The Godfather is an American 1972 crime drama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola, and Robert Towne, who was not credited.
It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton, and features John Cazale and Abe Vigoda. The story spans ten years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. The Godfather received Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay, and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. In addition, it is ranked as the second greatest film in American cinematic history, behind Citizen Kane on the AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) list by the American Film Institute.
Plot: In late summer 1945, guests are gathered for the wedding reception of Don Vito Corleone’s daughter Connie and Carlo Rizzi. Vito, the head of the Corleone Mafia family – who is known to friends and associates as “Godfather” – and Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), the Corleone family lawyer and consigliere, are hearing requests for favors because “no Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter’s wedding day”. Meanwhile, the Don’s youngest son Michael, a decorated Marine war hero returning from World War II service, tells his girlfriend Kay Adams anecdotes about his family, attempting to inform her about his father’s criminal life; he reassures her that he is different from his family…
Awards and honours
The Godfather won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Writing (adapted screenplay) for Francis Coppola and Mario Puzo, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Marlon Brando, who declined to collect the award and sent Native American actress Sacheen Littlefeather to the Oscars in his place to explain his reasons. The film had been nominated for eight other Academy Awards. The film won five Golden Globes, one Grammy, and numerous other awards.
Cast
* Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone
* Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
* James Caan as Santino “Sonny” Corleone
* Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen
* Diane Keaton as Kay Adams
* John Cazale as Fredo Corleone
* Talia Shire as Constanzia “Connie” Corleone
* Richard S. Castellano as Peter “Pete” Clemenza
* Abe Vigoda as Salvatore “Sal” Tessio
* Al Lettieri as Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo
* Gianni Russo as Carlo Rizzi
* Sterling Hayden as Captain Mark McCluskey
* Lenny Montana as Luca Brasi
* Richard Conte as Emilio Barzini
* Al Martino as Johnny Fontane
* John Marley as Jack Woltz
* Alex Rocco as Moe Greene
* Morgana King as Carmella Corleone
* John Martino as Paulie Gatto
* Victor Rendina as Philip Tattaglia
* Simonetta Stefanelli as Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone
* Louis Guss as Don Zaluchi
* Tom Rosqui as Rocco Lampone
* Joe Spinell as Willi Cicci
* Richard Bright as Al Neri
* Julie Gregg as Sandra Corleone
