Summary
Director Francis Ford Coppola reveals a key detail of whyThe Godfatheris such a success. Based on the Mario Puzo book of the same name,The Godfatherwas released in 1972 to immediate acclaim. Along with critical praise, the movie was a blockbuster hit. It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, ultimately winning Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.The Godfatheris still widely considered to be one of thegreatest films of all time.
In an interview withRolling Stone, Coppola explains whyThe Godfatherwas such a hit when it was released. Along with a talented crew and actors, the director believesincluding the children of the gangsters plays a role in why the movie connects with audiences. Their families reflect the lives of Italian Americans at the time, something Coppola believes no other crime movies were doing.
It was the right movie for the right time, with the right cast, with the right artists. Somehow, everything just lined up. I have a theory of one of the reasons why it was so successful, which is [something] no other gangster film ever did, is it had the children of gangsters in it. Which is funny, because it’s a small thing. But one of the things that madeThe Godfatherreally different is that you not only see these men doing what they do, you also see their family and what so much of Italian American life was at that time.
Having The Corleone Family Included Was Key To The Godfather’s Success
The Family Created A Legacy For The Franchise
Family is intrinsically tied toThe Godfather. The movie opens with a lengthy wedding sequence, something which would likely not be made in modern cinema. However, that scene immediately establishes Vito Corleone’s (Marlon Brando) connection to his family and howhis life is interwoven between his business and home life. The wedding scene is one of the many reasonsThe Godfathercould not be remade today.
The Corleone family can be caring, dysfunctional, loving, violent, and everything in between.
The legacy ofThe Godfatherdirectly connects with family. The movie follows Vito’s youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), after being discharged from the Marines and reluctant to join the family business. It also focuses on the other Corleone siblings and their children. One of the more heartbreaking scenes isVito dying while playing with his grandchild.
The Godfathershows that the Corleones are not just a crime family, but also a real family. The Corleone family can be caring, dysfunctional, loving, violent, and everything in between. Coppola’s assessment of including the entire family sets the film apart from previous gangster movies and set a template forThe Godfatherto be imitated.
The Godfather
Cast
The Godfather chronicles the Italian-American Corleone crime family from 1945 to 1955. Following an assassination attempt on family patriarch Vito Corleone, his youngest son Michael emerges to orchestrate a brutal campaign of retribution, cementing his role in the family’s illicit empire.
