The Godfather

“If ever there was a great example of how the best popular movies come out of a merger of commerce and art, The Godfather is it,” wrote critic Pauline Kael during the release of Coppola’s gangster epic, now recognized as one of the pinnacles of Hollywood cinema. As ingrained in American culture as the moon landing, with Brando, Pacino, and the Corleone family probably more recognizable than many American presidents, The Godfather is less movie than myth, a summation of the American dream as a tale of immigrant strivers, official corruption, religious fervor, and unending violence. More simply, “The Godfather is overflowing with life” (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times).