Filmmaker reacts to The Godfather (1972) for the FIRST TIME! 

The most iconic door closing in cinema history

What?! James, you've never seen this? OH MY GOD. I am stopping everything to watch your reaction.

The final scene in the movie with the door being closed as seen from Kay's perspective as she looks into the room as Michael is receiving obeisance as a Godfather and then flipping immediately to the other direction and Kay's face as it closes is a maybe 30 second masterclass in framing and silent storytelling using it. When I saw that ending for the first time, I was just gobsmacked at how simple and yet deep that ending was.

Finally someone who mentions the sound design. It's surprising how well crafted every sound effect in this movie is.

Remember that Michael is a veteran. He probably had killed people in battle before, but never murdered outright. He has military training though and is respected by his soldiers. It all makes sense that he would be the one to lead the family even though it was the last thing he or his father wanted for him.

The scene where Don Corleone dies, playing with his Grandson in his vegetable garden is beautiful

No way, one of the greatest films of all time. Godfather is more than a mafia film, it's a film about family as well.

As a film and theatre lover/ graduate. I didn’t see this film until 4 years ago and it blew my mind. It’s not just a mobster flick- it’s art.

The baby in the baptism scene that was supposed to be a boy was actually a girl, it was Sofia Coppola, the director's daughter in her first film role. Today an Oscar-nominated film director in her own right.

Leave the gun, take the cannolis 😂

in the scene with the baker at the hospital, they emphasized that enzo was shaking. but when michael lit his cigarette, he wasnt shaking at all, and that flipped a switch in his head

One of the many, many thing that makes this a masterpiece is the pacing of this film. The conversations that are had and the way it’s shot makes it feel like you’re watching real life. You’re a silent member of the family watching everything happen

For Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), Francis Ford Coppola put a jaw prosthesis in his mouth and a gauze, to give him that particular face. Brando was relatively young in this film, and Coppola pretended to age him and also look more threatening.

Michael's superpower is convincing everyone he forgot until they forget. That's right when they get dusted. That dude remembers every slight with a veiled snarl!

I always like the detail of making Michael a Marine who just got back from the war. I don't think they ever say what he did over there but, the Marines saw some crazy shit in the Pacific. His family probably still saw him as Michael their brother/son instead of the cold killer Marine he had to become. I think that's the brutality you're seeing behind his eyes. He was a Captain which means he led men into combat, that's where the calculating tactics come from. This is all just me reading into it but I think it adds so much weight and makes him even more terrifying.

No one ever notices Michael's hand is solid as a rock when he helps the baker light his cigarette infront of the hospital. He looks at his hand and realizes he isn't scared. His arc has begun!

"Look how they massacred my boy" gets me every time. RIP James Caan

“We’re not murderers, despite what this undertaker says” is one of the best “breaking the tension” lines.

Because of this movie, oranges have become a symbol of death in cinema (oranges spill in the first attempt to take out the Don, the Don dies with an orange slice in his mouth). In Season 5 of Breaking Bad, when Walter goes back to his house to get the ricin and his old neighbor sees him, she spills oranges, emphasizing that he is surrounded by death.

I still don't understand how most people prefer part 2, this one is the best imo.

Most first time viewers don't realize that Michael spends the first part of the movie lying to himself about his nature. That scene with Kay at the wedding where he says "that's my family, Kay. It's not me." Is more him telling himself that than her.

Brando was really the standard by whom other American actors measured their skills. On The Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire showed Brando at the height of his physical and technical abilities. Hackman, Duvall, Hoffman, Caan, et al considered him the greatest American actor.

The singer in this who gets the part in a movie via “unorthodox” means, was allegedly based on old blue eyes, Sinatra. I read the book this was based on fifty years ago (damn I am old). It’s worth a read.

I heard that James Caan improvised breaking the camera and then throwing the money down. It’s so hotheaded and such a Sonny move and i find it incredible that he immediately conjured up something so iconic

Enzo the baker is the most courageous and badass character in these films. Doesn't ask about the risk and doesn't care. Asks how to help. Does it without complaining. Did it out of friendship and respect. Knew what could happen. Enzo's family had a really nice Christmas that year, and for many years to come. His nickname must have been Enzo Big Balls.

