Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Godfather (1972)

Some movies are made even more epic by pairing them with a thematic dinner and beverage.  I had the pleasure of enjoying The Godfather with friends over spaghetti and wine, which made the experience all the better.  This was not my first time viewing The Godfather by a long shot, however, it was the first time in quite a few years and my pallet for film is certainly more distinguished.  With that being said, I love this movie!  It is flawless from the opening scene to the intense, yet operatic, baptism scene and provides several awe-inspiring moments in between.  It is rare to see a movie and not feel as though it could have done without a certain scene, or chosen a better way to approach a portion of the narrative.  I at no point felt this with The Godfather, which is surprising given that it clocks in at just under three hours.  It may have been the Blu-Ray transfer or the glasses of wine in me, but I felt transcendent watching this film, as though I had entered into the most intimate realms of World War II era mafia life.

I can now come to appreciate why the film is often listed in Top Ten of All Time lists so often.  As one of my friends, who is lesser versed in film, noted, he could tell it was a better film than most Hollywood garbage, yet was incapable of placing a specific reason as to why.  I posited that it might be the harmonious working of all the right elements to make a masterpiece, whether it be Brando's impeccable acting or Coppola's chiaroscuro lighting.  Plain and simple, the film is perfection and all that can be said has, and I won't attempt to offer anything profoundly new.


I do want to note, as I am sure others have, the overbearing sense of patriarchy in the film.  It is made apparent through verbal cues and the structural nature of the mise-en-scene that Coppola's world, as is the case for many of his other films, is one for men.  I do not feel as though this deters from the enjoyability of the film, particularly because it is a period piece, however, I would be remiss not to mention it.  With that being said, I encourage a revisiting of this movie and I promise you that if you choose not to eat Italian food while doing so a craving for some will surely follow.