Part of Essential Coppola
Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) has returned from WWII for the wedding of his sister. As much as he may want to stay out of the family business led by his father, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), Michael’s filial piety thrusts him into the heart of a gathering gang war and his role as the natural successor of the aging Don.
“...Francis Ford Coppola has made one of the most brutal and moving chronicles of American life ever designed within the limits of popular entertainment…. It is also more than a little disturbing to realize that characters, who are so moving one minute, are likely, in the next scene, to be blowing out the brains of a competitor over a white tablecloth. It's nothing personal, just their way of doing business as usual.” —Vincent Canby, New York Times (March 1972) “Essentially, THE GODFATHER is the projection of a myth, not a fact. But it is myths — not facts — that make a fortune.” —Arthur Knight, Hollywood Reporter (March 1972) “Just about as great as a movie's ever gonna be... As for the storytellng, THE GODFATHER is an intricately constructed gem that simultaneously kicks ass.” —Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
