'Godfather' returns for 50th anniversary encore

The showtimes for ‘Godfather-50th Anniversary’ at the Dietrich Theater’s Spring Film Festival are as follows: Saturday, Apr. 16, at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Apr. 22, at 2:30 p.m.; and Tuesday Apr. 26 at 7 p.m.

Over the years, several films in the ‘gangster’ film genre have really stood out, such as ‘Goodfellas,’ ‘Carlito’s Way,’ ‘The Departed,’ ‘Donnie Brasco’ and even the TV series ‘The Sopranos’ just to name a few. Yet, there’s one film that towers over them all. And it all started with ‘The Godfather.’

‘The Godfather’ is known to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest films ever. It has been well received by critics and film audiences and earned several awards. Now to celebrate the beloved film’s 50th anniversary, the film has been re-released on the big screen and you can see it right at the Dietrich during the Spring Film Festival. In the Francis Ford Coppola/Mario Puzo classic, the film focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone. When the don’s youngest son, Michael, reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal.

Although Michael tries to maintain a normal relationship with his girlfriend (and later wife) Kay, he is drawn deeper into the family business.

The 1972 feature film, ‘The Godfather,’ always has and always will be a cinematic masterpiece. The film delivers memorable performances from all of the characters and will leave you intrigued by its astounding depiction of the Mafia and the criminal underworld.

So many of the iconic moments in this film remain impactful to this very day. And, of course, all of the majorly iconic lines that came from this film (obviously “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”). And fun fact about the iconic lines in the film: The famous line “Leave the gun, take the cannoli” was actually improvised by actor Richard Castellano, who portrayed Clemenza. Indeed, the pacing of the film can be a little slow at times. Yet, ‘The Godfather’ will still leave you intrigued right until the very end.

‘The Godfather’ is one of those films that has to be on everyone’s must watch list. This cinematic masterpiece is flawless and gets better with every viewing. I have seen this film numerous times over the years and I still can’t look away from the screen when it’s on.

So, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this beloved film classic, make sure to check out ‘The Godfather’ on the big screen during the Spring Film Festival. Seeing it on the big screen is sure to be a memorable cinematic memory for everyone who sees it. Some of the talented cast include: Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone; Al Pacino as Michael; James Caan as Sonny; Richard S. Castellano as Clemenza; Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen; Diane Keaton as Kay Adams; Talia Shire as Connie; John Cazale as Fredo; Abe Vigoda as Tessio and many others.

The 1972 film is based on Mario Puzo’s highly acclaimed novel of the same name that remained on the New York Times Best Seller list for 67 weeks and sold more than 9 million copies in two years. Published in 1969, the novel became the top best-selling published work in history for several years. Paramount heard about the novel from a literary scout and made Puzo an offer for the film rights … before the novel wasn’t even close to being published. The novel was still a 20-30 page outline when the scout heard about what the author was working on.

Quite a few actors were considered for the role of Michael Corleone, such as Martin Sheen, Dean Stockwell, Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman. Before Brando was officially cast, the studio was considering George C. Scott, Anthony Quinn and Orson Welles to portray Don Corleone. In fact, when Coppola was working on the script, he only envisioned Marlon Brando for the part.

When it was initially released in 1972, ‘The Godfather’ opened to incredible reviews and became the highest-grossing film of that year. Over time, the film has been re-released in theaters. The 1972 film earned $136 million domestically and $250.3 million worldwide on a budget of $6 million.

‘The Godfather’ is rated R and has a running time of 175 minutes.

https://youtu.be/PPskYVBqdNw