The first of the trilogy which needs no introduction charts the corruption of the young Michael Corleone (a fresh-faced Al Pacino), as he comes to terms with assuming the family legacy, presided over by the imposing Don Corleone, played by an iconic, towering turn by Marlon Brando.
The saga begins on a fateful day in 1945, on the day of Don’s daughter’s wedding, as Michael introduces his formidable father to his new girlfriend, Kay (Diane Keaton).
Coppola’s masterpiece boasts an embarassment of riches in its cast, including Pacino, Brando and Keaton, alongside Robert Duvall and James Caan, driving the careers of the ensemble into the stratosphere, and creating an unrivalled legacy in modern American cinema.
Based on the novel by Mario Puzo, and featuring Nino Rota’s goosebump-inducingly sweeping score, The Godfather has been voted the second greatest film of all-time by the American Film Institute (eclipsed only by Citizen Kane) – The Godfather was also a major comeback for Brando, who put a fallow decade of cinematic duds behind him to win an Oscar for his performance as Don Corleone.