Upon my decision to finally sit down and watch this film, I was well aware of some of the cultural influences made by this film. I was aware of, "Make him an offer he can't refuse" and, "I don't get no respect". I knew of these quotes and was pretty sure they were from this film. Solidified obviously when I watched, but I was also made aware of more quotes and clichés from this film. The horse head in bed, for instance. The voice and manner of Don Vito. So many iconic quotes and lines came from this film that it would be impossible to give it anything lower than a 10 just for that. And now, the film itself. The acting in this film was out of this world. Brando seems to become Don Vito as much as he is himself. Al Pacino is a new world of acting. His way of showing the inner battles Michael faces as he attempts to stay out and stay a good man is beautiful. The decisions he makes obviously affect him in many ways, and Pacino does this representation of conflict and struggles flawlessly. As entertaining and as high-octane as this film was, there was one piece of cinematography that I noticed throughout. This being the lighting of Marlon Brando. Throughout the film, Don Vito goes through a lot, from being the mob boss of New York to being bed-bound. The lighting of his eyes in his office, particularly, is absolutely breathtaking. His entire face is portrayed in this eerie yellow light which allows for some beautiful shots with cigarette smoke as well. But, this yellow light is positioned so perfectly that it darkens his eyes, so they are just black holes of emptiness. It gives the illusion of inhumanity, of heartlessness. Even outside at the wedding, his eyes are still sunken. However, when bed bound, the lighting is right in his eyes, and you can see right into him. This is merely one example of a probable infinite amount of examples of excellent cinematography that you could get from this film. One of my most entertaining watches ever, and somehow Coppola keeps me gripping the edge of my chair for 2 hours. An absolute must watch for any human being breathing air. A classic now, a classic then, and a classic for years and years to come.
Review of The Godfather
