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The Godfather acted as a catalyst for the successful careers of Coppola, Pacino, and other relative newcomers in the cast and crew. The film received universal acclaim from critics and audiences, with praise for the performances, particularly those of Brando and Pacino, the directing, screenplay, cinematography, editing, score, and portrayal of the mafia. It was the highest-grossing film of 1972, and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made, earning between $246 and $287 million at the box office. The Godfather premiered at the Loew's State Theatre on March 14, 1972, and was widely released in the United States on March 24, 1972. The musical score was composed principally by Nino Rota, with additional pieces by Carmine Coppola. Filming took place primarily on location around New York City and in Sicily, and was completed ahead of schedule. Studio executives had trouble finding a director the first few candidates turned down the position before Coppola signed on to direct the film but disagreement followed over casting several characters, in particular, Vito and Michael. Paramount Pictures obtained the rights to the novel for the price of $80,000, before it gained popularity. The story, spanning from 1945 to 1955, chronicles the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando), focusing on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. The book also contains replications of archival memorabilia contained in red envelopes interspersed throughout, including a page from Puzo's novel annotated during the writing of the screenplay, publicity posters for the Godfather films and an intriguing promotional leaflet on the prosthetic teeth created especially for Brando and other stars of the film to help establish their characters.The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same name. Interesting behind-the-scenes trivia that Cowie delves into in The Godfather: The Official Motion Picture Archives includes how Coppola was actually Paramount's third choice for director, and how studio execs initially wanted either Robert Redford or Ryan O'Neal to play Brando's character of Don Corleone. Related: Sofia Coppola Weds Rocker Boyfriend
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When people talk about The Godfather they also have The Godfather: Part II in mind." … I think on the whole it added dimension to The Godfather itself in retrospect. I think Part II extended the story, enriched the character in particular of Michael (played by Pacino), and gave the whole story the element of a saga. That may be the secret."Ĭowie adds, "I think we also have to ask ourselves whether we would be talking about The Godfather on quite such an elevated scale if there hadn’t been a Godfather: Part II. … I think people want to escape into that grandeur of great opera when they see a film like this. In addition to its "gallery of rogues and semi-virtuous people alike," one of the reasons Cowie feels that the film endures is due to its operatic quality: "I think it's that swirling feeling of being swept along on a tide of destiny, above everyday life, which separates from a very good film like Goodfellas. 2 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, The Godfather trilogy as a whole garnered 29 Oscars including Best Picture wins for the first two installments. … Every new generation seems to like it it doesn’t seem to have any wrinkles, or date at all."Ī saga by Mario Puzo that Coppola likened to a story of king with three sons, The Godfather stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire and John Cazale in the tale of an Italian immigrant who establishes roots in America and grows to power using organized crime, then must pass his dynasty along to a reluctant son. It's as modern as yesterday's crime … and it has an almost mythical quality, like The Odyssey or The Iliad. "I think it's a film that in one way suggests the great days of Hollywood, like Casablanca, that really endured from that period," film historian Peter Cowie, author of The Godfather: The Official Motion Picture Archives, tells ET.