The Godfather I & II

*SPOILER FREE

Sometimes I ask myself, is The Godfather that great? Is it worth all of that hype? Or is it those charming moments of Brando and Pacino on the screen, the exceptional story ark, or the mesmerizeing tunes... and everytime I come to a conclusion that in the world of great cinema and the magical art of visual and audible storytelling there's The Godfather and there's everything else.

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather is a crime drama set between 1945-1955 and follows the Italian-American Corleone crime family headed by don Vito Corleone. Vito decides to hand down his mafia empire to his youngest son Michael.

Italian-American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola went through a song and dance with paramount pictures in pre-production and while making this film that wouldn't only define his career but American cinema forever.

In its 50th-year anniversary, there's absolutely no one article can give this masterpiece justice. Masterfully written and filmed from scene to scene, shot to shot, and frame to frame. This is a work craftsmanship that would influence a generation of filmmakers in film and television.

Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone and Al Pacino as Michael Corleone give the performances of their lives as two of the most compelling and outstanding in cinema history.

And just like those of Federico Fellini and Italian cinema, this work of art couldn't be complete without its original music by one of the greatest Italian film composers Nino Rota and the additional numbers by Carmine Coppola. The music that plays an essential role in the film's narrative had its own cult following and became a landmark in popular culture that one might not have seen the film but for sure familiar with its music.

I remember the night I watched The Godfather for the first time, after which my life and experience with cinema would not be the same. I had to skip school the next day to watch The Godfather Part II, which leads to:

The Godfather Part II (1974)

If there's one thing that's better than The Godfather it's The Godfather Part II. With its 200-minute non-linear cinematic paradise, even better music by Rota and Coppola, and of course with Robert De Niro as young Vito Corleone that gave us, arguably, the greatest actor of all time.

The Godfather duology remains a benchmark of cinema, pure entertainment, and a masterclass of filmmaking, acting, and storytelling.

Experiencing both phenomenal films back-to-back (or in two nights in a row) is highly recommended.

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Available to watch on Paramount+, Apple TV, HBO Max, OSN+, and on Amazon Prime Video

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