Godfather Poll

Time for another JaDubya poll. Groan! Sorry I like to distract myself from “stay at home” for just a little bit.

Today’s question - voting for the best Godfather movie. You can only pick one. I included Part 3 for completeness.

While I love, love, love De Niro, I’m gonna pick Part 1 because Brando is so cool & I like Michael’s evolution.

 

One was the only movie I ever saw where the audience stood up and applauded when it was over.

 

One was a cinematic masterpiece. There wasn't a single scene that I would change. I've seen it maybe 25 times and each time I see something tiny that I didn't notice before.

 

#1 Had all the good actors, Brando, De'niro ,Pacino, Caan, ect,ect in my opinion by far the best of the 3 films.

 

While I agree that #1 is a masterpiece, I lean toward #2 because of its depiction of the early days of Don Corleone. The scene where he shoots Don Fanucci in the tenement hallway and when he slices open Don Ciccio on his return to Sicily are brilliant.

 

De Niro in Part 1?

 

For part 2, I really liked De Niro playing a younger version of Don Vito.

But I found the Michael part very dark. I’m always thinking, “Poor Fredo.” No one did awkward & uncomfortable quite like John Cazale.

 

It’s weird, I lean toward liking part 2 the best but if I had to choose only one to watch it would be part 1. Everything about part 1 was just so perfect

 

My bad he was in Part 2.

 

I assume no one liked # 3?

 

#3 is the worst one, IMO. Meh.
Like the last one of Raiders, Harrison Ford.

 

Every time I think I'm done with these polls, they drag me back in!

 

I voted for the first one, but part-2 is an extraordinary sequel...perhaps the best movie sequel ever... (All of you 'Empire' & 'T-2' fans relax...I like those too!)
...and, while I get why nobody will vote for part-3 (as it is vastly sub-par compared to 1 & 2), if you watch the film as a stand-alone, (only you do know what happened in the characters' pasts), it's not that bad. Coppola should have cast somebody other than his own daughter to play Mary (Mike's daughter), and he should have paid whatever it took to get Robert Duvall back... but it's not nearly as "bad" as some would say... it's just bad-by-comparison, and with regard to people's expectations.

 

Brando was iconic in that role. I guess I'm too young (don't say that much anymore) to have really "gotten" his work in the 50s and 60s, but this has to be his finest role.

 

# 1, but I thought # 2 was very good as well. I agree with probably the best 1-2 punch in cinematic history

 

I picked 3. Just to be different

 

2 and I say that with no hesitation... The origin story of Don Corleone plays perfectly into the "sins of the father" story they are going for throughout the move. Its a much darker story. Michael has become a come to love the power he wields and has no hesitation to use it (see killing an innocent prostitute to extort a senator, banishing his wife, killing his brother.) Lee Strasberg was absolutely amazing as Herman Roth (This is the business we have chosen!) and was more dangerous of a character than all of the five families they eliminated in the first movie. That role is a cat and mouse game at its finest. Finally, it just gets better work from Coppala than the first one did. He had to work harder to make sure it was a success because of the popularity of the first movie and the books. It can be seen throughout the movie, notably the cinematography and the work done with that to match the scenes lighting to the darker feel of the movie.

Haha and for what it's worth, Godfather 3 isn't a terrible movie. It just in no way can be compared to the first 2 which could both be considered one of the best of all time.

 

Regarding Part 2, I enjoy the Michael Corleone/Hyman Roth parts a lot better than the Robert De Niro flashback scenes. Gotta love those Cuba scenes. We’re bigger than US Steel.....

 

Agree @meyers67 - love Hyman Roth coughing & wheezing while talking sh*t to Michael

 

This poll reminded me to order the book. I have seen 1 quite a few times and I always get something new and I always seem to have more questions. I always have heard "the book will give you why' . I ordered it last week so hopefully it will come in the next day or two and close out me COVID reading list!