The Godfather

1. In class we discussed the Hollywood Renaissance and how after WWII Hollywood started to look at foreign films. Foreign films were better and more realistic. Foreign films dealt with real issues and problems and the American public grew an interest for them after the war. These new films were characterized by anti-heroes, explicit violence and sex, raw social themes, and expressionistic filmmaking. We talked about Post-War Realism and The Bicycle Thief by Italian director Vittorio deSica. We also talked about the foreign influence of some films like Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal which influenced Woody Allen's films. We also talked about many American Directors and their new films during that time. We also discussed how the new films were directed towards younger audiences such as college students. We also discussed CARA and the new ratings for films such as G, PG, PG-13. R, and NC-17. We then discussed The Godfather. We talked about Francis Ford Coppola and his talented family. We also discussed the Awards The Godfather won such as Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. We discussed the many talented actors in The Godfather such as Marlon Brando, the star of the movie. The theme of the movie being family and family values is another thing we discussed. We also discussed the many famous quotes from the movie such as "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."


2. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/443184/The-Godfather/articles.html#00
In the article I found written by Paul Tatara, Tatara talked highly about The Godfather. He explained how great of an American film it was, how the film had a lot of great moments in it, how amazing Francis Ford Coppola did directing it, and how amazing the actors performances were. Tatara explained how Coppola directed the movie for all the wrong reasons. He owed Warner Brothers $300,000 and took Paramount's offer for the money. The article also explained how Paramount executives refused to hire the two actors Coppola wanted most for the film, Brando and Pacino. The article explained how Coppola worked hard fighting for Paramount to hire Brando and Pacino. The article also explained how Coppola ran into a lot of problems while filming the movie and hoe Paramount almost fired him.

3. After reading the article I felt surprised that Paramount didn't want to hire Brando and Pacino. Those were my two favorite characters in the film and if they weren't in it the film wouldn't be as good. I was also surprised on why Coppola took the job. I was also surprised that Coppola ran into a lot of trouble while making the film however it came out to be one of the greatest films ever made. I was also shocked on how highly Tatara talked about The Godfather in his article. That further proves how great an effect The Godfather has on people. It truly is a great film.

4. My opinion on The Godfather is that it is a really great film. It's one of my all time favorites and I've seen it many times. It is also such an important film in film history. The Godfather is considered one of the greatest films ever made. It ranks #2 on AFI's list. The film was also nominated for 11 Oscars and won 3 Oscars which were Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Marlon Brando won an Oscar for his performance and it is probably the greatest performance of all time. Francis Ford Coppola also did a fantastic job in directing the film. The film also presents a great example of family and it's values. The Godfather truly is a masterpiece.