“I don't apologize - that's my life - but I thought that, that when it was your time, that you would be the one to hold the string. Senator Corleone; Governor Corleone. Well, it wasn't enough time, Michael. It wasn't enough time.”

“I believe in America. America has made my fortune.” And so begins what is considered the greatest films of all time. But what is the secret of The Godfather? You can be amazed by this film by the stunning performances, wonderful cinematography, or brilliant story, but many films carry this. The key information according to Roger Ebert is this: “The Godfather is told entirely within a closed world. That's why we sympathize with characters who are essentially evil. During the movie we see not a single actual civilian victim of organized crime.” This is a film about America in honor, money, and family. The world ‘Mafia’ is never used.

The film begins in a dark room, where Don Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, is being offered requests. Due to a Sicilian tradition, the godfather cannot refuse a request on the day of his daughter’s wedding. A man enters and tells a story of how his daughter was raped and the men who had done the crime were let off. He now wants justice after the cops failed to do that. But Don Corleone asks, “Why did you go to the police? Why didn't you come to me first? What have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully?” This is the brilliant set up. We cannot rely on outside characters, but only on the family.

The world that The Godfather tells is one of the inside out. We never understand any characters who are not part of the “family” as they would say. As the film begins on this wedding, we interlude between Don Vito’s quiet room and the clamorous wedding outside. We are then introduced to almost every major character: the reluctant son Michael (Al Pacino), Vito’s right hand man Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), the hot headed son Sonny (James Caan), and many others. The screenplay moves along like a river, one chaotic event leading to the next. How did that racehorse’s head end up in a Hollywood mogul’s bed? What was the point of Connie’s phone call to Sonny? What brought Michael back to the United States? Each plot point gently leads into the next; cause and effect so carefully calculated its almost impossible to notice. in an almost perfect screenplay, written by the original novelist Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola. You may even miss that you can simply summarize this film as the passing of one head of a family to another.

The scene that always hits home for me appears right in the middle. Don Vito has almost been assassinated, and the police chief (Sterling Hayden from Dr. Strangelove) almost let a second attempt happen. Michael goes to meet with the chief an associate from another one of the five mafia families, but secretly plans to kill them. Their entire conversation at dinner is in Italian without subtitles. This is a scene that shows how closed this world is. Not even a head authority figure in the city can know a single word.

The major theme of this film is loyalty. You cannot trust another man’s word. The only way is to prove your loyalty, whether large or small. During the opening wedding scene, Don Vito tells a man that one day he will have to repay him. But it is not through a murder, but simply moving a body to protect the fragility of an old woman. You can’t trust anyone who hasn’t proven loyalty to the family. As Michael says in the second part, the most important thing he learned from his father is “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

The irony in The Godfather relies in its title. Does it refer to Vito and his dying dreams? Or does it refer to Michael and his new responsibilities? The famous baptism sequence is a marvel to behold. Not only does Michael become godfather of his nephew but it is interlocked with his murder of the heads of the four other major families, thus asserting his position as godfather.

As I said before, we see these men as good people. Vito understands the vices in which some must take place, but refuses to accept drugs as a legitimate business. Vito appears only slightly better than others through his argument against adding drugs to the family business. It’s difficult but somehow we care for this old man, despite his genuine evil business. In the scene where Vito finally collapses in a tomato field, it is hard to see him go. A giant has just fallen out of the sky.

The only character we see from outside this closed world is Michael’s girlfriend Kay, played by Diane Keaton. Though her role wouldn’t be expanded until the second part, Kay provides a plot device for Michael to prove himself a worthy successor to his father. He tries hard to convince her that originally that he will not be part of this world, but in the end must do the opposite and tell her that the world is okay.

But then again, how many women make a difference in The Godfather? The final shot, of a door closing on a woman, represents how isolated they are from this world. The family business is for men only, and women are strictly forbidden. The few females with a real presence are simply being used by their men to help sustain the family business. It’s a cruel world. Near the end, Michael coldly lies to his sister about her husband, with such strong conviction its hard not to believe him.

On a technical scale, The Godfather is a stunning work of art. Gordon Willis’ cinematography is full of rich darks. But what he captures are facial expressions. This is not seen in our lead actors, but in the associates. In a scene where a large man, who almost appears to have a fearful presence in regular light, is begging for his life as he chokes to death, it’s frightening to see how realistic his large, boorish face has become.

The Godfather is also an actor’s delight. Marlon Brando’s performance has been copied and imitated for thirty-five years. Brando used all sort of acting tricks including accent, props, and make up. But by the end of the film, this is no longer a plot device. When he speaks, we listen, because we know he is probably saying something extremely important. Pacino as Michael provides our entire moral consequence. We see his dilemma in every scene, and its hard not to feel sympathetic for a man whose dreams were crushed by his loyalty to his family. All the other roles are brilliant fitted for some of the greatest actors of the 1970s.

For a young Francis Ford Coppola, the release of The Godfather in 1972 became a gateway to an expansive and brilliant career. The Godfather: Part II and III brilliantly continue the tale of the family, exploring the deeper and darker sides of how a family must fight between tradition and modernity (Part II is especially wonderful for Pacino’s performance and John Cazzale’s performance as his other brother Fredo, who appears minimally in this film). The Conversation explores madness through a commercial wiretapper. And Apocalypse Now  is…well it is Apocalypse Now.

The Godfather is now an icon of pop culture. It’s easy sometimes to dismiss how powerful of a film is truly is. The storytelling sets off the tone for a film of curiosities. This is a film about the American tradition. It just happens to be about the mafia. All the important parts of what makes America great appear in this film. The Godfather is art through storytelling, brilliant acting, and visually confounding photography. This is an offer you cannot refuse.