The Godfather is the movie I chose to review for this blog assignment. The Godfather is off the list of the top 100 movies of all time, and in my opinion is very near the top of that list. It is directed by Francis Ford Coppola and is based off the novel named The Godfather, written by Mario Puzo. It follows the life of an Italian mafia family through its everyday doings, and also a mob war. Don Vito Corleone is played by Marlon Brando, who is the head of the family or “the Godfather.” Al Pacino plays Michael Corleone, who is Vito’s son, and eventually takes over the family. Other star members of the cast include James Caan as Santino "Sonny" Corleone, Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, and Diane Keaton as Kay Adams. The infamous Godfather Waltz, is written by Nino Rota and won an Oscar. The film is produced by Paramount Pictures. There are many things that make this movie one of the best of all time, such as plot, and great cinematic affects.

First of all, this movie has an outstanding plot. It is a very realistic portraying of the Italian mafia during this time period. It keeps the viewer very involved in what is going on in the movie. You must be thinking while you are watching it trying to decide what the next move is for the Don, as if you were in the position. It takes place during a mob war, started by the attempt of the Corleones to stay away from the narcotic business. After doing so, there are many attempts of murder, including one on Vito. Meanwhile, we see the transition of Michael from citizen to a member of the family business. However, it is not simply a bloodbath. There is a very strategic side to this war as everyone wants peace, which means more money. A few themes that I noticed throughout the film are greed and power. Every different family is trying to gain as much power as they can, so they can control more and make more money. At the same time, within the families, the members are attempting to move up and create more for themselves. Each character is developed fully in his own way, especially Michael, as we see the transition from citizen to wise guy. Everything about the film is very realistic, including costumes, makeup, and dialogue. Some of it is spoken in English, while sometimes it is in Italian.

There are also cinematic elements of this film that make it great. First of all, there are low angles, used to the power of some individuals, such as Vito Corleone. Also there are many scenes with low key lighting. This is for the simple fact that many of the everyday doings of the mafia can be illegal and mysterious. I think it also helps display the Godfathers prestige. There were also many close up shots to show the emotion that went into the family business. The shots were generally pretty long, to show the complexity of the strategy of the decisions they were forced to make. The music definitely added to the movie as it glorified the mafia and gave it a more synthetic feel. There was a musical motif when the Godfather made a big decision or had success.

Overall I think this could be the best movie ever and definitely would recommend seeing it.