10 Movies With Title Characters Who Aren't The Lead
1. The Godfather
Thought by many to be the greatest movie ever made, The Godfather is a passing the torch story about Michael Corleone slowly becoming the head of his family's crime organization, taking the reins from his aging father Don Vito.
Everyone who saw The Godfather, except the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who nominated Marlon Brando (Don Vito) and Al Pacino (Michael) for the wrong awards, understands it as Michael's story. He has more screen time and plot focus, and the film goes on for about a half hour after Don Vito's death. However, the title of "The Godfather" clearly refers to Don Vito, even though Michael eventually takes the name from his father.
Even the film's posters present Don Vito as the titular Godfather, as he sits ominously, pulling the strings. They want us to believe that Brando's Godfather character is the lead, building up the legend that is Don Vito before we even turn on the film. The deception works, and Don Vito appears larger than life.
Even though he's not the main character, Don Vito deserves to have is name in the title of The Godfather.