No big deal, just James finally getting around to one of cinema’s finest masterpieces. Envious that you’re getting to watch this, and Part 2, for the first time. What a treat you’re in for.

The guy who played Luca Brasi was a real life made man

Love that he’s just petting his cat 🐈 while giving that opening monologue 😂❤

The baby being baptized near the end is actually Sofia Coppola, the director's daughter, his sister Talia shire played Connie Corleone and his dad conducted the music. The film itself was a family business.

Coppola has said he put the scene with the recipe in just in case of the movie failed, there'd be something useful in it. Also that the author of the book corrected him saying, "Don't use browning the sausage, gangsters FRY, they don't brown."

Mario Puzo, who wrote the novel "The Godfather" , in an interview about his inspirations for the book ,told the interviewer that he derived the character of Don Corleone, from his Mother, and the Old Italian Grandmothers in his neighborhood growing up. How they were always behind the scenes pulling the strings. He said that the Toughest Hoodlums in his neighborhood, quaked in Fear of these Old Women!

"You insult my intelligence" that phrase i had been using since i am 18 years old, this movie is older than me

One of my favorite moments of the trilogy is when Michael is at the hospital waiting for someone to come to kill his father and Enzo the baker shows up. Having been around mafiosa his entire life, Michael knows in a couple seconds, just by the way he carries himself, that Enzo isn't one of them; really clever detail(not in this edit; see Patreon).

James: Calls Marlon Brando an OG actor. Also James: Calls him Marlon Brandon.

I just watched the trilogy recently for the first time. It was quite a ride, and while I like his Apocalypse Now and The Conversation more, Coppola deserves his place in the film canon for delivering so many masterpieces. Also, might be an old bit of Trivia, But Fredo's actor John Cazale has only ever been in 5 movies, and all of them were best picture nominees (Two Godfathers, the conversation, Deer Hunter and Dog Day Afternoon). You could say that as an actor, he has one of the few flawless track records.

The thing that is most impressive to me is that Brando was born in 1924, so he was just 47/48 yo when he played this role of an old man.

You’ve never seen this one, bro! Damn, you’re gonna love it! Can’t wait to see the reaction

I can't remember the actual number, but I remember my intro to film teacher telling us how they used TONS of different doors to find just the right sound for that final door close. Like over 100 iirc. The care and focus and level of detail they gave to the sounds of this movie is just insane.

20:30 actually speaking of games, there is a great 'GTA', Red Dead style game that came out for the PS2 and PS3 called The Godfather (or if you search "The Don's Edition") and it was genuinely very fun to play. Your character is one of Don Corleone's guys who works his way up from unknown to becoming the Don of NYC, and your story is behind-the-scenes of the first movie. For example, you're the one who plants the gun behind the toilet, and you take part in the final assassinations etc. But it's also a free roam game, so you can take over establishments or just drive nice vintage cars, do side missions... I wish they'd make a new version of it.

"My wife exploded in the car." I mean...yeah! That's literally what happened.

This was a very innovative film at the time, especially the extreme darkness of most scenes and beauty of skin tones, as you noted. Bonnie and Clyde's cinematography was similar. 19:30 What Sonny, Tom, Tessio and Clemenza neglected to remember was Michael's success as a combat Marine officer in WWII. He's up to the job. 22:23 This section of the film with the piano, newspaper photos & the mafia soldiers living in secret during the street war was directed by a young kid named George Lucas.

The cat in the first scene was a stray that happened on the set and Brando just started playing with it in character. Looks so natural and just part of the scene. The baby being baptized at the end is Sophia Coppola, director's daughter, who would go on to be a pretty good director in her own right. Amazing film. DP Gordon Willis did an amazing job with the lighting and shots. An American classic!

