Related: Marlon Brando's Planned Cameo In Godfather 2 (& Why He Rejected It) The same could be said for Scarface and plenty of others, and you'd need to turn toward the small screen, find HBO, and put on The Sopranos for a gangster story that honors family with the same importance as The Godfather. Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas comes as close as any film to stealing The Godfather's crown, but the tale of Henry Hill is more concerned with Henry himself - the lure of the criminal lifestyle, mafia culture, the corrupting influence of illegality. Though The Godfather has been copied ceaselessly over the past 50 years, few gangster movies since have depicted the theme of family with that same respect - even the really great ones. The Godfather's final shot, where Kay watches her husband inherit the Corleone throne, proves the story's true meaning is family. Michael's evolution into the new Don Corleone speaks to his father-son connection with Marlon Brando's character. Then, after The Godfather's original Don retires, Puzo's script shifts focus onto the remaining Corleone siblings - Michael, Fredo, Connie and Tom Hagen - as well as Michael's own growing family with Diane Keaton's Kay. The war between the Corleones and the Tattaglias resonates because of Don Vito's heartbreaking reaction to Sonny's death. Those ingredients are absolutely vital to The Godfather's recipe, but the story's true heartbeat is the Corleone family dynamic itself, with every iconic moment and milestone rooted in their relationships. For some, The Godfather is a commentary on society and the American dream. Anyone would be forgiven for assuming Francis Ford Coppola's focus is the Corleone victory over New York's Five Families, or the devolution of an honest man into a criminal.

Godfather movie effects on the mafia