The Godfather Movie Details:
| Based on | The Godfather by Mario Puzo |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime, Drama |
| Release date | March 14, 1972 (Loew’s State Theatre) March 24, 1972 (United States) |
| Running time | 2hr 55min |
| Age rating | R |
| Starring | Marlon Brando Al Pacino James Caan Richard Castellano Robert Duvall Sterling Hayden John Marley Richard Conte Diane Keaton |
| Directed by | Francis Ford Coppola |
| Screenplay by | Mario Puzo Francis Ford Coppola |
| Produced by | Albert S. Ruddy |
| Cinematography by | Gordon Willis |
| Edited by | William Reynolds Peter Zinner |
| Music by | Nino Rota |
| Production Company | Paramount Pictures Alfran Productions |
| Distributor | Paramount Pictures |
The Godfather Movie Cast & Characters:
- Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone: crime boss and patriarch of the Corleone family
- Al Pacino as Michael Corleone: Vito’s youngest son
- James Caan as Sonny Corleone: Vito’s eldest son
- Richard Castellano as Peter Clemenza: a caporegime in the Corleone crime family, Sonny’s godfather
- Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen: Corleone consigliere, lawyer, and unofficial adopted member of the Corleone family
- Sterling Hayden as Captain McCluskey: a corrupt police captain on Sollozzo’s payroll
- John Marley as Jack Woltz: Hollywood film producer who is intimidated by the Corleones
- Richard Conte as Emilio Barzini: a crime boss of a rival family
- Al Lettieri as Virgil Sollozzo: an adversary who attempts to pressure Vito to get into the drug business, backed by the Tattaglia family
- Diane Keaton as Kay Adams-Corleone: Michael’s girlfriend and, later, second wife
- Abe Vigoda as Salvatore Tessio: a caporegime in the Corleone crime family
- Talia Shire as Connie Corleone: Vito’s only daughter
- Gianni Russo as Carlo Rizzi: Connie’s abusive husband
- John Cazale as Fredo Corleone: Vito’s middle son
- Rudy Bond as Cuneo: a crime boss of a rival family
- Al Martino as Johnny Fontane: a singer and Vito’s godson
- Morgana King as Mama Corleone: Vito’s wife
- Lenny Montana as Luca Brasi: Vito’s enforcer
- Johnny Martino as Paulie Gatto: a soldier in the Corleone crime family
- Salvatore Corsitto as Amerigo Bonasera: the undertaker who asks for a favor at Connie’s wedding
- Richard Bright as Al Neri: the soldier in the Corleone crime family who becomes Michael’s enforcer
- Alex Rocco as Moe Greene: a Jewish mobster and Las Vegas casino proprietor
- Tony Giorgio as Bruno Tattaglia
- Vito Scotti as Nazorine
- Tere Livrano as Theresa Hagen: Tom’s wife
- Victor Rendina as Philip Tattaglia: head of the Tattaglia crime family and prostitution crime boss
- Jeannie Linero as Lucy Mancini: Connie’s friend and Sonny’s mistress
- Julie Gregg as Sandra Corleone: Sonny’s wife
- Ardell Sheridan as Mrs. Clemenza
Storyline:
The Godfather “Don” Vito Corleone is the head of the Corleone mafia family in New York. He is at the event of his daughter’s wedding. Michael, Vito’s youngest son and a decorated WWII Marine is also present at the wedding. Michael seems to be uninterested in being a part of the family business. Vito is a powerful man, and is kind to all those who give him respect but is ruthless against those who do not. But when a powerful and treacherous rival wants to sell drugs and needs the Don’s influence for the same, Vito refuses to do it. What follows is a clash between Vito’s fading old values and the new ways which may cause Michael to do the thing he was most reluctant in doing and wage a mob war against all the other mafia families which could tear the Corleone family apart.
About The Godfather Movie:
The Godfather is an American epic gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton.
It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955.
Paramount Pictures obtained the rights to the novel for $80,000, before it gained popularity. Studio executives had trouble finding a director; the first few candidates turned down the position before Coppola signed on to direct the film but disagreement followed over casting several characters, in particular, Vito (Marlon Brando) and Michael (Al Pacino).
Filming took place primarily on location around New York City and in Sicily, and was completed ahead of schedule. The musical score was composed principally by Nino Rota, with additional pieces by Carmine Coppola.
The Godfather premiered at the Loew’s State Theatre on March 14, 1972, and was widely released in the United States on March 24, 1972. It was the highest-grossing film of 1972, and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made, earning between $250 and $291 million at the box office. The film was acclaimed by critics and audiences, who praised its performances—particularly those of Brando and Pacino—direction, screenplay, writing, story, cinematography, editing, score, and portrayal of the mafia. The Godfather launched the successful careers of Coppola, Pacino, and other relative newcomers in the cast and crew.
At the 45th Academy Awards, the film won Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Puzo and Coppola). In addition, the seven other Oscar nominations included Pacino, Caan, and Duvall all for Best Supporting Actor, and Coppola for Best Director.
The Godfather is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, as well as a landmark of the gangster genre. It was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1990, being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and is ranked the second-greatest film in American cinema (behind Citizen Kane) by the American Film Institute.
It was followed by sequels The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990). Pauline Kael wrote that “If ever there was a great example of how the best popular movies come out of a merger of commerce and art, The Godfather is it.”
The Godfather Movie Budget & Box Office Collection:
| Budget | $6–7.2 million |
| Worldwide Collection | $250–291 million |