Notice also the posture of Michael in every important scene -- sitting in a chair. Every scene except one. Michael is the good son. He wants nothing to do with the family business. But it is at the hospital when he sees the guards are gone and he says to Vito, "Pop, I'm with you now." It's at that point that Michael descends into Hell.

Oct. 3, 1951. THAT is the date Sonny got killed at the toll booth. How do we know that? Because the radio is playing the GIants vs. the Dodgers in an epic playoff game where the Giants were trailing in the 9th... and Bobby Thomson hit a 3-run home run to lead the Giants into the World Series. That epic home run's name: "THE SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD." ... perfect by Coppola.

This film was mostly cast with stage actors, so if certain scenes feel more like a play, there's your reason.

I waited until I was 32 years old to watch this. And it’s now my favorite movie (as I could Godfather I and II as one long film). I think of part III as an epilogue.

You're in for a wild show! This is my grandpa's favorite movie. He says that the world looked like this when he was a kid. 100% accurate to the 1940's. Also want to add that Vito's death was honestly probably the best death he could have hoped for. With the one innocent joy of his life, his grandson, on a beautiful day in his garden in his own backyard. Finally, oranges are a forboding symbol throughout the movie, if you rewatch look at the crucial moments and you will see a bowl or bundle of oranges.

I always call the change in Michael as the Train Scene. The moment he takes in the table conversation with a gun, does he shoot, or doesn't he? He's nervous, he's calculating, he's divided, but is he divided because he's a good man about to do a bad thing or is he a bad man fighting to be good. It always gets me.

The Godfather is a movie for people that love movies.

The stone killer you saw in the restaurant scene freaks many people out, but look back to what Michael was wearing in the opening scenes… The Uniform Of His Country. Then pair with how well he led the Baker in a life or death situation when hitmen showed at the hospital to kill his Pops. Finally recall what the officers said to Police Capt about Michael "he's a war hero" - because he was a valor decorated combat veteran of WWII. Plus trained in killing by Uncle Sam to go fight those fights. It adds up to Michael a) being 100% his fathers son and b) acclimated to killing. And D) acclimated in ways his brothers, who hadn't gone to nation state war couldn't understand - recall Sonny mocked him with "You'll get blood all over your expensive shoes" or some such silliness. As if Michael was still a "niave" about the world college kid. --- Anyway that's my observations about Michael and violence.

I used to read a lot. So when I was 18, I stumbled over "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo in my dads bookshelf. Read it 3 times by now (I´m 40) and watched the movie countless times - it´s the first movie where I can say it matches the book in every single facette. Just a masterpiece

Fun fact: The Godfather won every single Academy Award/Oscar that year, with one exception... best supporting actor. Al Pacino got Robbed!!!

Yes Amadeus also, Gladiator, Apocalypto, 12 Angry Men, Ben Hur, BTTF.....all masterpieces in their own right.

You ought to go straight into Part 2!

The music in the baptism scene is Bach - where it turns dark is te Passacaglia in c minor played very slowly.

If you go back and watch the hospital "guard" scene: It was mentioned in the book (and the audiobook is free on RU-vid), that Michael was intrigued at how steady his own hands were. Contrast that to his companion. This is apparently where he finds that coldness at his core.

0:31 The Latin plural of magnum opus is magna opera, in English magnum opuses is also used.

James, excellent, excellent reaction to one of my favorite films ever! You’re right to state that it is dense film and one, IMO, that delves deeply into family, honor, fear and the ultimate corruption of the American dream. I heard FFC speak at a film festival in the 90’s where he spoke of the challenges in making this movie and his personal hesitation to make a film that he thought (at the time) might disparage his heritage. He used a phrase that I have used to describe it ever since - an operatic tragedy. Can’t wait to see you react to part 2 filmed in my native Dominican Republic! ❤

The use of long shots and oners in this film reminds me that Coppola, Spielberg, and Lucas were all in film school at about the same time, and all shared a vision of stepping away from the highly stylized productions that characterized Hollywood at the time, wanting to create a feeling of realism and authenticity, wanting to make the audience feel transported, like they were watching real events play out. I think that also ties in with the sound design, which as James noted was unusual for its time even though it would be pretty unremarkable today (a testament to how influential these filmmakers became).

