As a capstone to my study of crime films I decided to read the screenplays and watch The Godfather and The Godfather II. I remember a painter saying how when he looked at the Dutch painter Franz Halls he said he felt like painting. But, when he looked at Rembrandt he felt like giving up because Rembrandt was so perfect. I would say the same for The Godfather I and II. I've seen some other films about the Mafia, but only the Godfather films attain a standard that will never be reached again. If Chinatown is a perfect film, the Godfather is beyond perfect. Everything with the film works so well. There aren't any faults in the film. The direction, the writing, the cinematography, the editing, the art direction, and of course all of the excellent performances by the all star cast. So much drama; love, hate, violence, tension, passion, and the back stories about the actors. Al Pacino was an unknown before The Godfather. He was living hand to mouth and living a vagabond existence in the Village before Francis Ford Coppola cast him as Michael Corleone.
The story is a straight forward one. The ups and downs of the Corleone family against the other mafia families. It is a romantic film, but mostly a thriller. It is always acting on the next question that it will answer. I was dying to know what would happen next. And every scene is varied or different from the previous one. The emotional range is varied which keeps me emotionally feeling the film. I was cheering for the Corleone family. I was cheering for Michael when he kills Solozzo and McCluskey. After all who likes heroin dealers and crooked cops? That scene in the restaurant is one of the best scenes in Cinema history. It creates so much tension. Will Michael kill Solozzo and McCluskey? Will the gun be there? Will he get out alive? It is a thrilling ride until the final violent shooting.
I couldn't get over Marlon Brando as the Don. Was it his best performance? Was it his career peak? It would certainly seem so. He never did anything as great as Don Corleone again. Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now rivals the performance, but it isn't as good as Don Corleone. The Don is a much deeper character with much more to say and do than Colonel Kurtz. Every performance is great. Every character hits a note with the viewer. Sonny, Clemenza, Tessio, Fredo, even Moe Green comes off as an interesting character even though he has only a few lines in the film before he is killed.
And of course Al Pacino will forever be remembered for his portrayal of Michael Corleone. The transformation of Michael from care free college boy to Mafia Don is one of the best character arcs in film history. But what does Michael think? He is so cold hearted. And to think of poor Kaye And Connie. Women characters in the film get much sympathy. I was so glad when Carlo was killed at the end of the movie. The scene where Talia Shire is beaten in the bathroom is so revolting. The way the camera doesn't show the violence. We can only hear here screams of pain as Carlo beats her with a belt.
The film is non stop action from beginning to end. There is never a dull moment. Even the little reflection scenes of The Don are fraught with unspoken musings that are alluded to by the Don's face. Can you think of anyone playing Don Corleone but Marlon Brando? I can't even imagine someone else in the role.
The screenplay is about 120 pages. The last thirty or forty pages are such a quick read. It seemed like time stood still as I read those pages. I forgot about my problems and escaped into the world of the film. I forgot that I would die. And my life would end in obscurity and irrelevance. It's the greatest art that does that. Films attempt to achieve that, but so few really do. The Godfather does without reservation. After the film ended I was already lamenting the fact that I had to stop watching the film. Reality and mortality awaiting me like a giant chain that I'll never be free from.
But as Samuel Beckett says, "I can't go on. I'll go on."
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