Celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, THE GODFATHER is largely considered one of the most influential & important films to date. While it catapulted careers, it also forever changed American cinema & the modern organized-crime film. But the road to fruition was not without constant roadblocks, only adding to what makes this film nothing short of iconic.

//***Discussions include***\\

State of the Hollywood studio system & mafia movies pre-GODFATHER; writer Mario Puzo’s involvement & how Francis Ford Coppola came aboard & adapted the best-selling novel into a screenplay; influences & truth behind the film, Italian-American representation & evolving complications with real-life mafia interference; Coppola’s repeated clashes & compromises with Paramount over the film’s vision, crew disrespect; main character breakdowns, surprising casting stories & struggles; main theme & musical composition; violence in the film, cinematography & editing challenges; critical & audience reception, plus our feelings on the Sicily scenes & the subsequent sequels.

Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall & Diane Keaton star in THE GODFATHER (1972). Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

//***Picks of the Week***\\

• Lindsay’s Pick: PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (1986). Kathleen Turner, Nicholas Cage /// Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

//***MurrayMoment***\\

Sofia Coppola’s exhaustive process in finally landing Billy to star in LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003).

//***Final Thoughts on THE GODFATHER.***\\

Next Episode: ADAM SANDLER SPECIAL / THE WEDDING SINGER (1998)!

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//Hosts: Justin Johnson & Lindsay Reber // Music: Matt Pace // Announcer: Mary Timmel // Logo: Beau Shoulders.

Be Kind and Rewatch // March 01, 2022