Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece returns to the big screen
Constantly scoring very highly in best-ever film polls, Coppola's newly restored classic broke new ground in its focus on organised crime and paved the way for the 'movie brat' film-makers who would transform Hollywood.
Charting the fortunes of the New York-based Corleone clan in the years immediately following World War Two, the film centres on the transition from the traditional cosa nostra values held by Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) to the Mafia's growing involvement with narcotics. At once a parable about the corrupting influence of power, a dark dynastic saga of trust, loyalty and betrayal, and a consistently gripping succession of superbly staged set-pieces punctuated by subtly nuanced scenes of family life, the film introduced the world to a host of young stars (not least Al Pacino as Vito's son Michael), a lyrical score, and such memorably resonant phrases as 'We made him an offer he couldn't refuse.'
The Godfather runs at the BFI Southbank until 14th October.
