Art house: The Godfather has influenced popular culture in unseen ways
Sean Tierney
"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli." An epic tale of an Italian-American crime family's struggle to survive the shifting landscape of post-second world war organised crime in America, The Godfather is one of those rare films which has entered popular culture so thoroughly that many of its effects may not even be recognised as such.
The modern fascination with organised crime that made American television shows such as The Sopranos popular was started by The Godfather. If you've ever wanted to make someone "an offer he can't refuse," or if you know what it means to "sleep with the fishes," it is because of this 1972 film which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and went on to win three, including best picture and best actor.
Based on Mario Puzo's bestselling novel and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, it is a vivid portrait of the Corleone family's experiences in the Mafia or La Cosa Nostra ("our thing"). While a fictitious story, it has many real-life parallels and illustrates the growth and influence of organised crime not only in New York, but also Hollywood and Las Vegas.
Marlon Brando's Oscar-winning performance as Don Vito Corleone, the family patriarch, is mesmerising. Utilising facial prosthetics, Brando plays Corleone with an affable charm that almost never shows the grim menace beneath the surface. When it does, it is chilling.
The film centres on the transformation of the Don's son, Michael Corleone, from university-educated war veteran to Mafia boss. It is always Don Corleone's wish that Michael, played by a relatively unknown Al Pacino (pictured below), remain a member of legitimate society and not become involved in "the family business". Michael's idealism is systematically stripped from him. Watching his nature harden is one of the film's most affecting details, and Pacino plays it brilliantly.
Sonny Corleone is the hot-headed eldest son who is, at first, the most likely heir to the family throne. James Caan's portrayal of the brutish Sonny helps underscore the repugnant reality of the gangsters' cruel nature, something often overlooked in favour of valourising the criminal underworld.
Robert Duvall plays Tom Hagen, the family consigliore, or counsellor. He is the legitimate face of the Corleone empire, providing legal assistance and advice. Pacino, Caan and Duvall were all nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor.
American law enforcement officials regularly find copies of The Godfather while searching mobsters' homes. After the film was released, mafiosi began speaking like the characters. Law enforcement personnel said it made phone taps and other surveillance techniques more entertaining.
The Godfather, January 11, 2pm, The Grand Cinema, February 9, 2.30pm, Agnès b cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre. Part of the HK Cine Fan programme