OT The Godfather (and other films)

[Nardendee]

I have the box set. The Godfather is one of those films where the sequel is perhaps even better than the original.
Such was the case with Terminator 2 although the sound track on the original is my favourite

[Scum-Triumphant]

I have the box set. The Godfather is one of those films where the sequel is perhaps even better than the original.
Such was the case with Terminator 2 although the sound track on the original is my favourite

I disagree with The Terminator films. Although I see why some prefer the sequel. The original is pure original horror with Arnie playing an unstoppable machine that murders at will. The tension is unbelievable even on multiple watches. In the second they turn Arnie into a likeable action star that learns that killing is wrong. Robert Patrick is nowhere near as scary as Arnie in the first one.

[Brin]

Brin I love bits of trivia like that mate. If you go to a website called IMDB and go on The Godfather’s page. There’s over 300 bits of really interesting trivia on there.

You’re welcome pal and thanks for the heads up about the other site. 👍

[Paul Waring]

If you can find it watch The Godfather 1901-1959: A Novel For Television that NBC ran in 1977 over 4 nights. Copolla edited the first two films in chronological order and added a further hour of unseen footage with 30 scenes. Fantastic. Available on VHS as The Godfather Epic but so far as I'm aware no DVD transfer yet.

[Scum-Triumphant]

I disagree with the criticism of Godfather 3. It was very trendy among film buffs at the time to knock it but it is not as bad as the critics have you believe.

Let me be clear. It is not perfect. It is patchy but some of the cinematography is some of the finest I have ever seen.

The paintings of Caravaggio obviously had a massive impact on the shooting of it. The sequence towards the end with the corpses on the steps of the theatre is pure tragedy and beautifully shot.

Godfather 3 is not a great film. it is certainly not in my top 50....but there is something there.

It's a bit like "Heaven's Gate" which got panned at the time but with time has become a gem.

Watch Godfather 3 again ...well worth it.

I re-watched 3 last night and I have the flaws in it are too much to overlook. It suffers because it isn't in the same league as 1/2, Sofia Coppolla is terrible in it and should never have been cast (Nepotism at it's finest), Tom Hagen is gone and he was such a great character and the helicopter scene should never have been anywhere near a Godfather film.

But fundamentally I have real trouble believing that Michael would feel such guilt. He was a very calculated, intelligent Don that knew exactly what he was doing.

The Aesthetics you mention are stunning but 3 has more flaws than positives so I will just stick to watching 1/2 from now on.

[Paul Waring]

Godfather 3 was terrible and Sofia was worse. Heaven's Gate is excellent and I disagreed with the critics from day one.

[the_idiotb_stardson]

I re-watched 3 last night and I have the flaws in it are too much to overlook. It suffers because it isn't in the same league as 1/2, Sofia Coppolla is terrible in it and should never have been cast (Nepotism at it's finest), Tom Hagen is gone and he was such a great character and the helicopter scene should never have been anywhere near a Godfather film.

But fundamentally I have real trouble believing that Michael would feel such guilt. He was a very calculated, intelligent Don that knew exactly what he was doing.

The Aesthetics you mention are stunning but 3 has more flaws than positives so I will just stick to watching 1/2 from now on.

Fair enough Scum. I think you have nudged an inch closer to my view of 3. Accept your criticism of Sophia etc.

I disagree with your assessment about Michael not feeling guilt. I must admit though this is a result of having read Puzo's novels and seen the films, so I think I might be seeing more complexity in Michael's character than the film alone demonstrates

Michael's Catholicism and his typically Sicilian love of "family" would not in my opinion, have not touched Michael in some way. Admittedly his ruthlessness and self preservation will always win out but I don't think it happened without a struggle.


By the way scum, if you are interested in the modern day Mafia, please read Robert Savianno's Gomorrah. An undercover account of The Naples mafia today. There was also a pretty decent film of this book too. It rips the stylised glamour from the Mafia and we see it as it really is.

A more academic account of the history of the Mafia is Antony Shugaar's "History of the Mafia. Not a book you can race through or read without a dictionary but it gives some valuable background about the Mafia. It began as a very noble cause protecting the poor against landowners before it became corrupted. I recommended this to one friend who loved it, the another one hated it and found it unreadable. Might be worth googling a few excerpts before you take the plunge on this.

May I also recommend Don Winslow's ' cartel" trilogy.

1. The power of the dog

2. The Cartel

3. The Border.

This is a story fictionalised account of the Mexican drug cartels. Winslow, spent 6 years in Mexico researching these books and it is based on true events. Very good indeed.


Great thread by the way.

[Paul Waring]

If you like Gomorrah watch the TV series; all 4 seasons are great.

[Scum-Triumphant]

Fair enough Scum. I think you have nudged an inch closer to my view of 3. Accept your criticism of Sophia etc.

I disagree with your assessment about Michael not feeling guilt. I must admit though this is a result of having read Puzo's novels and seen the films, so I think I might be seeing more complexity in Michael's character than the film alone demonstrates

Michael's Catholicism and his typically Sicilian love of "family" would not in my opinion, have not touched Michael in some way. Admittedly his ruthlessness and self preservation will always win out but I don't think it happened without a struggle.


By the way scum, if you are interested in the modern day Mafia, please read Robert Savianno's Gomorrah. An undercover account of The Naples mafia today. There was also a pretty decent film of this book too. It rips the stylised glamour from the Mafia and we see it as it really is.

A more academic account of the history of the Mafia is Antony Shugaar's "History of the Mafia. Not a book you can race through or read without a dictionary but it gives some valuable background about the Mafia. It began as a very noble cause protecting the poor against landowners before it became corrupted. I recommended this to one friend who loved it, the another one hated it and found it unreadable. Might be worth googling a few excerpts before you take the plunge on this.

May I also recommend Don Winslow's ' cartel" trilogy.

1. The power of the dog

2. The Cartel

3. The Border.

This is a story fictionalised account of the Mexican drug cartels. Winslow, spent 6 years in Mexico researching these books and it is based on true events. Very good indeed.


Great thread by the way.

Thank you for the recommendations. I’ve seen the first series of Gomorrah and really enjoyed it. I’ve actually never read The Godfather so I will get onto that straight away.

[Paul Waring]

Thank you for the recommendations. I’ve seen the first series of Gomorrah and really enjoyed it. I’ve actually never read The Godfather so I will get onto that straight away.

Scum-Triumphant, my advice is don't. Puzo's book is shockingly bad.