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The Godfather

Oscar™ Best Picture - Winning Movies

The Godfather

1972

Francis Ford Coppola

Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall ...

9.0

175,616

Drama Epic tale of a 1940s New York Mafia family and their struggle to protect their empire from rival families as the leadership switches from the father (Marlon Brando) to his youngest son (Al Pacino). Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is The Godfather, the Don (head) of a successful, tightly-knit family whose business is organized crime. Heir apparent is impulsive, hot-tempered Sonny (James Caan), whose brothers are brooding Michael (Al ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"The wedding sequence... is a virtuoso stretch of filmmaking: Coppola brings his large cast onstage so artfully that we are drawn at once into the 'Godfather's' world (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"
		Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune	"Brando made Don Vito something we rarely see in movies: a tragicomic villain-hero"
		Vincent Canby The New York Times	"One of the most brutal and moving chronicles of American life ever designed within the limits of popular entertainment"
		Edward Guthmann SFGATE	"Coppola crafted an enduring, undisputed masterpiece"
		Dave Kehr Chicago Reader	"Sharp, entertaining, and convincing--discursive, but with a sense of structure and control that Coppola hasn't achieved since"
		Desson Thomson The Washington Post	"A great American picture, full of incredible images and lasting moments"
		A.D. Murphy Variety	"[It] has excellent production values, flashes of excitement, and a well-picked cast. But it is also overlong (...) and occasionally confusing. While never so placid as to be boring, it is never so gripping as to be superior screen drama."
		Arthur Knight The Hollywood Reporter	"Essentially, 'The Godfather' is the projection of a myth, not a fact. But it is myths — not facts — that make a fortune."
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"A measured, deathly serious epic (...) A big-screen must (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Angie Errigo Empire	"An intricately constructed tapestry of narrative, emotion and the trials of a reluctant gangster (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Emily Bernard Collider	"The crime drama paints a compelling portrait of how greed, ego, and loyalty can corrupt even the most unassuming individual. 'The Godfather' is simply a movie you can't refuse"
		FilmAffinity	It was initially announced, on February 12, 1973, that The Godfather received 11 nominations, more than any other film that year. This was reduced to 10 (tied with Cabaret for the most) after a new vote by the Academy's music branch, following a controversy over whether Nino Rota's score for The Godfather was eligible for the nomination it received. So the nomination was withdrawn, and ineligible: reused Fortunella score; replaced by a nomination for "Sleuth".

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