
Is The Godfather the Greastest Movie Ever Made?
The Godfather was released on 24 March 1972 and propelled Marlon Brando and Al Pacino to superstardom. Spanning ten years from 1945-55 it tells the story of the Corleone crime family. Initially ranked at number three on the AFT's 100 Years...100 Movies list it has now been re-ranked at number two behind Citizen Kane. It is also listed top on the IMDB's Top 250 list and Rotten Tomatoes all-time best list. The Godfather won 3 Oscars and 19 other awards as well as 17 nominations.
The film follows the Corleone crime family and begins at the wedding of Don Vito Corleone's daughter to Carlo Rizzi. Don Vito, known as "Godfather", is the head of a New York crime family. His beloved son, Michael, has just returned home from fighting in WWII and has vowed not to become part of the family business but to lead a normal life. We follow Michael's life through the families trials and tribulations and the nature of the families business soon becomes clear. Like the head of the family the business can be benevolent and generous to those who are respectful and loyal to it but ruthless and merciless to those who dare betray it or stand against it. Don Vito is a man of tradition and the "old ways" of doing business but times are changing and there are elements within "the family" who don't want to follow the "old ways". A new up and coming rival family family to the Coleone business want to start selling drugs in New York but in order to succeed they need the Don's influence and contacts, but the Don refuses the offer on moral grounds. This rebuttal infuriates Virgil Sollozzo who has the Don shot down by some of his hitmen. The Don barely survives and whilst he is in hospital another attempt on his life is made but Michael arrives at the hospital in time to thwart their plans. Michael as a result becomes involved in a bitter war against the Sollozzo family that also threatens to tear the Corleone family and business apart as elements within the family vie for power and to take advantage of the Don's weakened position.
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