The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather and it's sequels are often mentioned as amongst the greatest movies ever made during the 70's and indeed of all time and with good reason.
The first part of the Francis Ford Coppola directed trilogy stars Al Pachino as a young Michael Corleone and his reluctant rise to power when he takes over in troubled times as leader of the Corleone crime family from his ageing father Don Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando.
The story begins as Michael has just returned from World War Two and is attending his sister's wedding. The beginning of the film gives a very good look at the way in which the Corleone family conducts its business with Don Vito showing he can be both ruthless and benevolent.
Particularly good in the film is Don Vito's Consigliere Tom Hagen, played by Robert Duval who is an informally adopted son of Don Vito who can never rise to head of the family because of his background.
Other stellar performances are put in by the other Corleone siblings such as Sonny and Fredo played by James Caan and John Cazale respectively.
The first film mainly concerns the war between the Corleone family and Virgil Sollozzo who is a drug dealer who has approached the Don for protection. When Virgil Sollozzo attempts to kill the Don, Michael is forced to take the reins of the Corleone family which has major implications on his relationships with his loved one's and his own character.
The plot of the film is taken from the Mario Puzo novel of the same name and was adapted to a screen play by both Coppola and Puzo.
Key to the look of the film is the excellent cinematography by Gordon Willis who does an amazing job of making the film appear dark and at times beautiful. This is backed up by the music of Nino Rota whose Waltz "El Padrino" must rank amongst one of the most distinctive movie main themes ever made.
At the time the film was revived very well amongst critics and the industry alike and won 3 oscars. Over time the film's reputation has been further enhanced by the subsequent films in the trilogy which gave a greater understanding of the rise of Don Vito and the effect of taking over the family on Michael's soul.
The second film in the trilogy is widely considered the greatest gangster movie ever made and played a substantial part in cementing Al Pachino's and Robert De Niro's reputations as two of the greatest actors of their generation. But the first film really does a great job of setting the scene and explaining the inner workings of the Corleone crime family.
Another key part of the movie's plot is Michael relationship with his sweetheart Kay Adams who is played by Diane Keaton. At the start of the first movie they are very much in love but as Michael begins to commit ever increasingly evil acts their love begins to fade.
Whilst the second film in the trilogy is rightly considered by many to be the best of the three, the first film stands alone as an excellent Mafia movie in its own right.