The Godfather is a movie so ingrained in the public consciousness that if you haven't seen it for a while you forget just how good it really is. Despite being so widely imitated, parodied and quoted over the last four decades, the movie has lost none of its power. Francis Ford Coppola's remarkable achievement overcame a lack of faith from the studio to create one of the most famous and influential movies in history. Setting a new benchmark for the quality of American cinema, everything about The Godfather is a triumph; from the stunning three-minute reverse zoom that reveals Don Corleone to Michael's anointment as the new Godfather in the final scene that completes his evolution from outsider to top dog, the movie is utterly compelling from the first minute to the last. The writing, directing, acting, deliberate pacing, music and cinematography are all note-perfect, resulting in not only the greatest gangster movie ever made but an elegiac, operatic morality tale about the American Dream. No movie before or since has managed the merger of art with entertainment as well as The Godfather. The Godfather picked up three Academy Awards from nine nominations for Best Picture, Actor and Adapted Screenplay but Coppola was bafflingly overlooked in favor of Cabaret's Bob Fosse. More than just a piece of entertainment, the movie became a cultural touchstone and a box office smash hit, grossing over $245m (almost $1.4bn adjusted for inflation).
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