Whether The Godfather remains untouchable.
While there was a certain degree of anticipation for what filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and other 1970s "New Hollywood" upstarts were capable of, there was no way of knowing just how phenomenal Coppola’s talents would turn out to be. The Godfather was not his first film, but it was a film that changed so much of what cinema was and became. It is partly for this reason that The Godfather could not possibly be remade today, but plenty of other dissuading factors exist.
5 1970s Hollywood Was A Unique Time For Cinema
By the late 1960s, Hollywood was changing dramatically. Films like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Arthur Penn’s Bonnie & Clyde offered something far beyond what studios and their restrictive contracts had been capable of achieving. The future was looking bright and uncertain in the best possible way. New talents were steadily cropping up, and although not everyone reached Francis Ford Coppola's legendary status, the degree of influential filmmaking taking place not just in the United States but also across Europe and Asia was staggering. As the 1960s gave way to the 1970s, a definite change was occurring.
Though certainly an important figure among this new breed of filmmakers, Coppola was not experiencing a tremendous amount of success prior to the release of The Godfather. Still, his ability to take Mario Puzo's The Godfather book and delve deeper into the Corleone family allowed Coppola to find his unique filmmaking voice. Socially, economically, and artistically, the 1970s provided fertile ground for a filmmaker of Coppola’s potential. It just so happened that The Godfather was the perfect vehicle for these abilities, creating a lightning-in-a-bottle moment in which one of the greatest films of all time was the end result.
4 The Godfather Was The First Gangster Movie Of Its Kind
Today, the idea of the gangster movie is so entrenched in cinema and the minds of audiences that it has almost become cliché. This is not to say that depictions of famed criminals and illicit underworld activity is not still immensely popular. In fact, the gangster movie genre arguably has more fuel for its storylines today than ever before. Yet depicting and delivering this kind of subject matter onscreen in fresh and exciting ways remains consistently difficult. Constructing a unique and engaging world in which to deliver the countless number of untold organized crime stories is now very challenging.
The early 1970s made it clear that the public were hungry for tales of the mafia. Mario Puzo’s novel on which The Godfather was adapted had been a major bestseller. The world of organized crime was fertile ground cinematically, with past films about gangsters feeling almost childish in comparison. These factors came together in such a way that Coppola was able to deliver something that took the realism of mafia life to all new heights. Audiences had never seen anything like it, and this translated to a near-obsessive fascination with what Coppola had put together, and the performances The Godfather delivered.
3 The Godfather's Original Actors Involved Are Now Legends
As the history of cinema and filmmaking have proven time and time again, no film can succeed solely on the ability of its director. A skilled filmmaker can get strong performances out of their actors, but without actors who can take scripts and direction to the next level, nothing more can be done from the director's chair. The complexities of getting the right actors is not just solved by hiring the most famous names in Hollywood either. Casting a superstar in a more humble role can more often than not be a distraction rather than an advantage.
With the notable exception of Marlon Brando, the vast majority of The Godfather’s cast were not household names at the time of the film’s release. The likes of Al Pacino, James Caan, and Diane Keaton were all only just beginning to discover their true strengths as actors, and their places as Hollywood royalty were yet to be determined. The fact that Coppola was able to bring together a selection of actors with so much potential is the stuff of dreams for filmmakers, and the idea that this legendary ensemble could be repeated in the modern era is naive.
2 The Shadow Of The Godfather Is Far Too Big
As previously mentioned, Mario Puzo’s novel had been a bestseller prior to Coppola’s adaptation of The Godfather. Nevertheless, no one could have predicted the degree to which Coppola’s The Godfather would eclipse its source material. Nominated for eleven Academy Awards and taking home three, including Best Picture, The Godfather’s status only grew in later years. Today, it is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time.
Whenever a film is remade - particularly if that film happens to be a fan favorite with significant nostalgia attached to it - there is a certain amount of risk involved. This degree of risk is nothing compared to what would be faced if any attempts at remaking The Godfather were undertaken. The film has existed in cinematic legend for too long, with roots that run far too deep into Hollywood and fillmmaking in general. Even if a remake of The Godfather took a wildly different direction to the 1970s original, it would only face constant, damaging comparison to the original due to its tremendous impact and status.
1 Very Few Directors Could Rival Francis Ford Coppola
Consideration of The Godfather movie franchise aside, Coppola’s career has also produced critically acclaimed works such as Apocalypse Now, The Conversation and Rumble Fish. His career may not have been blessed by colossal hits initially, but Coppola's sound artistic judgment and focus definitely revealed themselves through The Godfather. It is impossible to speculate on what would have become of The Godfather had Coppola not been the one to direct it, but it is safe to say that the film would not have been anything like how it ultimately turned out. The Godfather brims with Coppola’s artistic integrity, forever immortalized in every aspect.
Any attempt at remaking The Godfather would be foolish not to take this into consideration. Moreover, Coppola’s status as a groundbreaking filmmaker should always be a factor in this decision. To remake the work of a legend is to suggest that the original could be improved upon in some respect. Yet any belief that The Godfather needs a new angle or new life would challenge the film’s incredible staying power over the decades. Coppola’s unique vision may have delivered a film that reworked a bestselling novel, but it remains difficult to see reworking The Godfather's cinematic achievements as anything more than a fool’s errand.
