The Godfather (1972)








The story begins as "Don" Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia "family", oversees his daughter's wedding. His beloved son Michael has just come home from the war, but does not intend to become part of his father's business. Through Michael's life the nature of the family business becomes clear. The business of the family is just like the head of the family, kind and benevolent to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family. Don Vito lives his life in the way of the old country, but times are changing and some don't want to follow the old ways and look out for community and "family". An up and coming rival of the Corleone family wants to start selling drugs in New York, and needs the Don's influence to further his plan. The clash of the Don's fading old world values and the new ways will demand a terrible price, especially from Michael, all for the sake of the family.



Books with substantial mentioning of The Godfather

David Thomson
Moments that made the movies
London, 2014

John White and Sabine Haenni (eds.)
Fifty Key American Films
London and New York, 2009

David Thomson
Have you seen?, A personal introduction to 1,000 films
New York, 2008

Lloyd Hughes
The Rough Guide to Gangster Movies
London, 2005

Roger Ebert
The Great Movies
2003

Jack Shadoian
Dreams & dead ends, The American gangster film
Oxford; New York, 2003

Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast (eds.)
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, 1. Films
Detroit/New York/San Francisco/London/Boston/Woodbridge, CT, 2000

Peter W. Engelmeier (ed.)
Icons of film, The 20th century
Munich; New York, 2000

Danny Peary
Alternate Oscars, One Critic's Defiant Choices for Best Picture, Actor, and Actress - From 1927 to the Present
New York, 1993

Peter van Gelder
Offscreen Onscreen, The inside stories of 60 great films
London, 1990

Joel Finler
All-Time Box-Office Hits
New York City, 1985

Robert Bookbinder
The Films of the Seventies
Secaucus, NJ, 1982

Tony Thomas
Marlon Brando und seine Filme
München, 1981

Articles on The Godfather

Manohla Dargis, Dark side of the dream, in: Sight & Sound, nr. 8 (August), 1996 pp. 16-19

Richard Combs, Coppola's Family Plot, The Godfather Variations, in: Filmcomment, nr. 2 (March/April), 2002 pp. 38-44

Ian Freer, The family album, in: Empire, nr. 255 (Sept), 2010 pp. 126-132