The movie also swept some of the top Oscar categories at the Academy Awards, winning best picture, best adapted screenplay and best actor for Marlon Brando. The commercial and critical success spurred a renaissance in Brando’s career, although some will forever associate him with the eponymous role of “The Godfather.”
The movie put director Francis Ford Coppola on the map, earning him a best director Oscar nomination. Three (three!) actors from the movie vied for best supporting actor: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and James Caan. (Maybe they split the vote because they all lost out to Joel Grey in “Cabaret.”)
Movie lines and quotes have invaded every day conversation and pop culture, even for those who haven’t seen the movie:
Paramount Pictures (the original studio) released an updated trailer in honor of the 50th anniversary “The Godfather” and its limited run in movie theaters again: