Latest Breaking News Online News Portal
Tonight, the BBC will air an iconic gangster film that is widely hailed as one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time.
The Godfather, released over half a century ago, has amassed a devoted cult following. Featuring one of Marlon Brando’s final performances and marking the rise of Al Pacino, this film continues to set the benchmark for crime and gangster narratives.
The saga of the Corleone crime family, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is the inaugural chapter of a legendary trilogy.
Based on Mario Puzo’s novel, The Godfather chronicles the life of the Italian-American Corleone crime syndicate, led by Don Vito Corleone, portrayed by Brando.
The narrative traces the journey of his youngest son, Michael, played by Pacino, from a reluctant heir to a ruthless Mafia kingpin.
Diane Keaton stars as Michael’s loyal yet beleaguered wife, striving to maintain a semblance of normalcy amidst her husband’s descent into the brutal world of organised crime.
Upon its release in 1972, The Godfather was lavished with accolades, securing three Oscars – Best Actor (Brando), Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay, reports the Mirror.
It also received seven Golden Globe nominations, clinching awards for Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor (Brando), Best Original Score, and Best Picture. To this day, it ranks as the second-best American film ever made, surpassed only by the illustrious Citizen Kane.
Critical and audience adoration for ‘The Godfather’ has remained unwavering in the half-century since it graced cinema screens, with the film boasting an exceptional 98 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie review aggregator site.
One reviewer wrote: “Coppola was able to take a trashy pulp novel and turn it into something close to Shakespeare; a sweeping, epic tale of family, crime, corruption and the Immigrant experience in America.”
A second critic said: “The Godfather works like a masterfully conducted orchestra, whose immaculate symphony is a meticulously crafted and extraordinarily integral thread in the fabric of cinema history.”
Whilst a third added: “The Godfather is the most memorable, most influential, most quoted, most beloved, most discussed, most imitated, most revered and most entertaining American movie ever made.”
Devotees of the film shared similar passion.
One fan said: “The Godfather is not a movie. It is the Old Testament of cinema: a towering, operatic masterpiece that redefined what film could be, what family means, and how power actually works in the shadows. From the very first line (“I believe in America”) whispered in the darkness of Don Corleone’s office to the quiet, devastating door closing on Michael’s soul, every single frame is perfect.”
Another added: “The single greatest movie of all time. ive rewatched it over 20 times by now and it never gets old. a true timeless masterpiece. exquisite film making by Francis Ford Coppola. an absolutely legendary movie.”
A third wrote: “The Godfather is cinema’s holy scripture – flawless, hypnotic, and still whispering that chilling promise: it’s strictly business.”
The Godfather is on BBC2 at 10pm on December 28.
For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website
