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The Godfather
You see, this is so far and above every other movie, that really, the most difficult decision for me was whether to pick the first movie or the second movie. Pretty much the only difficult decision, as the first moment IC put up this thread, I knew I just had to do The Godfather, because it is head and shoulders above the rest of the movies, which admittedly I love. Star Wars is a fantasic movie, I busted a guy laughing at Borat, and Taxi Driver was perhaps De Niro's best performance. That is, besides his portrayal of a young Vito Corleone in The Second Godfather
That said, The Godfather was such a good choice, not because of the lack of wonderful, entertaining choices, but because The Godfather was so damn marfvelous. I mean, come one, it's the fucking Godfather, for Christ Sakes! What more should I have to say? I could just not back this up, and just leacve it like this, but then again, I don't believe many people are going to argue with me, and I need a strong OP to tell people my stance, I'll expand.
First, I'll explain to you exactly what made me decide on the First Godfagther, the original, over it's successor. While The Godfather Part II was a fantastic movie, I always felt they did way too much in overexpanding. I know it was only natural, but to take the movie to Las Vegas, Miami, Haiti and the like really expanded way too much for my liking. I liked the idea of the Corleone family staying close to it's roots, though I knew that was never going to be the case with Michael Corleone at the helm. Michael was all about expansion, and eerily enough, would mirror Vince McMahon's rise to national prominence with the WWE about six to eight years later. That said, having the story looping between Las Vegas and the like was really something that just didn't do it for me. The second issue for me was always going to be why some people will argue for the Part Deux version, and that would be Fredo. Some will tell you that was a shocking moment, the likes of which everyone was stunned, and that the confrontation with Fredo and Micahel at the New Year's Party was great. To which, I let out a tinyt laugh, as I could see the gears turning for this early in the movie. Brothers turning on one another? Pffft. Fredo's heel turn was about as cliche as Cain screwing over his brother some 2,000 years ago. Or, you know, the yearly instances in which Kane screws his brother over. My third quibble is, for as much as I loved the De Niro parts, I missed Marlon Brando at the helm. Let me ask you something; when you think about The Godfather, what's the first image that comes to your head? Is it something like this?
Am I right? I bet so. Yes, yes, overrated performance, I hear you from Sam. To which I say shut the fuck up. Marlon Brando as the Godfather is irreplaceable. Damn De Niro did try, and he was really fucking good, but he just can't beat Marlon Brando. Nor should he have been expected to, really; Brando was a god among mere mortals. As a matter of fact, if someone doesn't pick On The Waterfront, I will riot. Or, if no one picks Apocalypse Now, for that matter, because frankly, those are some of the best movies of their generations. Consider that Marlon Brando was asked to play pivotal roles in both of these movies, and he'll always be remembered for his Vito Corleone more than anything. So, without further ado, let's get on with this thing:
What Makes The Godfather Best
1. The Writing
As if anyone can't tell, I'm a massive mark for well done books that are turned to movies. English major and such, really; you kind of mark the fuck out when you watch a good novel done justice. Now, that's really rarely the case, mostly because novels have turned to shit. At least, the novels that schlock themselves to a writer who just doesn't care about the script. Francis Floyd Cappolo, however, revered the Mario Puzo novel, and frankly, kept it as close to Puzo's masterpiece as possible. The Movie Blog has it ranked as the second best adaptation of a novel to movie, only behind Lord of the Rings, which as you can tell by later choices (The Princess Bride at #9? Really, Guys? And no selection of To Kill A Mockingbord? Really? Fucking peasants) was sheerly a preference selection. Added to the fact that Francis had the task of breaking up this wonderful novel into three parts ( I like to forget then third part, too, really), and you have to conclude that Francis was working with the build up portion of the novel, in which he crafted so perfectly, that it makes my head spin.
2. The Cast
It reads like the greatest group of actors to ever come down the pike. I'm not just talking Brando here, though that is quite true that I find him to be the greatest actor of all time. You also have Robert Duvall, who was cut out halfway into the 2nd movie and wasn't around as much.You also have Talia Shire, you have James Caan, who met a grisly demise in the first movie and wouldn't return, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, pretty much a who's who of cast. Frankly, no one matches the Star Power of the first Godfather, not even Star Wars, who's lead star pretty much went to voice the Joker, and really fuck all else in the Movie world. Yes, yes, Harrison Ford and James Earl Jones, but come on, Carrie Fisher? Alec Guiness? Can you name another movie as packed with stars as The Godfather? Rocky? Yeah, Dolph Lundgren is riveting, and so is Carl Weathers.
The closest that comes to matching The Godfather for star power is probably Casablanca, and maybe Gone with the Wind. Both of which just don't cut the mustard.
Oh yeah... There was that Pacino. He was a pretty good guy, too. Knew his shit.
3. The Accolades
I could really go on with this, as they are quite close in between. Eveyone loves The Godfather, from critics to your regular joe. It won the Big Three from the Academy Awards, with Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The American Film Institute has been fit to give The Godfather the following achievements
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
The film is ranked as first on Metacritic's top 100 list, and in the top 10 on Rotten Tomatoes' all-time best list (100% "Freshness"). In 2002, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II reached #2 on Film4's list of The 100 Greatest Films of All Time. Entertainment Weekly named The Godfather the greatest film ever made. Hell, The Godfather was voted in at #1 on Empire magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time in November 2008. As if you can't tell, critics love to Bukake The Godfather, because it is so damn entertaining to watch. And it isn't just critics that love The Godfather, it's everybody in the whole world that showers the movie with praise. It is tied with The Shawshank Redemption for the highest rated movie on IMDB. Simply put, when The Godfather is on The Screen, people will come out in droves to see it.
4. The Influence
This was the first of many movies to spawn the The Mafia based movies, in which everyone on these forums love. In spawned the feeling of the organized crime so well, and wa sso historically accurate, Hollywood realized there was a market here. As a matter of fact, here's what the leader of the Gambino crime family, Salvatore Gravano said about the movie
I mean I floated out of the theater. Maybe it was fiction, but for me, then, that was our life. It was incredible. I remember talking to a multitude of guys, made guys, who felt exactly the same way.
At the moment, ChiDavid is creating a thread in which he's going to say Goodfellas is the best movie of all time. Which, frankly, he'd better be prepared to face the fact that without The Godfather, there is no Goodfellas. There is no Sopranos, there is no Casino, there is no mafia based entertainment which we've come to love over time. The image of the Mafia as being a feudal organization with the Don being both the protector of the small fry and the collector of obligations from them to repay his services, which The Godfather helped to popularize, is now an easily recognizable cultural trope, as is that of the Don's family as a "royal family". (This has spread into the real world as well cf. John Gotti the "Dapper Don", and his celebritized family.) This portrayal stands in contrast to the more sordid reality of lower level Mafia "familial" entanglements, as depicted in various post-Godfather Mafia fare, such as Scorsese's Mean Streets and Casino, and also to the grittier hard-boiled pre-Godfather films. Hell, George Lucas was influenced by the magnificent Assasination/Baptism sequence, which I argue is the greatest scene of all time.
Look, I can on, but the evidence is in front of you. The Godfather is the greatest movie of all time.
Oh... And for the record, if you decide to spam this thread with that scene from Family Guy... You know the one... You will be trolled and red repped with the following
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