So, our next film, Classic or Crud, Hit or Miss, what say you ALL?

Our next film open for discussion, and ultimately an Overall RATING by you all:


Let the discussions flow. Likes, dislikes, classic film or overhyped trash, and DONT FORGET to place an Overall Rating when youre done.

Its easy, just give a Rating from 1 (Jaws 4:The Revenge) to 10 (Jaws), and thats it. Course I'd love to have you all give reasons as to why you feel it deserves this Overall Rating, and more than encourage discussions with us all about them.

So, what say you all?

Next Film: ??????

Well this is a 10. Absolutely.

Even on my relatively stiff interval scale, the Godfather is a 10.0. Essentially a 100 out of 100. It's an amazing and timeless masterpiece of a film...I don't believe it to be overrated in the least.

Absolutely beautiful screenplay writing and unmatched character depth in a very good sized cast of characters. In addition, the overall performances of this ensemble cast go down as the best ever. It's hard for me to say "in my opinion" here either. The Godfather is the greatest film ever made and declaring it this way helps hit that point home even further and displays my willingness to contend this point with anyone.

Michael Corleone is a unique character in that he is a villain who we engage with so directly, that we literal forget he is villain altogether until he does something really krappy...like blatantly lie to his wife's face about killing his brother in law. The film is about Michael's downward spiral and the second film further makes the parrallel's with his father and the third puts him in the position his father was in when he saw Michael fall in the first Godfather, an old man who did what he could for his family and now realizes that delicate and tragic balance between love/respect and cold-blooded authority. No other film I can think of fools into identifying with such a dark character other than perhaps Eastwood's Unforgiven. The Godfather is special in may other ways too but it would take even more rambling to make these points.

That's that...I watch this and part II every single year around this time, so expressing this really helps to gear up for it.

I read the book first and was extremely disappointed.

The movie is absolutely great, though. From me it gets a 9 (I have trouble giving a 10 to any movie that doesn't have Christina Ricci).

10

This fantastic film has so many things going for it, how could it get anything but a ten? To begin with, it a great movie all by itself. It's also chock full of truely quoteable lines. Finally, it's highly inspirational. Even if you're not a ruthless mob boss, there are few situations in life that don't have an answer to be had in either The Godfather, or part II.

While great, this movie is traditionally the one cited when an example is needed for a sequel that's better than the original (the other obvious one being Empire Strikes Back). The brilliance of Godfather II (and the unintentional comedy of Godfather III), however, can't detract from the excellence of the first one. Great performances, brilliant use of music, and an unflinching look at the brutality of organized crime are just a few of the reasons why this is film is a fixture in critics' all-time top 10 lists. The editing in the baptism montage alone (most notably, the "Moe Greene's eye" scene) places The Godfather a league apart from other films of its day. While I'm also reluctant to give any film a perfect score, I'm totally comfortable giving this a solid 9.5.

Well Hail, like yourself, and Im sure so many others here, Im quite reluctant to give a Perfect 10 to any film, BUT that doesnt mean I never do so, or that there has to be only one single film thats a 10 in my mind. And Ive gotta say, for a guy who loves his Sci Fi/Horror/Action/Adventures films, this Drama is about as perfect as they come, and it would be an insult to it to NOT give it a Perfect 10. (and personally I enjoyed the First GF more than its sequel)

The story, the pacing, the acting, the lines, the music, ALL about as close to movie Perfection as you can get in my book. And at 3 hours no less, you feel after watching this that you were part of the family, spending years as one of them, yet still doesnt feel like a 3 hour picture. Youll cheer, youll cry, you heart will pulse wildly and then crash down the next minute.

One of the best films I have ever seen, and probably TIED with Empire Strike Back as my personal #2 favorite film EVER.

There is a reason this is a Classic in every sense of the word, and this was also the first of MANY such Classic films the 70s produced so much of. While giving a Perfect 10 is Very Select with me, I cant help but treat this film as it deserves.

My Rating - 10 / 10

So, did anybody besides me read the book?

Not yet, but it's on my list to read before I die. It's a rather large list, so it may be a while before I get around to it. Your own assessment certainly doesn't make be want to move it up on the list.

Well, I'd wish you to die before you have to read it, but that'd sound so aggressive, while it would be intended to sound purely cynical.

The story is well known from the movie and it is good, but in my opinion it was written very badly. I'm not sure if the translation is to blame for that, though.

Truly the definition of a classic: 10

I read the book about a year or so ago...other than Luca Brazi's character it really doesn't compare. It's a good read for more background on the story, but that's about it.

Current HCR Member Rating:

THE GODFATHER - 9.75 / 10

So what exactly makes it a classic? What makes it so perfect other than what the back of the DVD box labels it? Sorry if this seems rude, but these threads seem pointless if comments and critiques are given in this form.

That's because you're too lazy to go to the trouble of reading all of the posts instead of just the last few. Lots of other posters to this thread (myself included) posted specific reasons for why they gave the film the rating they did. Most of the reasons that have been given in this thread are not the sorts which make their way onto the backs of DVD boxes either. Many posters don't bother stating why they give the rating they do when there are so many others who've come before them who have already given the same reasons they agree with.

and if you were really sorry about seeming rude, you would have found another way to say it.

If threads like this seem pointless, and youre not satisfied with some of the other members posts, you could always post an opinion here yourself, show us how its all done.