received an Academy Award Nomination, and the 1969 The Rain People with Robert Duvall and James Caan, who would later become staple Coppola actors, appearing in several of his films.
     The brilliance, epic scope and commercial success of The Godfather solidified Coppola's stance in Hollywood, and in the industry more generally, and allowed him to command higher budgets and continued artistic freedom in his later films, which would sometimes work to his advantage, as in the case of The Conversation (1974) or The Godfather Part II (1974), but also to his disadvantage; with some of his more "risky" projects, such as the critically unpopular and financially unsuccessful One from the Heart (1982) and The Cotton Club (1984). Despite his occasional "failures," Coppola still possesses the Hollywood clout to green light expensive and elaborate projects, such as the 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula.
     Although Brando was a no-show at the 1972 Academy Awards, his stand-in, an "Apache" woman, came with a 15-page speech to read if the star won. Howard Koch, the show's producer, said that if she went over 40 seconds, he would forcibly remove her from the stage. When Brando's name was called, the woman, Sacheen Littlefeather, explained that Brando would not accept the award, as he was protesting the treatment of American Indians by the film industry. The speech met with a mixed reaction, and certainly left most of the audience stunned. Jane Fonda told the press, "I think what he did was wonderful." Actor Michael Caine said, "...If you're going to make a humanitarian gesture, I think a man who makes $2 million a picture should at least give half of it to the Indians." Coppola's response was "I was so sure I was going to win Best Director." (He didn't.)
     The film was shot on location in New York and Sicily. The estimated budget was $6 million. The film was originally 177 minutes, but was cut by 6 minutes when it was released theatrically. The film was released with its two companion pieces on video as part of the re-edited 450 minute The Godfather Saga. The film was selected in 1990 for inclusion in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, which denotes certain American films as "Film Treasures." Jack Woltz's horse, which ends up decapitated, in his bed, is named Khartoum. Louis Malle did the English-French translation of the film for its release in France.