The Godfather | |
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Directed by | Francis Ford Coppola |
Produced by | Francis Ford Coppola (2–3) Albert S. Ruddy (1) Gray Frederickson (2) Fred Roos (2) Fred Fuchs (3) |
Written by |
Mario Puzo Francis Ford Coppola Robert Towne (1) |
Based on |
The Godfather by Mario Puzo |
Music by |
Nino Rota Carmine Coppola |
Cinematography | Gordon Willis |
Edited by |
Peter Zinner (1–2) Barry Malkin (2–3) William H. Reynolds (1) Richard Marks (2) Lisa Fruchtman (3) Walter Murch (3) |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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549 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English Italian Spanish |
Budget | $73.5 million |
Box office | $574.8 million |
The Godfather film series consists of three American crime drama films directed by Francis Ford Coppola inspired by the novel of the same name by Italian American author Mario Puzo. The series follows the trials of the Corleone family, Italian Americans whose patriarch, Vito Corleone, rises to be a major figure in American organized crime. His youngest son, Michael Corleone, becomes his successor. All three films were distributed by Paramount Pictures and released in 1972, 1974 and 1990. The series achieved success at the box office, with the films earning over $550 million worldwide. The first two films have received wide acclaim since release; the former, The Godfather, is seen by many as one of the greatest films of all time. Its sequel, The Godfather Part II, is viewed by many as the best sequel in cinematic history. The series is heavily awarded, winning 9 out of 29 total Academy Award nominations.
The Godfather, the first film in the franchise, was released on March 15, 1972. The feature-length film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based upon Mario Puzo's novel of the same name. The plot begins with Don Vito Corleone declining an offer to join in the narcotics business with notorious drug lord Virgil Sollozzo, which leads to an assassination attempt. Meanwhile, Vito's oldest son Sonny takes over the family and Michael strikes back for the assassination attempt by killing Sollozzo and a corrupted police captain, forcing Michael to go to Sicily in hiding. While in Sicily, Michael travels around the country and meets a young woman whom he marries, but who is eventually killed in a car bombing. Michael returns to America after the news of his brother Sonny's murder. After returning, Vito turns over the reins of the family to Michael. Michael plans to move the family business to Las Vegas; but before the move, he plots the killing of the heads of the five families on the day of his nephew's baptism. Other subplots include Vito's daughter's abusive marriage, Johnny Fontaine's success in Hollywood, and Vito's second oldest son Fredo's role in the family business in Las Vegas.