I thought I knew this film so well I could have related it in detail - but there's more stuff in there than you remember.. it just sucks you in. A wonderful example of filmmaking, everything just works so well together. Nino Rota's score is rearranged in many different ways, the most interesting bit of music is the anticipation of the horse's head.
I like that two of the characters seeking a favour on the Don's daughter's wedding then reappear later. Also at the hospital - the baker is shaking but Michael's hands are steady - what did he do in the war, to qualify as a 'hero'? We don't know but he's clearly made of steely stuff, and the film is about him becoming corrupted by the mob and emerging as a dangerous Don.
The acting's fabulous. As is the editing - William Reynolds and Peter Zinner - often consisting of elegant dissolves. There's even an old Hollywood style montage with spinning newspapers! And who's left on - note at the end when his sister bursts in and the editing stays on Pacino.
It's a quite complicated story from Mario Puzo and he and Coppola won the Oscar for Best Screenplay. Brando and the film also won. The way all debts are scored at the end is fabulous.
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| Fabulous coat / cab combination |
Special mentions to Richard Castellano as Clemenza ('Leave the gun, take the cannoli') and Morgana King as Vito's wife.
It will be interesting to see the fictionalized account of the film's production in the Paramount+ series The Offer.
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