Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Sight & Sound Challenge: The Godfather (1972)

Film: The Godfather (178/250) 
First Time/Rewatch: Rewatch (duh!)

What can one say about one of the most celebrated, respected, analyzed, referenced, quoted, and loved films of all time? There's little that hasn't been said already. We know all the famous lines, we know that it's bad news if there are oranges in your scene, and we know what to leave and what to take between a gun and cannoli. This film is the very definition of iconic. I've revisited it many times over the years, and while every single performance is exceptional, I'm always drawn to John Cazale's performance as Fredo. Fredo the Failure, Fredo the Weak. He doesn't get any huge scenes in this film, but his character reveals another side of this world; what this tough hard world with its high expectations does to people like Fredo. You see his resentment simmering under the surface, the tough-guy posturing, and it perfectly ties parts 1 and 2 together. It's a tragedy that John Cazale left us so soon...he was only in five movies, but every single one was nominated for Best Picture, no doubt helped by his strong performances. Cazale's Fredo is just another layer to this complex and riveting story, which people will undoubtedly love until this old world stops spinning. 

No comments:

Post a Comment