FWIW, the book was such a huge bestseller, so many people had read it before seeing the movie so we carried that perspective. Same with Jaws a couple years later, the book was so widely read before the movie came out.

A few friends and I are major fans. There were a couple times we watched the movie and paused it to make spaghetti using Clamenza's recipe. Another friend of mine knows every line in the movie and made a one man theater experience called "The Godfather Workout." I don't think I've ever laughed so hard at a theater show since. Look it up. There are some sequences on youtube.

I love how, near the beginning, when Tommy is being shouted at by the studio head, Duvall is just shoveling that food into his mouth as quickly as he can. Like he doesn't know when he'll get a chance to eat again so he wants to get as much as he can before he gets kicked out of the house.

This film transcends decades and culture. No matter at what point in you life you watch, it hits all the emotional buttons. Fabulous story telling! The scene with Michael and his father in the garden is so moving, the acting between them is so natural. Brando also in the garden with Michael jr is a mix of joy and deep sadness. What an Actor he was.

From this moment on, every time I watch The Godfather (which is about once a year) I will _not_ be able to resist saying "My wife just exploded." at the scene where Michael comes back to Kay 😂

I loved the scene where Clemenza was giving Michael the revolver, and said how proud they'd all been of him for being a war hero. ❤

So many great actors became stars from this movie. John Cazale is very sorely missed. RIP

The Godfather was a game changer in so many ways and one of the biggest was the cinematography by Gordon Willis. The light and dark contrast with the wedding is intentional, and the Don is lit dark so you can’t see his eyes. Movies weren’t lit this dark before, and they had to make lighter prints for the drive-ins. They also intentionally didn’t move the camera and had characters move in and out of the frame.

Great to watch your reaction. This is my favourite film of all time. I've seen it (and Godfather II) more times than I can recall since maybe '74, and I never tire of it.

I have Godfather 2 as the 2nd greatest movie of all time after Citizen Kane. Pacino cooks so hard. De Niro cooks so hard. Lee Strasberg and John Cazale at their absolute apex. And Michael Gazzo’s Frank Pantangeli almost steals the movie in probably less than 10 minutes of screen time. Flawless film.

The Undertakers tiny arc is spectacular. You open the film, with arguably the best opening line in all of cinema, get to be the centrepiece of the scene the establishes the titular character, then you absolutely fuck off until the all is lost moment, where doing your job really really well is considered repayment for having two boys beaten mercilessly. What a hero.😢

Johnny Fontaine is modeled on Frank Sinatra, who supposedly got his start from Mob connections.

Lead actor Marlon Brando reunited with director Francis Ford Copolla in Apocalypse Now and won an Academy Award for his portrayal of "Don" Vito Corleone. The actress playing Connie is the same actress who played Adrian in the Rocky films. Sonny is played by the late James Caan, who's also in Rollerball, Misery, Eraser, and That's My Boy

Coppola gave Sterling Hayden one of the most iconic death scenes in cinema. He gave another to James Caan. Coppola directed The Conversation (1974) in between the first two Godfather films. If you like sound design, you'll likely like that film. So check it out when you can.

The general time-frame for the two Godfather films (1&2) is approximately 1945 (Michael has returned from fighting in World War II) to the early 1950's, when the family moves its operations to Las Vegas.

@17:01 I like how the record skipping is saying "tonight" over and over. I definitely think it was intentional. It's so unsettling but also kinda speaking directly to Michael "Tonight is the night it goes down. Tonight is the night your life changes forever."

What a nice surprise on this channel, didn't expect it and fully enjoyed it!

The greatest gangster flick of all time! Winner of 3 Oscars including Best Picture.

Marlon Brandon 😂. I love the realness, James!

The Brando movie you want to watch is “On the Waterfront.” And “Streetcar Named Desire” which he also played on Broadway and made him a star.

As good as this film is, it's the rare one where the sequel is even better. "Godfather 2" - can't wait to see you watch that one!

