What kind of influence did the Godfather have? I know it changed the gangster genre into an operatic one instead of a cornier one, but what films have ripped it off since it’s release?
Scarface, maybe?
Some call it pastiche, I call it rip-off (as well as a prime example of Brando in full-on whore mode). The Freshman, in which Brando plays a mob godfather.
I think that the Freshman is more making fun of the Godfather, than ripping it off, and in that light, Brando wasnt in ho mode …
Now that said, I have absolutely no freaking clue why people seem to worship this movie. [ignoring any sequels] It was ok, a tolerably decent adaptation of the Puzo novel. It killed a couple hours, and I happen to like the tarentella and other italian folk music so the wedding music was fun, and I like period pieces, so seeing the fab 50s clothing was neat, and fairly nicely done.
But I have seen people [like an english teacher] who practically worshipped the movie like the uni film arts teacher in the Freshman … Sam also had all the dialog memorized and was absolutely certain that every single scene had several layers of allegory and meaning.
DUDE - sometimes Mike and Connie out window shopping in Manhattan is just 2 lovers out doing some christmas shopping, and has no other meaning than setting a scene of domesticity that is about to be drastically changed by the turbulent actions of a world gone mad … and isnt referring to the greediness of people leading to a life of crime [yups, he actually thought that from that scene…sob]
In terms of imitation and homage, I think Goodfellas has actually been more influential. (Heck, Scorsese liked it so much he keeps trying to imitating it.) While The Godfather series is “about” the mob (though they don’t use the word “Mafia” until the Senate hearings late in Part II), it is actually a Greek tragedy written into an American setting, which is why the Corleones are portrayed as such noble figures, even though there is little that could be said to be noble about organized crime. Miller’s Crossing, Once Upon A Time In America, Prizzi’s Honor, and Carlito’s Way are a few that owe more than a little recognition to The Godfather, but by and large mob/crime films have tended more toward the grittier, less romanticized portrayal of organized crime.
Stranger
SET IT OFF had a Godfatheresque homage in which Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Jada Pinkett Smith and Kimberly Elise all sat at a corporate boardroom table and had a mob sit-down.
Here’s an unusual one. Elizabeth is thematically an almost note for note remake of Godfather, part 1. Sudden unforseen circumstances force someone long removed from the dirty deeds of the family business to take control of the organization. At first s/he is met with derision, but a few in the organization recognize her/his latent abilities and determination. S/he is mocked by her enemies and they quickly scheme to take advantage of this naive outsider. Some in his/her circles do “the smart thing” and betray her/him to his/her enemies. Others use their skills to support her/him in the coming struggle. Eventually The enemies are all defeated in a sudden, carefully planned and timed bloodbath. The killing montage in Elizabeth is virtually identical to the one in Godfather. At the very end the camera and the actor show without words how the character has lost his/her innocence–if s/he ever had it–and has assumed the brutal perogatives of power necessary for him/her and their friends to prosper in this violent milieu.
I know this may sound like a stretch, but watch the movies back-to-back and I guarantee you’ll be astonished at the parallels.
You’ve got it all wrong. The Freshman was most definitely a parody of the Godfather-type movies. Marlon Brando was lampooning himself. The film is even catagorized as a comedy.
No wonder I liked Elizabeth so much. Yes, now that you mention it, it is a remake of The Godfather.
How good is The Godfather, parts I and II. I like them both a lot and consider them to be masterpieces. So do most mainstream critics. Both films are almost always included in a critics’ list of must see classics, usually towards the top of the list.
The Freshman was a hilarious comedy. Brando played a con man playing a Godfather. It was a hoot, but his performance was not in the same league as it was in Godfather I. Most remarkable from The Freshman, however, was Bruno Kirby’s face. It had been almost two decades since he had played the young Clemenza in Godfather II, yet he played a young con man here quite well. Entirely different kind of character, so much so that I didn’t remember he was in Godfather II until after the movie was over.
There were lots of mob themed miniseries that tried to cash in. The best of the lot was probably The Gangster Chronicles (1981) which had the crown jewel of getting Richard Castellano (Clemenza from GF1), who turned down GF2 due to a prima donna altercation with Coppolla but essentially did Clemenza Redux in this far lesser project.
From what I’ve read the most influence the Godfather had was on the mob itself. It gave them a mythos; handkissing and calling their heads “Godfather” was never done before the movie but came into vogue afterwards.
I loved Pacino’s gangster in Donnie Brasco, about as far removed from Michael Corleone (neither suave, intelligent or successful) as you could get.
Godfather III.
I’d also mention “Casino.”