Number 6: The Godfather, Part II (1974)

“You have two stories here, and neither one works without the other.”

Although George Lucas disappeared in 1984 to be replaced by an evil alien with an abnormally large chin whose sole purpose is to spit on the memories of beloved franchises, once upon a time the guy could write, direct (sort of) and at the very least speak intelligently. That was his quote to start. He was referencing the #6 movie on this list, the Godfather, Part II.

I don’t think I need to explain why I love the Godfather (this seems to be one of those movies where you get it or you don’t), but explaining why I like the second one more than the first might be worthwhile. It starts with the two stories—Eisensteinian dialectical composition taken to the absolute extreme. Instead of two separate shots that create a new meaning, or two intercutting scenes that create a new idea (although Francis Ford Coppola does also adore such cross-cutting), The Godfather Part II gives us two whole movies that, juxtaposed, create a whole new meaning.

Think about it: without either story, the other makes no sense. Robert DeNiro’s admittedly spectacular Vito Corleone is a bit of a louse. Sure, he loves his family, but a lot of guys love their families. Michael Corleone is apparently a complete reprobate, beyond all redemption, slowly sinking into ever deeper circles of Hell. Put the two together, and it’s like mixing NaOH and HCl; instead of two caustic compounds you get salt. Instead of two pointless, depressing stories, you get a cautionary myth of epic proportions.

Almost everything else about The Godfather and Part II can be roughly compared: great narratives, great violence, great Italian accents, great acting, great lines, great beginnings, great endings. I’m not saying I would complain if I had to watch the original. But with Part II, you get two for the price of one.

If No Godfather, No Wall-E

This isn’t a rationale for my love of these movies, but just as an exercise, let’s look at how different cinematic history would be without The Godfather.

First off, simply, the careers of Pacino, DeNiro, Keaton, Duvall would have been completely different if they happened at all. American Graffiti would never have happened, as it was only Coppola’s suddenly golden name that allowed George Lucas and he to get funding for it. Without American Graffiti, there is no Star Wars. Without Star Wars, say good-bye before you even say hello to Harrison Ford’s career, which probably means no Indiana Jones. Also, no Industrial Light and Magic. No THX (no sound effect before movies!) More importantly, no Pixar, which Lucas would later sell to Steve Jobs before it eventually became what it is today. So no Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Wall-E, Up, etc. Apocalypse Now never happens. Blade Runner probably never happens. And, while we would have had the Wilhelm Scream (it being first recorded for 1951’s Distant Drums, and then re-used for Private Wilhelm in 1953’s The Charge at Feather River) it was only Ben Burtt’s re-discovering of it for Star Wars that made it famous, and in fact Burtt is credited with christening the scream.

And that’s off the top of my head. Needless to say, The Godfather was important.

(On the other hand, without The Godfather, we would have been spared Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christiansen. Let’s call it a wash.)

Up Next: Always hush hush.

~Right Thumb~