This
article is about the 1972 film. For
the novel on which the film is based, see The Godfather (novel). For male
godparent in many Christian traditions, see Godfather.
The
Godfather is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and
produced by Albert S. Ruddy, based on Mario Puzo's best-selling eponymous
novel. It stars Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as the leaders of a fictional New
York crime family. The story, spanning 1945 to 1955, chronicles the family
under the patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando), focusing on the transformation of
Michael Corleone (Pacino) from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia
boss.
