12 MEMORABLE BEST PICTURE WINNERS #6

THE GODFATHER (1972)

45th Academy Awards

Nominated With:
Cabaret
Deliverance
Sounder
The Emigrants

Directed By:
Francis Ford Coppola

Starring:
Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Al Lettieri, Sterling Hayden, John Cazale

Synopsis:
Director Francis Ford Coppola brings Mario Puzo's multigenerational crime saga to life in this Oscar-winning epic. When an organized crime family patriarch (Marlon Brando) barely survives an attempt on his life, his son Michael (Al Pacino) convinces his brother Sonny (James Caan) to let him take care of the would-be killers. Amid betrayals and corruption, Michael launches a campaign of bloody revenge that continues through the film's two sequels.

Why this is a great choice:
Often referred to among the greatest films of American cinema, clearly time has been good to The Godfather’s popularity. From the very opening line of dialogue, The Godfather saga becomes a reflection of America through the intimate study of a Mafia family. I don’t quite love The Godfather as much as saying it is the greatest film of all-time, but I can’t really argue the claim and respect the film as a classic of American filmmaking that has become a part of our culture.


12 Memorable Best Picture Winners -- previous enteries:
- The Apartment (1960)
- The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
- The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
- Casablanca (1942)
- How Green Was My Valley (1941)