The best part is that you now understand the context of those scenes.

what I love is the contrast between Don Vito and Don Michael's leadership still. It's not overt in this film but is shown in a very subtle way

If you think about how this dude played Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Justice for All pretty much back to back before and after The Godfather movies, it makes this performance even crazier

I don't know if you caught it but in the scene where Michael and Enzo are standing in front of the hospital and the enemy car pulls up, after they pull away and Enzo is shakily trying to smoke a cigarette and light his lighter, Michael grabs the lighter and lights it for him!! If you notice Michael looks down at his own hands and notices that they are NOT shaking!!! A very subtle yet key moment in Michael's psyche!! FROM the moment he found out about his father's assassination attempt, he was mentally preparing getting himself ready for moving into the business!! Kind of like getting yourself mentally ready to go into battle, which he was familiar with!! Just wondering if you caught that subtle little moment!??

"leave the gun, take the cannoli."

I have watched this film in theatre twice! Once for its 25th anniversary, and again for the 50th anniversary screening.

The cat that Brando holds in that scene was actually a stray cat that happened upon the set.

in the early 2000s I applied to film school, the Dean of the school was walking me around the campus, he introduced me to a teacher of the school. He said, we are really lucky to have him, he did work on The Godfather, You see he is packing up cameras, Robert Redford called him about working on his next film, when Robert calls... you go. I was like "wait, not only do I have to write a paper about the Godfather, one of the greatest films cinematography ever, but I have to hand that report into the man that did the work?" No pressure

I watched this movie on one of those plane tablet screens on a really long overnight flight with a blanket while drinking some red wine. Very good experience

The sicily shots somehow remind me of "Jean de Florette" with Gerard Depardieu. If you ever want to check out another foreign movie, think about this one. It is not that well known, but it is amazing.

Vito wanted Michael to become a senator or president. He kept him out of the family business because he wanted a better life for him. Watch the scene where he predicts the assassination plot again. Can't wait for part 2!

I think u r exactly right. Don knew Mike would turn out this way. He hid him. He was the prodigy. But the Don was a father first. Lovely.

31:30 I believe you were thinking of Howard Hamlin and now you’ve mentioned it…I can’t unsee it😂

Others will probably have mentioned it, but Enzo the Baker at the hospital is the same Italian POW the Don helped get a U.S. visa for as a favor to that older baker in the opening wedding day sequence. The favor he granted helped save his life and probably Michael's that night at the hospital.

Between Godfathers I and II, Coppola made The Conversation. And I would LOVE to watch your response to The Conversation, in that order. It's my favorite of his. And as a fan of sound design, you will recognized that The Conversation excels. And the shot composition is fantastic. Watch Godfather II after The Conversation. Thanks for all your reactions! I don't know how someone who knows so much about film language has such a backlog of classics he hasn't yet seen. But thanks! I get to vicariously enjoy a first viewing, but with someone who knows cinema. Love it!

So this takes place mostly in the 40's and some of the 50's. Goodfellas is something like mostly late 60's and 70's (except the scenes where Henry is a kid). Also worth noting the difference in hierarchy. The characters in Godfather are mob royalty and at the top of the food chain. Vito and Michael both end up as Don/The Boss. In Goodfellas the highest ranked mobster is Henry's mentor Paulie (older chubby guy). He was a capo. Which to give you an idea, he was about the same level as someone like Clemenza and Henry was an associate who worked for him. He wasn't even really ranked high enough to be a soldier. Someone like Henry wouldn't ever even be in the same room as the Don.

Your analogy of the mafia like a spider's web was so appropriate. That actually gave me a fresh perspective to consider the mechanisms at work in this screenplay.

13:57 When Michael and Kay are walking down the sidewalk, and the camera is tracking them, they pass by the newsstand. The newsstand passes between them and the camera. When they come out the other side, Michael's life is changed forever.

There was an Open World GTA/RDR style licensed Godfather game back in the 2000s, where you play your way up in the Corleone organization and it kicked ass.

You bring real game to your viewing and reaction. It's not just "it's got a good beat and you can dance to it".