The Godfather - Trilogy DVD Box Set

The Godfather trilogy, rightly or wrongly, will be regarded as Francis Ford Coppola’s defining achievement in film. There are certainly worse ways, however, to define oneself than with two films that are arguably the best ever made and a third that couldn’t quite match the heights of its predecessors but is still a very decent piece of cinema.

Adapted from Mario Puzo’s novels, the films chart the rise of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) as he assumes the role of his father (Marlon Brando/Robert De Niro) as the head of a major Italian-American crime syndicate. Whilst the first installment runs chronologically through a mob war and its aftermath, the second installment shifts back and forth between Michael’s consolidation of power and the story of his immigrant father’s struggle with poverty and entrance into the world of crime. The third film, regarded justifiably as the weakest in the trilogy, details the end of Michael’s ‘career’ and his struggle to make his business legitimate.

It is hard to say which is the better film between the first and second installments; perhaps it is better to regard them as a whole. The first is a sumptuous affair cinematographically; it is beautifully shot, especially the scenes in Sicily, and it immerses the viewer in its setting subtly but almost immediately. Its slow build story is utterly gripping, and it boasts stellar performance from Al Pacino, and equally impressive turns from Brando and the brilliantly understated Robert Duvall as the family’s business consultant, Tom Hayden.

The second film is equally impressive, though in my personal opinion does not quite have enveloping storyline of the first. This may be because of the intertwining plotlines, but what is lost in satisfying chronological diegesis is made up for in the masterful way Coppola parallels Michaels story with that of his father, and of course an absolutely fantastic performance from Robert De Niro. With the help of Pacino, Coppola also manages to say more in one largely dialogue free final scene than most entire novels could.

The third film is a solid affair, but is rather let down by Pacino’s late career tendency to go somewhat OTT in his performance, the casting of Sofia Coppola, and simply not having the story that underpinned the first two films. However, it does nicely round of the trilogy, and it would be churlish to criticise any film in comparison to Parts I and II.

This truly is a must-see and must have collection.

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